Towards the end of 2008, DIRECTIONS ACT held a focus group on ATS use. The group was diverse, ranging from people in recovery to people who still had a substance addiction. The group consisted of 8 participants, 7 of whom were still actively using Ice and one person who has been in recovery for significant amount of time.

The focus group had been organised so DIRECTIONS ACT could gain a more informed view of the experiences that Ice users are facing, the reasons/feelings behind their drug use, and gain invaluable information to add to this ATS resource booklet.

Once you've injected ice you will never go back to any other way.

When the group was asked whether or not ATS was their first drug of choice, 7 of the 8 participants stated that they started using cannabis at an early age. Three of the group were heavy heroin users, then changed onto methadone, before ultimately
using Ice. The remaining 5 participants all used ‘fast’ drugs and experimented with ATS substances of all kinds, but all eventually moved on to Ice as they perceived Ice to be better value for money, much stronger and lasted longer.

The entire group started their ATS use by smoking Ice, however, 7 quickly progressed to injecting the drug. Each participant noticed a significant change in quality of life, general health and well being, following the onset of their Ice use. The negative impacts they reported included:

Sleep deprivation-which leads to delusional thoughts and paranoia and you start to dwell on things.

It dehydrates your body, ageing you quicker and rots your teeth.

You develop filthy habits like grinding your teeth, chewing your tongue, picking your face, scratching, and developing OCD like behaviours.

It sends you broke and craps on everything good in your life.

It ruins relationships with family, friends and loved ones.

Ice f#@ks everything good in your life.

It makes you selfish and you find yourself always chasing the drug or finding ways to make money to get the drug.

It messes with your mental health and general health, makes you delusional, causes hallucinations, severe anxiety, panic attacks, and severe depression. You become seriously under weight/undernourished as it is extremely hard to eat while on the drug.

You become careless and aggressive.

Of the group, two participants stated that they knew they were in trouble within the first 2 months, as everything had already started to fall apart and go wrong. Four more participants stated that the negative impacts started early and noticed the ill affects within 3 to 4 months. Another participant stated that it took 3-4 years for this to happen to him. However, of the group one participant claims that it took 10 years of heavy Ice use before she noticed the negative impact it was having on her life.

The group discussed the reasons behind their ATS use and what they got out of it. They demonstrated passion and excitement when they discussed the rush, or high, and the feelings behind it. The initial reasons for using ATS, in particular Ice, was that they wanted to try something new.

A description of the initial rush they experienced was “an intense euphoric adrenalin rush”. Another participant of the group tried to explain the feeling as a mixture of the adrenalin rush you get when sky diving mixed with the intense
pleasures of sex.

The entire group agreed that Ice is a fiendish drug which you find yourself chasing all the time. Everyone in the group discussed experiences where they had started searching for more Ice shortly after the initial rush wore off, even
though they were still heavily intoxicated by the drug, it was the ‘rush’ that they wanted.

After realising the damage they were doing to themselves, the group stated they were all aware of what needed to be done but that was easier said than done. Some of the group has managed to go through detox and rehab; however, not being able to achieve the pleasure that Ice produced from any other substance, they all soon found themselves back on Ice.

7 of the 8 participants have been through detox a number of times, 5 had moved on to long term rehab centres. Of these 5, only 2 had managed to complete the full term of the rehab and the other 3 left in the first 2 to 3 weeks.

We would like to thank the 8 participants and acknowledge their invaluable information and knowledge which has greatly helped towards this booklet. The quotes on the pages came from the focus group participants.

Download full focus group findings document

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