A drug recovery programme in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) says it is seeing more severe withdrawal symptoms among some methamphetamine users than it did five or six years ago, including hallucinations and psychotic episodes.
Substance Abuse Addiction and Rehabilitation (SAAR) Program manager Charlotte Flores said the change comes as health authorities report a sharp rise in methamphetamine-related illnesses and deaths in the territory.
“I was just really shocked to see the increase in numbers. It’s really alarming. But we could also say at the HOPE Recovery Center that we’ve also seen an increase ourselves,” Flores said.
Flores said the Marpi-based HOPE Recovery Center is now seeing withdrawal symptoms that are different from those it encountered several years ago.
“What we’ve been seeing are different withdrawal symptoms, different from like five, six years ago. And the withdrawal symptoms now are a lot scarier because hallucinating is part of it, just having some psychotic episodes,” she said.
She said that five or six years ago, participants going through withdrawal would typically sleep and eat a lot while recuperating. Those symptoms are still seen, but are now accompanied in some cases by more concerning symptoms.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation CHCC said methamphetamine-related cases rose from 71 in 2022 to 78 in 2023 and 122 in 2024, before more than doubling to 252 in 2025.
Another 179 cases had been identified through 31 August this year.
Between 2022 and 2026, CHCC also recorded 612 emergency department visits involving patients with identified methamphetamine use, 509 instances requiring urine drug screening and 57 psychiatric interventions.
Flores said people trying to stop using meth can experience exhaustion, depression and strong cravings, while the brain can take months rather than days to heal.
Participants at HOPE undergo about four to five months of residential treatment, including relapse prevention, early recovery and life skills programmes, anger management, drug education and recovery support.
CHCC public health medical director Dr Andrzej Szefler said the increase represented a growing public health concern affecting individuals, families and the wider community.
“Behind every statistic is a person whose life has been affected,” Dr Szefler said.
“We encourage anyone struggling with substance use, as well as their loved ones, to seek help as early as possible.”
