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Methadone Withdrawal Regime for Heroin Misusers: short‐term outcome and effect of parental involvement
Author(s) -
ME P.,
EVANS R.,
MADDEN J. S.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1986.tb00303.x
Subject(s) - abstinence , heroin , methadone , psychiatry , medicine , intervention (counseling) , heroin dependence , prison , methadone maintenance , psychology , drug , criminology
Summary Fifty young outpatient attenders at a regional drug dependence service were traced between 6 and 12 months after entering treatment. All had been physically dependent on heroin and received outpatient detoxification by a 14‐day methadone withdrawal regime. The initial 25 patients were offered individual counselling and the remainder were counselled together with their parents. Forty‐three subjects were interviewed (23 without and 20 with parental involvement in therapy). Abstinence was confirmed by urine testing on nine patients interviewed outside prison. Parental involvement made no difference to outcome in respect of abstinence and other changes in heroin usage, or to criminal activity. Heroin smokers were no more likely than injectors to abstain or decrease heroin use. It is likely that abstinence and decreased heroin consumption were spontaneous changes unrelated to therapeutic intervention.