The percentage of adults 50 years and older in Hawaii who reported methamphetamine as their drug of choice has almost doubled over the last five years, according to a state report on substance abuse treatment services.

The report revealed a rise in older meth users from 22.5 percent in 2010 to 41.1 percent in 2014.

Alan Johnson, president and chief executive officer of addiction recovery program Hina Mauka, said the increase may be driven by the number of adults 50 and older who overuse pain medication like OxyContin and are cut off by their doctors, then turn to meth. “It’s not adults going to look for meth. It’s elderly folks saying, ‘I’m hurting, I’m suffering and I don’t think anyone’s hearing me and I need more than what I’m getting,’” Johnson said.

To address the problem, the state Department of Health plans to bolster programs that directly address methamphetamine use “before it gets further out of hand,” said state Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler.

The department released its 2015 Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services report Friday, showing statistics on substance abuse and treatment services for adults and adolescents for fiscal years 2010 to 2014.

The release of the five-year trend report coincided with Gov. David Ige’s proclamation of September as Hawaii Recovery Month. “We know there is much more work to be done as there are many in our communities that still suffer from substance abuse,” Ige said at a ceremony in his office.

Pressler echoed Ige’s sentiment that more work still needs be done, pointing out the high percentage of adults 50 and older using methamphetamine.

Wendy Nihoa, chief of the Treatment and Recovery Branch under the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, said officials plan to do research to determine what led to the increase in that age group.

Johnson noted that because of the stigma, Hina Mauka doesn’t see that age group seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction. “The elderly don’t believe they have an addiction.”

The street value of methamphetamine is much lower than OxyContin, and the drug is more accessible. A lot of times, adults first turn to marijuana. When it does little to alleviate pain, they turn to potent drugs like OxyContin, he added.

In 2014 the state invested more than $17 million in state and federal funds — a 7 percent increase from funding in 2010 — to address alcohol and drug abuse.

That same year, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division funded 24 agencies that offered services to adults at 52 sites and 10 agencies that provided services to adolescents at 107 sites. From 2010 to 2014 the number of sites increased 16 percent for adults and 26 percents for adolescents.

Treatment services have greatly helped adults and adolescents overcome substance abuse addiction, Pressler said. “Over the last five years, we’ve shown that over half of the individuals, adolescents as well as adults who have gotten treatment, have actually stayed clean on a six-month follow-up survey. And most of those adolescents are continuing to be in school, and over 70 percent of the adults who have gone through the treatment centers are working. So these are major success stories.”

According to the report, 3,929 clients received treatment services in 2014. More than half of the clients, 53 percent, were adolescents. The largest group of clients were from Honolulu, followed by Hawaii, Maui and Kauai counties.

More males than females, 60 percent versus 40 percent, underwent treatment statewide.

The report also showed methamphetamine was the most frequently reported drug of choice for adults ages 18 to 49, followed by alcohol. Marijuana was the primary substance for a majority of adolescents, followed by alcohol.

The largest group to receive treatment services from 2010 to 2014 were Hawaiians, ranging from 41.3 percent to 44.8 percent of clients over the five years, followed by Caucasians (16.3 percent to 19 percent) and Filipinos (10 percent to 10.5 percent).