NCJ Number
60590
Date Published
1978
Length
101 pages
Annotation
THIS TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTS A DRUG ABUSE REPORTING PROGRAM (DARP) FOLLOWUP OF 2,178 MEN IN 5 DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS. IT FINDS THAT METHADONE MAINTENANCE AND THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES HAVE THE BEST OUTCOMES.
Abstract
THE FIVE PROGRAMS WERE OUTPATIENT METHADONE MAINTENANCE (MM), RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES (TC), OUTPATIENT DRUG-FREE TREATMENT (DF), OUTPATIENT DETOXIFICATION (DT), AND AN INTAKE ONLY (IO) GROUP WHICH DID NOT PROCEED TO TREATMENT FOR VARIOUS REASONS. BOTH THE MM AND TC TREATMENT GROUPS HAD STRONG POSITIVE OUTCOMES, THE DF GROUP HAD MODERATELY SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES, WHILE THE DT AND IO GROUPS HAD NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. THE MEN IN THE MM, TC AND DF GROUPS WERE THEN COMPARED ON THE BASIS OF NINE BACKGROUND VARIABLES. THIS SHOWED THAT TREATMENT STYLES DIFFERED IN EFFECTIVENESS FOR ADDICT AND NONADDICT GROUPS. MM WAS CONTRAINDICATED FOR NONADDICTS BECAUSE OF ITS CHEMICAL EFFECT ON THE SYSTEM, BUT WAS HIGHLY EFFECIVE WITH ADDICTION. NONADDICTS ALSO DID POORLY IN TC. DF WAS INEFFECTIVE FOR ADDICTS BUT HAD A SUPERIOR LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS FOR NONADDICTS. OUTCOME WAS DEFINED AS A COMBINATION OF HIGH EMPLOYMENT, ABSTINENCE FROM OPIOIDS AND NONOPIOIDS, ZERO CRIMINALITY AND 100 PERCENT RETURN TO TREATMENT IF DETOXIFICATION WAS NOT COMPLETE. MM HAD 55 PERCENT AND TC 53 PERCENT OF PATIENTS IN THE TOP TWO LEVELS OF THIS SCALE, COMPARED WITH 35 PERCENT FOR DT AND 37 PERCENT FOR IO. TC HAD 36.9 PERCENT AT THE TOP LEVEL, BUT WAS BELOW PAR AT THE SECOND LEVEL. DF WAS ALSO ABOVE MM AT LEVEL ONE BUT FELL BELOW AT THE OTHER LEVELS. THIS BASICALLY STATISTICAL REPORT PRESENTS THE STUDY ANALYSIS WITH COMMENTARY. IT INCLUDES CHARTS, TABLES, AND NUMEROUS REFERENCES. (SEE ALSO NCJ-60588). (GLR)