Recovery training and self help: a relapse-prevention program for treated opiate addicts

Recovery Training and Self Help (RTSH) is a new form of psychosocial treatment for drug addiction. Developed as an outpatient group aftercare modality for opiate addicts in New England and Hong Kong, it significantly reduced the probability of relapse to illicit opiates and helped unemployed subjects find work. Based on a social theory of addiction and health promotion principles, the four-part program features a weekly recovery training session, a weekly self-help style session, weekend recreational and social activities, and a support network of long-term ex-addicts. Recovery training follows a 26 week sequence of didactic presentations and exercises that systematically address predictable causes of relapse, while the other clinical components provide motivation and support for continued abstinence and social reintegration. The authors believe that RTSH should have a wide range of applicability.