Methadone matinenance patients' self-perceived factors responsible for successful rehabilitation

Forty methadone maintenance patients most frequently attributed their past and future successful drug-free rehabilitation to the following factors: A supportive relationship, particularly with a drug-free individual, a satisfying job, and personal coping skills. Conversely, the absence or withdrawal of these events was associated with subsequent reinvolvement with excessive drug use. The importance of incorporating patients' phenomenological experiences and self-appraisals of success into clinical interventions is discussed.