Evaluated 6-week jail substance abuse treatment program. Compared to no-treatment controls (n=422), program participants (n=535) remained significantly longer in community until rearrest, experienced fewer arrests, and served less jail time during the first year following their release. Participants made significant improvements in coping…

Describes nature and usefulness of process evaluation techniques, stressing their importance in understanding why and how drug treatment programs succeed and fail. Specific aspects of process evaluation discussed include topics for conducting such analyses, diverse data sources which should be accessed in thorough process evaluation, and decision…

Studied the effects of program and patient characteristics on patient retention in residential, out-patient, and methadone maintenance drug treatment programs. Data for 26,047 patients in 87 programs show that threshold retention rates were generally low for all 3 program types, although program practice and service provision played important…

Analyzed data from a cross-site evaluation of 24 federally funded residential treatment projects for substance-abusing pregnant and postpartum women with children. Found benefits at 6 months of treatment included improvements in infant mortality and morbidity, treatment retention and completion rates, and behavioral changes in participating…

Because of increasing concern about drug use in the work place and its impact on public safety, an urban mass transit agency formed a collaborative treatment link with Daytop Village to provide treatment for "impaired" transportation workers. Effective counseling approaches in the residential setting were adapted for ambulatory use and…

In Maine a program was initiated to integrate substance abuse services in community health center settings in order that more individuals and their families who are affected by chemical dependency could be reached and treated effectively. Integration was defined as the degree to which substance abuse services addressed the perceived community need…

Previous studies have shown that the use of behavior modification techniques, specifically the use of token reinforcement systems, can produce positive changes in the behavior of heroin addicts within a hospital setting. A token economy program was assessed to determine the effectiveness of such a program with patients in an outpatient methadone…

Examined characteristics of drug-testing programs that were associated with personnel managers' judgments of the programs' effectiveness using data gathered from human resource managers (N=190). Results showed drug-testing programs considered to be effective were supported by ancillary activities (such as employee assistance programs), targeted…

Evaluated the effectiveness of three 16-hour-long unstructured marathon groups composed of female illicit drug users in a woman's prison (N=78), using evaluative adjective pairs of the semantic differential concept Women. Marathon groups rated women as more successful and more pleasurable than did controls. (JAC)

Conducted a three-year observational study of clients (N=100) receiving methadone treatment in three drug abuse programs. Concluded that the chemotherapeutic treatment system itself fosters addictive behavior and recommended changes within the clinics and the macrosystem. (LLL)

Evaluated a sample of 31 residents in an alcohol halfway house upon admission and after a duration of time. Results showed that the poor outcome group was younger, had a multiple drug history, tended to drink with others, and had greater number of blackouts while drinking. (LLL)

This guide looks at drug abuse in the context of adolescent development and provides a framework for understanding what has been learned about effective adolescent drug treatment over the last decade. The guide, which underscores the need to address developmental issues when treating adolescents, provides concrete ways to assess treatment…

Of 220 drug or alcohol abusing adult probationers attending either Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Cocaine Anonymous (CA) meetings, 110 also participated in group therapy. For drug-abusing probationers, those who participated in both CA and group therapy performed significantly more favorable behaviors over 12-month follow-up than did those who…

The Remaining Off Alcohol and Drugs Program (ROAD) was developed to teach newly abstinent chemical misusing clients how to remain alcohol and drug free. It provides its participants with a repertoire of knowledge, skills and behaviors that they can use in dealing with the most common problems caused by discontinuing chemical use and which can be…

The need for evaluation of drug abuse treatment programs has been generally recognized and mandated by law since 1976. To learn to what extent such evaluations are actually performed and to obtain information about those evaluations, drug abuse treatment programs receiving federal funds in 1979 were surveyed. Questionnaires were sent to a random…