NCJ Number
215494
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 241-247
Date Published
May 2006
Length
7 pages
Annotation
More than 100 heroin users in detoxification treatment in Australia were interviewed in an examination of short-term outcomes and compared to a nontreatment group of heroin users.
Abstract
This study found that those entering detoxification had positive short-term treatment outcomes that extended beyond reducing heroin use. The pattern of treatment exposure over the 3-month followup period also suggests that detoxification may in some part function as a gateway to further treatment. The majority (76 percent) of the treatment group had entered additional treatment. There were reductions in heroin use and other drug use for those in treatment, as well reductions in crime. Detoxification programs for heroin dependence provide supervised withdrawal from heroin to minimize the severity of withdrawal symptoms. However, the role of detoxification in the treatment system is a matter of some debate, given the poor long-term outcomes. This study sought to examine the short-term outcomes for those entering detoxification and compared them to the nontreatment group. It examined the rate of treatment seeking and types of treatments accessed by individuals following detoxification for heroin dependence and the treatment outcomes (drug use, criminality, physical and mental health) 3 months after commencement of detoxification. The study sample consisted of 177 heroin users entering detoxification and 66 heroin users not in detoxification treatment and interviewed as part of the Australian Treatment Outcome Study (ATOS). Tables, references