We already know so much about what doctors, researchers and policy-makers believe about ice but we rarely read firsthand accounts from people who use amphetamines. We also rarely read articles that go beyond the usual media narratives and binary logic of good/bad, medical/recreational, therapeutic/harmful and soft/hard drugs. Consider this article a correction of that trend.

Data suggests that a high proportion of people with ADHD use meth. But why is this? Users News chats to ADHD peers who have self-medicated with meth to find out why so many ADHD folks gravitate towards illegal amphetamines and why this behaviour often contradicts the stigmatising stories about meth we see in mainstream media.

Hepatitis C peer worker Kiah Glasson shares her story with Users News and gives the low down on all things hep C.

People whose drug preferences are for stimulants and party drugs may not see the need to know about opioid harm reduction, or carry Naloxone, which can reverse opioid overdoses. However, with highly potent opioids such as nitazenes, are being used to cut cocaine, meth and MDMA, it’s important to be aware of the risk of taking opioids unknowingly, and what to do about it.

Opioids (heroin and synthetic opioids) have recently been detected in drugs sold as crystal meth in NSW. This unexpected mix is a reminder of how important it is to always practice harm reduction. We pulled this guide together to address the harms of getting unexpected opioids in your meth.

NUAA and NDARC have collaborated on research asking how people engage with drug alerts. The results show – what we already knew - that drug alerts are making us safer.

Australian researchers have just completed the worlds first study into psychedelic assisted psychotherapies (PAT) for methamphetamine use disorder. But what is PAT? And how could it change the treatment landscape?

There is an ongoing clinical trial of giving psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’) to help people who are living with a methamphetamine (‘meth’ or ‘ice’) use disorder. Maureen Steele is a Peer Worker who helped design the trial to ensure it gives users what they need to succeed.

Many people who are dependent on illicit opioids (such as heroin) have benefited from the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), which allows them to be prescribed a ‘substitute’ opioid such as methadone or buprenorphine. A replacement program like that for people who use stimulants (such as methamphetamine) doesn’t exist. However, some promising research into possible stimulant replacement treatment is happening.

I first sought out an ADHD diagnosis when I was 23, and the psychiatrist told me, “No, actually you just have the learning capacity of a 16-year-old due to your drug addiction.” Yikes. It took me a couple of years to wrestle with that message – to make sure I rejected it on a deep level – before I tried again with another doctor. And boom, I was right: my ADHD scored off the charts. No wonder amphetamines help my brain feel regulated.

Pat is a gay Aboriginal man with bipolar. He shares what it’s like to get caught with drugs and then be noticed by police for the rest of his life.

A number of things come up for users at this time of year: organising pharmacotherapy doses and inter-state transfers; wondering if your dealer is going to be working on Christmas Day; sorting out injecting equipment when NSP hours change over Christmas as staff have a well-earned break! ...But for many of us, there is no break from being a user. And the holiday period brings additional health issues for users, particularly overdose prevention and bloodborne virus awareness.

Ice, crystal meth, shabu … whatever you call it, these tips will help you remain safe when you use it.

Legal and safety issues around drugs and sex work.

“I was so run down all the time, drugs were the only way to give me energy and improve my mood”

Taking too many stimulants like ice, ecstasy, speed and coke can result in an overdose that can affect your body or your mind – and sometimes both

We know how hard it is to see a friend having a rough time. So here are some top tips from peer experience that might help you to support and guide someone through this experience

“Gender had always felt like play for me, and using meth felt like my way to indulge in the drama of the performance. I got off on how binary my expressions were – in a way it was kind of like drag.”

“My gender was linked to the type of sex I was having. And the type of sex I was having always closely related to the types of drugs I was using.  When I started shooting opioids, it wasn’t long before needles became a central part of my sex life…”

User’s News invited people who use apps to party to come together to talk about their experiences and give us some advice.

A focus on some of the drugs that are more commonly-used in chemsex settings - methamphetamine, poppers/amyl, GHB, and erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra and Cialis