UCLA research shows meth treatment curbs high-risk behaviors

A study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, shows that offering drug abuse treatment and counseling to gay and bisexual men addicted to crystal methamphetamine dramatically lowered high-risk sexual behavior among the men. A study of 162 gay and bisexual meth addicts in Los Angeles County showed that any of four different behavioral drug abuse treatments resulted in an immediate threefold reduction in meth use and risky sexual behavior, says lead researcher Steven Shoptaw. Harm-reduction benefits gained from treatment were generally maintained over a yearlong observation period. "The AIDS epidemic in the United States is integrally linked to drug use," Shoptaw says. "Effective drug abuse treatments that produce lasting behavioral changes among addicts at risk of HIV are vital to prevention efforts." The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse