The nature and status of drug abuse treatment

This article focuses on the effectiveness of the major drug abuse treatment modalities (methadone maintenance, therapeutic communities, outpatient drug-free programs, and short-term detoxification) in the United States. It includes findings specific to individual clients and to particular modalities. Methadone maintenance, therapeutic communities, and outpatient drug-free treatment are generally effective in reducing illicit narcotic use and the criminal activity that often accompanies narcotic addiction. These effects are usually short-term, however, and more than one treatment episode is often required for long-term recovery. Longer time in treatment, pretreatment employment, and lack of pretreatment criminality are generally associated with favorable outcome regardless of modality. Issues needing further study, such as treatment for nonnarcotic (mainly cocaine) use, matching clients to treatments, and evaluating the cumulative effects of multiple treatment episodes, are discussed, along with the authors' research on the relationship between drug abuse, crime, and treatment in Maryland.