Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) is an twelve-step program of recovered and recovering methamphetamine addicts. Participants meet in local groups of varying sizes in order to stay clean and help others recover from methamphetamine addiction. CMA encourages complete abstinence from methamphetamine, alcohol, inhalants, and all other drugs not taken as prescribed.
CMA was founded on September 16th, 1994 at 9:45pm, in West Hollywood, California. The first meeting was held at the West Hollywood Alcohol and Drug Center, then located on Santa Monica Blvd.[1] CMA now has a presence in over 100 metropolitan areas of the United States, as well as parts of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.[2] The first CMA World Service Conference will be held in Park City, Utah from October 17th - 19th, 2008.[3] At that convention, the first bylaws will be adopted.[3]
In large metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC, CMA is largely composed of gay men, reflecting the use of methamphetamine in urban gay communities.citation needed However, a search of the CMA meeting directory reveals that out of approx 448 meetings in the United States, only 22 meetings list themselves as Gay or Lesbian to identify themselves as dual-identity groups.[4]
Prevalence of Meth Use and Effectiveness of CMA in Gay Men
Crystal Meth has become a drug of choice in gay clubs and circuit parties. In 2005, a Los Angeles clinic estimated that one out of three gay or bisexual HIV-positive men admitted to using methamphetamine.[5][6] Methamphetamine may lower inhibitions, increasing the likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex and sharing needles.[7] In 2002, the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated 12 million people, age 12 and over, had used methamphetamine—600,000 of which claimed to be current users—with a growth rate of approximately 300,000 new users per year.[6] In a study limited to self-selected men who have sex with other men, used meth, and attended CMA,[8] after three months of participation in CMA members reported their number of sexual partners had dropped from seven to less than one and self-reports of unprotected anal intercourse when using methamphetamine dropped by two-thirds. In a six month follow up, 64% had remained abstinent from methamphetamines while an additional 20% had used only once.[9][10]
^ Worth, Heather; Rawstorne, Patrick (October 2005). "Crystallizing the HIV epidemic: methamphetamine, unsafe sex, and gay diseases of the will.". Archives of sexual behavior34 (5): 483–486. doi:10.1007/s10508-005-6274-9. ISSN1573-2800.
^ Lyons, Thomas M.; Chandra, Gopika; Goldstein, Jerome (2006-10-08). "APHA 134th Annual Meeting and Exposition" in Public Health and Human Rights. Conference Proceedings: APHA 134 Annual Meeting and Exposition. 141356. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
^ Lyons, Thomas; Chandra, Gopika; Goldstein, Jerome (October 2006). "Stimulant use and HIV Risk Behavior: The Influence of Peer Support Group Participation". AIDS Education and Prevention18 (5): 461–473. doi:10.1521/aeap.2006.18.5.461. ISSN0899-9546.
