Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Increasing opiate abstinence through voucher-based reinforcement therapy

K Silverman1, C J Wong, S T Higgins

  • 1NIH/NIDA/Intramural Research Program, Clinic Trials Section, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|June 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Digitizing clinical trials.

NPJ digital medicine·2020
Same author

A prospective cohort study to determine the relationship between serum infliximab concentration and efficacy in patients with luminal Crohn's disease.

Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics·2014
Same author

Intravenous buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine pharmacokinetics in humans.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2012
Same author

5-HT3 receptor antagonism and psychoactivity.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)·2012
Same author

Cigarette smoking and short-term addiction treatment outcome.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2010
Same author

Tandem coherent-incoherent filtering in scanning optical microscopy.

Applied optics·2010

Voucher-based reinforcement significantly reduced opiate use in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment for heroin dependence. This intervention proved effective in promoting abstinence, even after the program concluded.

Area of Science:

  • Addiction Medicine
  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Heroin dependence is a persistent public health issue, impacting individuals even during methadone maintenance treatment.
  • Standard methadone maintenance involves medication, counseling, and regular urine monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of voucher-based abstinence reinforcement in reducing opiate use among patients in methadone maintenance treatment.
  • To assess the impact of a monetary incentive program on opiate use behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • A within-subject reversal design was employed with 13 heroin-dependent patients receiving standard methadone maintenance.
  • A 12-week voucher program provided increasing monetary value for consecutive opiate-free urine samples.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A return-to-baseline phase followed the voucher intervention to assess sustained effects.

    • Main Results:

    • Opiate-positive urine samples significantly decreased during the voucher reinforcement period (P < 0.01).
    • Opiate use significantly increased upon discontinuation of the voucher program (P < 0.01).
    • Opiate use rates in the return-to-baseline phase remained significantly lower than initial baseline levels (P < 0.01).

    Conclusions:

    • Voucher-based reinforcement contingencies are effective in decreasing opiate use in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment.
    • This intervention offers a viable strategy to support abstinence in individuals with heroin dependence.
    • Behavioral interventions can complement pharmacological treatments for opioid use disorder.