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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence
Published on: March 23, 2022
Opioid abstinence reinforcement delays heroin lapse during buprenorphine dose tapering
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48207, USA. mgreen@med.wayne.edu
Abstract:
A positive reinforcement contingency increased opioid abstinence during outpatient dose tapering (4, 2, then 0 mg/day during Weeks 1 through 3) in non-treatment-seeking heroin-dependent volunteers who had been maintained on buprenorphine (8 mg/day) during an inpatient research protocol. The control group (n=12) received $4.00 for completing assessments at each thrice-weekly visit during dose tapering; 10 of 12 lapsed to heroin use 1 day after discharge. The abstinence reinforcement group (n=10) received $30.00 for each consecutive opioid-free urine sample; this significantly delayed heroin lapse (median, 15 days).
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