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Employment‐based abstinence reinforcement promotes opiate and cocaine abstinence in out‐of‐treatment injection drug users
Author(s) -
Holtyn August F.,
Koffarnus Mikhail N.,
DeFulio Anthony,
Sigurdsson Sigurdur O.,
Strain Eric C.,
Schwartz Robert P.,
Silverman Kenneth
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1002/jaba.158
Subject(s) - abstinence , methadone , opiate , contingency management , reinforcement , psychology , addiction , drug , methadone maintenance , urine , psychiatry , cocaine dependence , medicine , social psychology , receptor , intervention (counseling)
We examined the use of employment‐based abstinence reinforcement in out‐of‐treatment injection drug users, in this secondary analysis of a previously reported trial. Participants ( N = 33) could work in the therapeutic workplace, a model employment‐based program for drug addiction, for 30 weeks and could earn approximately $10 per hr. During a 4‐week induction, participants only had to work to earn pay. After induction, access to the workplace was contingent on enrollment in methadone treatment. After participants met the methadone contingency for 3 weeks, they had to provide opiate‐negative urine samples to maintain maximum pay. After participants met those contingencies for 3 weeks, they had to provide opiate‐ and cocaine‐negative urine samples to maintain maximum pay. The percentage of drug‐negative urine samples remained stable until the abstinence reinforcement contingency for each drug was applied. The percentage of opiate‐ and cocaine‐negative urine samples increased abruptly and significantly after the opiate‐ and cocaine‐abstinence contingencies, respectively, were applied. These results demonstrate that the sequential administration of employment‐based abstinence reinforcement can increase opiate and cocaine abstinence among out‐of‐treatment injection drug users.