Meth addiction is rising in northern Michigan communities. Here's why.

When 50-year-old meth addict Brian Groh was sentenced to jail last month, he went through a severe withdrawal.   

“When I first got here, I was really bad,” he said, describing how he was put in solitary confinement and strapped to a chair to keep under control. “I mostly don’t remember my first week.” 

Although initially quite intense, Groh said his symptoms were slowly subsiding as his body adjusted to functioning drug-free. 

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant where use is associated with a range of health harms, including psychosis and other mental disorders, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

More:Two men from Charlevoix and East Jordan sent to prison for meth

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Although data is still incomplete for 2021, drug overdose deaths were projected to rise 9.31% last year, according to the CDC. In 2020, there was a 214% rise in methamphetamine seized, and a 59% increase in fentanyl, the top two contributors to overdose deaths in the U.S., 9&10 News reported.

After almost two weeks in jail, Groh’s hands still shake as he drinks a glass of water. 

Currently sentenced to six months in the Charlevoix County jail for possession of methamphetamines, he has been in prison before on a drug conviction along with charges of unarmed robbery.   

“Meth is the most common drug right now,” said Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra, explaining how a large part of his department’s resources are allocated for drug enforcement. 

Vondra noted how other seemingly unrelated crimes are regularly traced back to drug use. For example, robbery. 

Most addicts ingest 1-2 grams of meth a day, at a cost of $100 per gram, according to Vondra and the county’s drug enforcement detectives. This cost can quickly erode a person’s financial stability and it is also common for users to resort to crimes and drug dealing in order to maintain their habit.   

Before going to jail, Groh was making around $700 a week selling meth to a group of acquaintances.  

In 2020, more than 93,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, marking the largest one-year increase in overdose deaths ever recorded, according to provisional data from the CDC. 

Peter Bucci, chief clinical officer at Harbor Hall, a substance abuse treatment facility with locations in Petoskey, Cheboygan and East Jordan, said he has seen a significant rise in meth addiction from previous years. Of their 300 total patients, 30-40 percent are detoxing from meth, said Bucci, and the amount of patients who relapse has doubled. 

Specifically, after 2019 there has been a noticeable drop of opioid clients and an upswing in meth use.  

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Bucci says a reason for the increase in meth use is due to a decrease in the availability of prescription opioids. 

“A few other factors gathered from sessions over the last three years tells me that the need to work, cash on hand, and getting rid of depressive symptoms, all contribute to the shift,” he added.  

Including meth, Bucci’s treatment programs also commonly address addictions to alcohol, opioids (heroin, carfentanil, fentanyl), stimulants, kratom (a plant with opioid properties) and marijuana.   

“Unfortunately, many clients get off the 'hard' stuff and become dependent on legal substances like THC and Kratom. These can have more dramatic social and family side-effects. Uncontrollable anxiety, paranoia, and even psychosis. And currently there is no funding or support for treatment of the legal substances,” he said.  

When asked if he saw a difference in outcome for those who are mandated to participate in the sobriety treatment by the court system versus those individuals who initially make a personal choice to participate, Bucci said, ”There is a difference in clients that seek treatment on their own without being forced, however many do not 'get it' without knowing what is at risk. Meaning that a person's life or their way of life is at risk, and this is what motivates the change. If there were no consequences almost none would stop.”  

Bucci added that “environmental stressors are the main social concern for patients" in maintaining their sobriety, "but only second to a supportive network."

"It goes without saying that a quality education and professional treatment will certainly set the correct path for success, but once a client is discharged from the controlled environment, they are responsible for success," he said. 

Groh is unsure about his plans once he is released from the Charlevoix County Jail. His car was seized by the county and he doesn't know if his job as a painter will still be available after he gets out. He plans to move in with his father.