Definitions of recovery often include substance use outcomes and related improvements in other areas of life (e.g., physical, social, psychological). However, recovery perceptions and goals may differ from person to person. This study surveyed people who use methamphetamines to understand the degree to which substance use and and other recovery outcomes are present in the definitions of this group with lived experience.
l
Recovery is conceptually related to both levels of substance use as well as the resulting functional improvements in other domains of life (e.g., psychological, physical, social) that come from cessation or reductions in use. Research suggests non-abstinent recovery (e.g., reduced use instead of abstinence or abstinent from one substance while continuing to use another substance) is associated with functional benefits, and most treatment providers and administrators support non-abstinence patient goals when clinically appropriate (e.g., lower addiction severity). Some evidence, however, suggests that abstinence is linked with more stable remission and better overall quality of life in the long run. Additional evidence highlights that about half of Americans who self-identify as having resolved a substance problem continue to use substances in some form, and abstinence, although not necessary, is associated with better functioning and greater well-being. Understanding the perspectives of people with current or former substance use may help illuminate their perceptions of recovery and the range of substance use goals among those with lived or living substance use experience.
More knowledge regarding methamphetamine and other stimulant use disorder recovery is important given increased rates of stimulant-involved overdose deaths and other harms alongside comparatively far more research on alcohol and opioid use disorder recovery. Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system. In low doses, it typically produces euphoria while increasing alertness, heart rate, physical activity, and blood pressure. However, at higher doses, it can cause severe health complications, including elevated body temperature, seizures, cardiovascular failure, significant weight loss, memory impairment, and damage to teeth and skin. In extreme cases, it can be fatal. The present study examined recovery perceptions and goals among individuals in NIH-funded substance use research with recent methamphetamine use, which may shed light how future clinical targets and treatment engagement and retention strategies.
This study was a cross-sectional analysis of open- and closed-ended survey questions curated to understand how people with a history of methamphetamine use view recovery. Between December 2022 and June 2023, 100 adults were recruited and enrolled from 2 existing studies funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). One of these studies examined the social network correlates of substance use disorder treatment attendance and outcomes during prison re-entry. The other study examined the acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (often referred to as “PrEP”) care among rural persons who inject substances attending a syringe service program. For the present study, participants had to be 18 years of age or older, self-report methamphetamine use with the last 3 months (or the 3 months prior to incarceration), and not be currently incarcerated.
The survey was administered individually and included closed- and open-ended questions related to the participants’ views on their preferred outcomes and target goals during recovery: substance use history, substance-related recovery outcomes, physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery outcomes.
Within each domain, the research team selected a subset of relevant outcomes. For example, general health, sleep, cardiovascular health, immune health, appetite, and energy level were identified as recovery outcomes relevant to physical health. The selection of outcomes was determined by review of the existing scientific literature as well as convening of a Community Advisory Board of people with current or past substance use. Before inquiring about the domains, the participants were asked the general, open-ended question: “What does recovery look like for you?” Then, for each domain, participants were asked: “For people who use methamphetamines, being in recovery may result in improvements in [physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery]. How important is an improvement in _____ as a recovery outcome?” Each blank was then replaced by the individual outcome (e.g., sleep within the physical health domain). Participants were then asked to rate each outcome from 0 (not at all important) to 4 (absolutely essential). These closed-ended questions were then followed by open-ended questions: “Please describe the most important recovery outcome for your [physical/cognitive/mental/social] health and why?” The research team then analyzed the average ranks across outcomes and reviewed the open-ended responses for thematic patterns.
Of the 100 participants, the average age was 40 years old, with 33% identifying as female and 88% identifying as White. About half (52%) lived in a rural county, with 85% reported to have a GED or higher. Most (70%) had legal employment or were enrolled in school in the past 3 months. There were 68% of participants that reported community supervision for the last 3 months, with 20% reported being in place for at least 15 days out of the last 3 months where substance use was not possible (e.g., prison). Although 87% reported no injection substance use in the past 3 months, 68% reported feeling a need for methamphetamine treatment. About half (57%) had a history of an overdose, and 76% had a history of injection substance use. Nearly all had health insurance in the last 3 months (95%) and considered themselves to be in recovery (93%).
Abstinence viewed as an important recovery outcome by most
When participants were asked “What does recovery mean to you,” 38 of the 95 responses explicitly noted complete abstinence, sobriety, or “not using mood- or mind-altering drugs”, 20 focused on recovery capital (which also overlapped with abstinence in some cases), 18 on actions/process (e.g., mutual-help group attendance), 10 on life functioning, and 10 on emotional functioning.
When asked to rank the importance of not using any methamphetamines to recovery, 86% believed it was “absolutely essential”, and another 12% ranked it as “very important” (see Figure below). Only 1 individual (1%) reported it as “Not at all important”. Reducing other drug use was also ranked highly, with 70% and 12% ranking it as “absolutely essential” and “very important”, respectively. Though alcohol and cannabis abstinence were not quite as important to recovery for these participants, substantial majorities also viewed abstinence from these substances as important.
When asked about perceptions of substance use in recovery, 1/3 felt both other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) and alcohol could be part of one’s recovery (see Figure below). Participants viewed tobacco use differently from other drugs with 89% feeling it can be part of recovery.
Non-substance-related outcomes ranked as important to recovery
For 22 out of the 27 non-substance-related outcomes, at least 90% of participants ranked them as important (either “very important” or “absolutely essential”). Among the physical health outcomes, general health and energy were endorsed as important by 95% of participants, and sleep was endorsed by 91%. Sleep also emerged in open-ended responses. For example, one participant said:
“most important about my physical health? to me, its prolly to get sleep b/c when you’re on meth and stuff you keep going, going, going and it wears you down. You don’t get sleep and you can’t do your daily routine and then you sleep for days to make up for it. the sleep part is probably the most important.”
All of the cognitive functioning outcomes were reported as important by at least 94% of participants. These included improved ability to think clearly, improved attention and focus, less impulsivity, and improved problem solving and decision making. Impulsivity leading to substance use appeared as theme in the open responses, with one person saying:
“probably not being impulsive b/c that just gets you into a lot of trouble [slight laugh] and sometimes I feel like being a drug addict is impulse control — where you lack that.”
Of the 9 mental health outcomes, less anger was important for 86% of participants. All the other outcomes were important for 92% of the participants – for example, less stress was ranked as important by 97% of the participants. In the open-ended response to mental health outcomes, improved coping was the most prevalent theme, with one participant saying:
“Coping skills. Cause you’re on the road to recovery and if you made it that far you can make it through anything to get you to where you’re at now.”
There were 8 financial, social, or relationship outcomes. Having fun with others and obtaining educational/training degree was important for 74% and 56%, respectively. The remaining 6 were important for 93% of participants, including 99% for “not getting into trouble with the law”. Relationships was a key theme in responses to the open-ended question. One participant noted:
“Mainly getting back with family and friends cause you’re gonna need their support. When you’re down and even when you’re doing right.”
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. Abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, though about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was strong participant consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Importantly, we do not know from these data whether perceptions of outcome importance are related to actual attainment of these outcomes or time in recovery. Furthermore, nearly all (94%) of the participants were recruited from the prison re-entry program. These individuals may be qualitatively different from methamphetamine users without criminal justice history. However, the ubiquity of both abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes – as well as goals beyond abstinence – highlighted potential benefits of comprehensive, tailored support approaches. With methamphetamine use, generally, and riskier use, specifically, becoming more common, creating treatment and recovery services that align with recovery goals as well as in addiction severity may facilitate better engagement and retention. Although many physical outcomes are caused by methamphetamine use and will likely abate with abstinence, it may be helpful also to target explicitly non-use related outcomes (e.g., sleep, ability to think clearly, less stress) as part of treatment and a recovery support plan. Including researchers with lived experience and people who use substances in future research may further improve understanding of the broader concept of recovery and develop more helpful interventions.
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. While abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was a strong consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Elswick, A., Fallin-Bennett, A., Roper, K. L., Batty, E., McLouth, C. J., Stoops, W., Surratt, H. L., & Oser, C. B. (2025). An exploration of desired abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes among people who use methamphetamine. Harm Reduction Journal, 22(7). doi: 10.1186/s12954-025-01155-6.
l
Recovery is conceptually related to both levels of substance use as well as the resulting functional improvements in other domains of life (e.g., psychological, physical, social) that come from cessation or reductions in use. Research suggests non-abstinent recovery (e.g., reduced use instead of abstinence or abstinent from one substance while continuing to use another substance) is associated with functional benefits, and most treatment providers and administrators support non-abstinence patient goals when clinically appropriate (e.g., lower addiction severity). Some evidence, however, suggests that abstinence is linked with more stable remission and better overall quality of life in the long run. Additional evidence highlights that about half of Americans who self-identify as having resolved a substance problem continue to use substances in some form, and abstinence, although not necessary, is associated with better functioning and greater well-being. Understanding the perspectives of people with current or former substance use may help illuminate their perceptions of recovery and the range of substance use goals among those with lived or living substance use experience.
More knowledge regarding methamphetamine and other stimulant use disorder recovery is important given increased rates of stimulant-involved overdose deaths and other harms alongside comparatively far more research on alcohol and opioid use disorder recovery. Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system. In low doses, it typically produces euphoria while increasing alertness, heart rate, physical activity, and blood pressure. However, at higher doses, it can cause severe health complications, including elevated body temperature, seizures, cardiovascular failure, significant weight loss, memory impairment, and damage to teeth and skin. In extreme cases, it can be fatal. The present study examined recovery perceptions and goals among individuals in NIH-funded substance use research with recent methamphetamine use, which may shed light how future clinical targets and treatment engagement and retention strategies.
This study was a cross-sectional analysis of open- and closed-ended survey questions curated to understand how people with a history of methamphetamine use view recovery. Between December 2022 and June 2023, 100 adults were recruited and enrolled from 2 existing studies funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). One of these studies examined the social network correlates of substance use disorder treatment attendance and outcomes during prison re-entry. The other study examined the acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (often referred to as “PrEP”) care among rural persons who inject substances attending a syringe service program. For the present study, participants had to be 18 years of age or older, self-report methamphetamine use with the last 3 months (or the 3 months prior to incarceration), and not be currently incarcerated.
The survey was administered individually and included closed- and open-ended questions related to the participants’ views on their preferred outcomes and target goals during recovery: substance use history, substance-related recovery outcomes, physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery outcomes.
Within each domain, the research team selected a subset of relevant outcomes. For example, general health, sleep, cardiovascular health, immune health, appetite, and energy level were identified as recovery outcomes relevant to physical health. The selection of outcomes was determined by review of the existing scientific literature as well as convening of a Community Advisory Board of people with current or past substance use. Before inquiring about the domains, the participants were asked the general, open-ended question: “What does recovery look like for you?” Then, for each domain, participants were asked: “For people who use methamphetamines, being in recovery may result in improvements in [physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery]. How important is an improvement in _____ as a recovery outcome?” Each blank was then replaced by the individual outcome (e.g., sleep within the physical health domain). Participants were then asked to rate each outcome from 0 (not at all important) to 4 (absolutely essential). These closed-ended questions were then followed by open-ended questions: “Please describe the most important recovery outcome for your [physical/cognitive/mental/social] health and why?” The research team then analyzed the average ranks across outcomes and reviewed the open-ended responses for thematic patterns.
Of the 100 participants, the average age was 40 years old, with 33% identifying as female and 88% identifying as White. About half (52%) lived in a rural county, with 85% reported to have a GED or higher. Most (70%) had legal employment or were enrolled in school in the past 3 months. There were 68% of participants that reported community supervision for the last 3 months, with 20% reported being in place for at least 15 days out of the last 3 months where substance use was not possible (e.g., prison). Although 87% reported no injection substance use in the past 3 months, 68% reported feeling a need for methamphetamine treatment. About half (57%) had a history of an overdose, and 76% had a history of injection substance use. Nearly all had health insurance in the last 3 months (95%) and considered themselves to be in recovery (93%).
Abstinence viewed as an important recovery outcome by most
When participants were asked “What does recovery mean to you,” 38 of the 95 responses explicitly noted complete abstinence, sobriety, or “not using mood- or mind-altering drugs”, 20 focused on recovery capital (which also overlapped with abstinence in some cases), 18 on actions/process (e.g., mutual-help group attendance), 10 on life functioning, and 10 on emotional functioning.
When asked to rank the importance of not using any methamphetamines to recovery, 86% believed it was “absolutely essential”, and another 12% ranked it as “very important” (see Figure below). Only 1 individual (1%) reported it as “Not at all important”. Reducing other drug use was also ranked highly, with 70% and 12% ranking it as “absolutely essential” and “very important”, respectively. Though alcohol and cannabis abstinence were not quite as important to recovery for these participants, substantial majorities also viewed abstinence from these substances as important.
When asked about perceptions of substance use in recovery, 1/3 felt both other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) and alcohol could be part of one’s recovery (see Figure below). Participants viewed tobacco use differently from other drugs with 89% feeling it can be part of recovery.
Non-substance-related outcomes ranked as important to recovery
For 22 out of the 27 non-substance-related outcomes, at least 90% of participants ranked them as important (either “very important” or “absolutely essential”). Among the physical health outcomes, general health and energy were endorsed as important by 95% of participants, and sleep was endorsed by 91%. Sleep also emerged in open-ended responses. For example, one participant said:
“most important about my physical health? to me, its prolly to get sleep b/c when you’re on meth and stuff you keep going, going, going and it wears you down. You don’t get sleep and you can’t do your daily routine and then you sleep for days to make up for it. the sleep part is probably the most important.”
All of the cognitive functioning outcomes were reported as important by at least 94% of participants. These included improved ability to think clearly, improved attention and focus, less impulsivity, and improved problem solving and decision making. Impulsivity leading to substance use appeared as theme in the open responses, with one person saying:
“probably not being impulsive b/c that just gets you into a lot of trouble [slight laugh] and sometimes I feel like being a drug addict is impulse control — where you lack that.”
Of the 9 mental health outcomes, less anger was important for 86% of participants. All the other outcomes were important for 92% of the participants – for example, less stress was ranked as important by 97% of the participants. In the open-ended response to mental health outcomes, improved coping was the most prevalent theme, with one participant saying:
“Coping skills. Cause you’re on the road to recovery and if you made it that far you can make it through anything to get you to where you’re at now.”
There were 8 financial, social, or relationship outcomes. Having fun with others and obtaining educational/training degree was important for 74% and 56%, respectively. The remaining 6 were important for 93% of participants, including 99% for “not getting into trouble with the law”. Relationships was a key theme in responses to the open-ended question. One participant noted:
“Mainly getting back with family and friends cause you’re gonna need their support. When you’re down and even when you’re doing right.”
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. Abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, though about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was strong participant consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Importantly, we do not know from these data whether perceptions of outcome importance are related to actual attainment of these outcomes or time in recovery. Furthermore, nearly all (94%) of the participants were recruited from the prison re-entry program. These individuals may be qualitatively different from methamphetamine users without criminal justice history. However, the ubiquity of both abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes – as well as goals beyond abstinence – highlighted potential benefits of comprehensive, tailored support approaches. With methamphetamine use, generally, and riskier use, specifically, becoming more common, creating treatment and recovery services that align with recovery goals as well as in addiction severity may facilitate better engagement and retention. Although many physical outcomes are caused by methamphetamine use and will likely abate with abstinence, it may be helpful also to target explicitly non-use related outcomes (e.g., sleep, ability to think clearly, less stress) as part of treatment and a recovery support plan. Including researchers with lived experience and people who use substances in future research may further improve understanding of the broader concept of recovery and develop more helpful interventions.
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. While abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was a strong consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Elswick, A., Fallin-Bennett, A., Roper, K. L., Batty, E., McLouth, C. J., Stoops, W., Surratt, H. L., & Oser, C. B. (2025). An exploration of desired abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes among people who use methamphetamine. Harm Reduction Journal, 22(7). doi: 10.1186/s12954-025-01155-6.
l
Recovery is conceptually related to both levels of substance use as well as the resulting functional improvements in other domains of life (e.g., psychological, physical, social) that come from cessation or reductions in use. Research suggests non-abstinent recovery (e.g., reduced use instead of abstinence or abstinent from one substance while continuing to use another substance) is associated with functional benefits, and most treatment providers and administrators support non-abstinence patient goals when clinically appropriate (e.g., lower addiction severity). Some evidence, however, suggests that abstinence is linked with more stable remission and better overall quality of life in the long run. Additional evidence highlights that about half of Americans who self-identify as having resolved a substance problem continue to use substances in some form, and abstinence, although not necessary, is associated with better functioning and greater well-being. Understanding the perspectives of people with current or former substance use may help illuminate their perceptions of recovery and the range of substance use goals among those with lived or living substance use experience.
More knowledge regarding methamphetamine and other stimulant use disorder recovery is important given increased rates of stimulant-involved overdose deaths and other harms alongside comparatively far more research on alcohol and opioid use disorder recovery. Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system. In low doses, it typically produces euphoria while increasing alertness, heart rate, physical activity, and blood pressure. However, at higher doses, it can cause severe health complications, including elevated body temperature, seizures, cardiovascular failure, significant weight loss, memory impairment, and damage to teeth and skin. In extreme cases, it can be fatal. The present study examined recovery perceptions and goals among individuals in NIH-funded substance use research with recent methamphetamine use, which may shed light how future clinical targets and treatment engagement and retention strategies.
This study was a cross-sectional analysis of open- and closed-ended survey questions curated to understand how people with a history of methamphetamine use view recovery. Between December 2022 and June 2023, 100 adults were recruited and enrolled from 2 existing studies funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). One of these studies examined the social network correlates of substance use disorder treatment attendance and outcomes during prison re-entry. The other study examined the acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (often referred to as “PrEP”) care among rural persons who inject substances attending a syringe service program. For the present study, participants had to be 18 years of age or older, self-report methamphetamine use with the last 3 months (or the 3 months prior to incarceration), and not be currently incarcerated.
The survey was administered individually and included closed- and open-ended questions related to the participants’ views on their preferred outcomes and target goals during recovery: substance use history, substance-related recovery outcomes, physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery outcomes.
Within each domain, the research team selected a subset of relevant outcomes. For example, general health, sleep, cardiovascular health, immune health, appetite, and energy level were identified as recovery outcomes relevant to physical health. The selection of outcomes was determined by review of the existing scientific literature as well as convening of a Community Advisory Board of people with current or past substance use. Before inquiring about the domains, the participants were asked the general, open-ended question: “What does recovery look like for you?” Then, for each domain, participants were asked: “For people who use methamphetamines, being in recovery may result in improvements in [physical health outcome, cognitive functioning recovery outcomes, mental health recovery outcomes, and financial/social/relationship recovery]. How important is an improvement in _____ as a recovery outcome?” Each blank was then replaced by the individual outcome (e.g., sleep within the physical health domain). Participants were then asked to rate each outcome from 0 (not at all important) to 4 (absolutely essential). These closed-ended questions were then followed by open-ended questions: “Please describe the most important recovery outcome for your [physical/cognitive/mental/social] health and why?” The research team then analyzed the average ranks across outcomes and reviewed the open-ended responses for thematic patterns.
Of the 100 participants, the average age was 40 years old, with 33% identifying as female and 88% identifying as White. About half (52%) lived in a rural county, with 85% reported to have a GED or higher. Most (70%) had legal employment or were enrolled in school in the past 3 months. There were 68% of participants that reported community supervision for the last 3 months, with 20% reported being in place for at least 15 days out of the last 3 months where substance use was not possible (e.g., prison). Although 87% reported no injection substance use in the past 3 months, 68% reported feeling a need for methamphetamine treatment. About half (57%) had a history of an overdose, and 76% had a history of injection substance use. Nearly all had health insurance in the last 3 months (95%) and considered themselves to be in recovery (93%).
Abstinence viewed as an important recovery outcome by most
When participants were asked “What does recovery mean to you,” 38 of the 95 responses explicitly noted complete abstinence, sobriety, or “not using mood- or mind-altering drugs”, 20 focused on recovery capital (which also overlapped with abstinence in some cases), 18 on actions/process (e.g., mutual-help group attendance), 10 on life functioning, and 10 on emotional functioning.
When asked to rank the importance of not using any methamphetamines to recovery, 86% believed it was “absolutely essential”, and another 12% ranked it as “very important” (see Figure below). Only 1 individual (1%) reported it as “Not at all important”. Reducing other drug use was also ranked highly, with 70% and 12% ranking it as “absolutely essential” and “very important”, respectively. Though alcohol and cannabis abstinence were not quite as important to recovery for these participants, substantial majorities also viewed abstinence from these substances as important.
When asked about perceptions of substance use in recovery, 1/3 felt both other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) and alcohol could be part of one’s recovery (see Figure below). Participants viewed tobacco use differently from other drugs with 89% feeling it can be part of recovery.
Non-substance-related outcomes ranked as important to recovery
For 22 out of the 27 non-substance-related outcomes, at least 90% of participants ranked them as important (either “very important” or “absolutely essential”). Among the physical health outcomes, general health and energy were endorsed as important by 95% of participants, and sleep was endorsed by 91%. Sleep also emerged in open-ended responses. For example, one participant said:
“most important about my physical health? to me, its prolly to get sleep b/c when you’re on meth and stuff you keep going, going, going and it wears you down. You don’t get sleep and you can’t do your daily routine and then you sleep for days to make up for it. the sleep part is probably the most important.”
All of the cognitive functioning outcomes were reported as important by at least 94% of participants. These included improved ability to think clearly, improved attention and focus, less impulsivity, and improved problem solving and decision making. Impulsivity leading to substance use appeared as theme in the open responses, with one person saying:
“probably not being impulsive b/c that just gets you into a lot of trouble [slight laugh] and sometimes I feel like being a drug addict is impulse control — where you lack that.”
Of the 9 mental health outcomes, less anger was important for 86% of participants. All the other outcomes were important for 92% of the participants – for example, less stress was ranked as important by 97% of the participants. In the open-ended response to mental health outcomes, improved coping was the most prevalent theme, with one participant saying:
“Coping skills. Cause you’re on the road to recovery and if you made it that far you can make it through anything to get you to where you’re at now.”
There were 8 financial, social, or relationship outcomes. Having fun with others and obtaining educational/training degree was important for 74% and 56%, respectively. The remaining 6 were important for 93% of participants, including 99% for “not getting into trouble with the law”. Relationships was a key theme in responses to the open-ended question. One participant noted:
“Mainly getting back with family and friends cause you’re gonna need their support. When you’re down and even when you’re doing right.”
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. Abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, though about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was strong participant consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Importantly, we do not know from these data whether perceptions of outcome importance are related to actual attainment of these outcomes or time in recovery. Furthermore, nearly all (94%) of the participants were recruited from the prison re-entry program. These individuals may be qualitatively different from methamphetamine users without criminal justice history. However, the ubiquity of both abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes – as well as goals beyond abstinence – highlighted potential benefits of comprehensive, tailored support approaches. With methamphetamine use, generally, and riskier use, specifically, becoming more common, creating treatment and recovery services that align with recovery goals as well as in addiction severity may facilitate better engagement and retention. Although many physical outcomes are caused by methamphetamine use and will likely abate with abstinence, it may be helpful also to target explicitly non-use related outcomes (e.g., sleep, ability to think clearly, less stress) as part of treatment and a recovery support plan. Including researchers with lived experience and people who use substances in future research may further improve understanding of the broader concept of recovery and develop more helpful interventions.
These findings add to the growing body of work on perceptions of recovery to focus on those with recent methamphetamine use. While abstinence – either for all drugs or specifically for methamphetamine use – was important for most participants, about 1/3 felt recovery could include the use of other drugs (apart from methamphetamine) including alcohol. There was a strong consensus that recovery includes goals beyond substance use.
Elswick, A., Fallin-Bennett, A., Roper, K. L., Batty, E., McLouth, C. J., Stoops, W., Surratt, H. L., & Oser, C. B. (2025). An exploration of desired abstinent and non-abstinent recovery outcomes among people who use methamphetamine. Harm Reduction Journal, 22(7). doi: 10.1186/s12954-025-01155-6.
SIGN UP FOR THE BULLETIN
