Innovative Approaches in the Treatment of Drug Abuse ― Program Models and Strategies

What works best and why in the nation's effort to improve and expand treatment counteracting the epidemic use of cocaine and the spread of AIDS? This in-depth report by experts on drug abuse treatment today represents the state of the art in research about effective new strategies in drug abuse treatment. The findings, analysis, and recommendations should counteract misunderstanding and misinformation about the nature of drug abuse among 5.5. million patients and what can be done to help them. The survey covers methadone programs, residential programs, case management programs, and multi-modal and other eclectic programs addressing "real world" situations among different populations in a range of community-based programs. Investigators at the National Institute on Drug Abuse describe 15 projects that test intervention strategies to improve client recruitment, retention, performance, and treatment outcomes.

JAMES A. INCIARDI, director of the Center for the Drug and Alcohol Studies at the University of Delaware, is also a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. He is the editor ofHandbook of Drug Control in the United States (Greenwood Press, 1990) and has published more than 130 articles, chapters, and books in the area of criminal justice, substance abuse, history, folklore, criminology, medicine, law, public policy, and AIDS. He is the principal investigator of two federally funded drug treatment research projects for criminal justice populations.

FRANK M. TIMS, deputy chief, Treatment Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse has published a number of research monographs, includingRelapse and Recovery in Drug Abuse, Drug Abuse Treatment in Prisons and Jails, andCompulsory Treatment of Drug Abuse. He has been recognized nationally for his scientific leadership and outstanding contributions by the U.S. Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, and has served as a delegate to Eastern Europe to assess the scope of drug problems and research collaboration opportunities in that region.

BENNETT W. FLETCHER's primary work at the National Institute on Drug Abuse has been in developing large-scale longitudinal drug treatment evaluation research, including theDrug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study.