Outpatient cocaine abuse treatment: predictors of success

In 1990 more than 238,000 patients in the United States entered treatment, with cocaine as their primary diagnosis. This represented 36 percent of the treatment admissions for substance abuse. This research project uses data from the U.S. Army's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Program to analyze which treatment and demographic variables have an effect on cocaine treatment outcomes. The sample included 3602 soldiers entered into treatment between 1983 and 1992 for cocaine abuse. The logistical regression results suggested the following treatment variables had an effect on outcomes: the type of treatment provided, the length of time in treatment, the number of different types of drugs being abused prior to treatment, and the length of time since the patient had abused cocaine prior to entering treatment. Race of the patient had an impact on treatment outcomes, but gender, educational level, age, rank of the soldier, marital status, and length of time in the military did not have an impact on treatment outcomes.