NCJ Number
216637
Journal
Journal of Addictive Diseases Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 15-25
Date Published
2006
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of methadone maintenance treatment on a group of adolescent and young adult opiate-dependent patients.
Abstract
The findings of this study were (1) adolescent and young adult patients who consistently used heroin were at greater risk of dropping out of treatment during the first year of treatment than those who did not; (2) patients who reached the 1-year mark were slightly younger than those who did not; (3) the use of cocaine emerged as a signal for a more problematic treatment course; and (4) among patients who stayed in treatment for 1 year, there were significant reductions in heroin use, a lessening in the rate of cocaine use that was a trend, and no impact on benzodiazepine use. Adolescent substance use and abuse is a source of national concern. The use of illicit substances can have both deleterious short- and long-term effects. Effective treatment of adolescents with problematic drug use is based on interviews with experts, as well as a review of treatment literature. This study examined the patterns of substance use and the dynamics of treatment in a methadone clinic focusing primarily on the needs of adolescent and young adult heroin-dependent patients. The study sample consisted of 236 patients, age 15 to 23 admitted consecutively to the program over a 6 and a half-year period. The goal of the study was to identify factors that were related to successful treatment outcomes within this age group of heroin addicts. The second goal was to examine the interaction between methadone treatment and heroin, cocaine, and benzodiazepine use. Data were collected for each new patient, age 15-23 admitted to treatment between 1996 and 2002. Table, figure, references