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Twelve‐month outcomes for heroin dependence treatments: does route of administration matter?
Author(s) -
DARKE SHANE,
ROSS JOANNE,
TEESSON MAREE
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595230500102657
Subject(s) - heroin , heroin dependence , medicine , psychopathology , psychiatry , drug
A sample of 442 heroin users (394 injecting heroin users: IHU, 48 non‐injecting heroin users: NIHU) recruited for the Australian Treatment Outcome Study were reinterviewed at 12 months after entrance to treatment for heroin dependence. Route of administration was stable over the follow‐up period with 4% of NIHU having made a transition to heroin injecting, and 0.3% of IHU having made a transition to non‐injecting. Given the clinical profile of NIHU presented in the literature, it might be expected that they would exhibit better treatment retention and 12‐month outcomes than IHU. At 12 months, however, there were no differences between NIHU and IHU in heroin use, heroin dependence symptoms, polydrug use, criminality, current self‐reported physical health or psychopathology. The only group differences at 12 months were that NIHU were more likely to be employed and had fewer injection‐related problems. It is concluded that, among those presenting for treatment, route of administration is not an indicator of likely outcome.