Reports field test results of current efforts by the state of Michigan to develop, implement, and evaluate three levels of credentials (N=87). Use of a written examination based on an educational manual is discussed, and candidate demographics are compared to test score results. Results indicated the method was effective. (JAC)

Results indicated school grade, controlled for age, was the only client predictor variable found to account for more than one percent of the variance in the "Reasons for Discharge." Marijuana was the only client variable to account for more than one percent of the variance in the "Reduction in Drug Use." (Author/BL)

A survey of drug treatment suggested conflict exists about how drug treatment should be conducted. A case was made for paradigms of treatment as a guide for progress in treatment for addicts. A theoretical paradigm which tried to relate family therapy to the relief of self-esteem distress is discussed. (Author/ABL)

Examined the effect of race on the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC) performance of alcoholic (N=73) and nonalcoholic (N=73) inpatients in an active-duty military sample. Results showed that the MAC discriminated successfully between White alcoholics and nonalcoholics but not between Black alcoholics and nonalcoholics. (LLL)

Currently, women represent 30 percent of the drug-abusing population but are entering the prison system at a rate two times that of men. How can practitioners meet the pressing needs of offender women in treatment, prisons, and jails through the 1990s and the millennium? The correctional environment poses special advocacy challenges. The role of…

Applied an integrative model of change to the study of subjects (N=872) changing their smoking habits on their own. The subjects represented five stages of change: (1) precontemplation; (2) contemplation; (3) action; (4) maintenance; and (5) relapse. Relapsers' responses were a combination of contemplation and action. (JAC)

Examined the impact of coercion in rehabilitation of drug abusers. A validated interview schedule was utilized for both coerced and non-coerced participants. Data analysis found that coercion facilitates success for certain groups (e.g., older, longer term heroin addicts), and certain criteria (e.g., arrest and abstinence). (Author/JAC)

Examined effectiveness of implosive therapy with heroin addicts during detoxification from methadone. Treatment groups received 12 sessions of implosive therapy or eclectic counseling and were followed for a six-week period. The implosive therapy group were the only ones to significantly reduce their methadone level during treatment and follow-up.…

Describes the making of a poem to record the ending of a creative writing group at a residential facility for persons recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Presents the collaborative poem. (SG)

This article examines the unique ethical considerations for the provision of family therapy as substance abuse treatment. Use of family therapy as substance abuse treatment has grown rapidly, but the ethical codes that guide clinical practice have not kept pace. Ethical pitfalls specific to family counseling within alcohol and drug treatment…

This article describes a strengths-based alternative to substance abuse treatment. Many contemporary youth are experiencing problems with alcohol or other drugs but reject the message of total abstinence and disease models of treatment. The authors draw from their experience and research to combine a strengths perspective with a harm-reduction…

Describes a drug treatment program designed and implemented for women which takes into account gender differences. Claims by paying attention to the actual life worlds and needs of women, the program effectively modified the service delivery system to accommodate these women and facilitate their treatment. (ABL)

Examined effectiveness of strategy for engaging adolescent drug users and their families in therapy. Assigned drug-using Hispanic adolescents (N=108) and families to strategic structural-systems engagement (experimental) condition or to engagement-as-usual (control) condition. Experimental subjects engaged at rate of 93 percent, with 77 percent…

Asserts that to be successful, drug prevention and intervention programs must be targeted at high-risk population groups. Proposes two-step, multilevel multivariate analysis strategy to estimate high-risk population groups in high-risk geographic areas. Contends that successful use of strategy could result in better data for decision makers to use…

After conducting a survey to obtain a personality profile and descriptive analysis of a typical substance abuser enrolled in a treatment center, the average individual is a third-born, 31 year-old male with nonprofessional parents who became involved in substance abuse because of peer influence and feelings of boredom or unhappiness. (JPS)