Addicted to the ‘life of methamphetamine’: Perceived barriers to sustained methamphetamine recovery

Aims: This qualitative study explores and characterises barriers to methamphetamine recovery that emerge from users discussing anonymously their challenges in an online discussion forum. Methods: Anonymous letters and stories (N = 202), which were submitted to an online support forum for methamphetamine users and their loved ones, were analysed in Dedoose software using grounded theory methodology. Findings: Six perceived barriers emerged from the narratives, which were categorised as internal or external. The first three perceived barriers – low self-efficacy, conflicting thoughts about methamphetamine use, and side effects of withdrawal – were related to internal barriers, and the other three perceived barriers – escaping the drug environment, friends and family prevented recovery, and inadequate drug rehabilitation programmes – were related to external barriers. Conclusions: Methamphetamine users participating in an online discussion forum faced many internal and external barriers that impeded their recovery. These identified barriers were remarkably similar to barriers reported by users seeking treatment in conventional settings or recruited from drug networks, which suggests that methamphetamine users, in general, use multiple methods to assist with recovery and face many common barriers. Developing behavioural interventions that include online components may help remove some of the barriers and improve methamphetamine recovery.