Working with resistant drug abusers

Despite the social turmoil created by drug abusers who are resistant to treatment, very little has been done to develop techniques for working with them. This article identifies some of the more promising approaches in the literature. Among these are individualized and objective feedback on the social and physiological effects of drug consumption. Expert advice to quit and the deliberate manipulation of environmental contingencies by workers can also be effective, as can partner interventions such as reciprocity marriage counseling and reinforcement training. Resistant drug abusers are of particular interest to social workers, who frequently encounter drug addiction in the context of some other, often more pressing, social crisis such as domestic violence or homelessness.