Ambulatory detoxification of heroin addicts: a follow-up study

The present study was devised to investigate whether or not 18 psychosocial characteristics of 141 male and 43 female heroin addicts who entered a 21-day ambulatory detoxification program were correlated with (1) length of stay, (2) completing the full course of detoxification, (3) being successfully transferred to aftercare treatment, and (4) being locatable for follow-up one month later. The study also described the status of the patients who were locatable one month after receiving their last dose of methadone in the detoxification program. Only 74 persons were contacted one month after receiving their last dose of methadone, and they were all in treatment. Eighty-three addicts were transferred to other programs before leaving the detoxification program. There were only two significant relationships between the 18 psychosocial characteristics and the four dependent variables. Number of arrests was inversely related to length of stay, and whites were more likely to be transferred to an aftercare program than blacks. The implications of the results for evaluating other ambulatory detoxification programs and for improving retention rates were discussed.