Science News & Science Current Events
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Drug addiction treatment sees drop in success rate

Drug addiction treatment sees drop in success rate

August 11, 2006

The proportion of drug users who completed treatment for drug addiction decreased between 1998 and 2002, although the overall number of drug users who entered treatment increased. A British study of the outcome of treatment for drug addiction, published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health, also reveals that drug users were more likely to drop out of treatment if they had been coerced into it by the criminal justice system than if they had entered by other routes.

The authors of the study conclude that efforts to make treatment for drug addiction more accessible have succeeded in getting more people into treatment, but the impact of coercive measures to push drug users into treatment needs further consideration. They write: "recent measures to increase drug treatment participation have speeded up a revolving door both into and out of treatment".




Dr. Caryl Beynon and colleagues from Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool, UK, analysed the records of 26,415 anonymous drug users who had entered treatment for drug addiction between 1997 and 2004 in Cheshire and Merseyside, England, UK.

The results of Beynon et al.'s study show that the proportion of individuals who dropped out of treatment increased from 7.2% in 1998 to 9.6% in 2002. Individuals coerced into treatment by the criminal justice system were more likely to drop out of treatment than those referred through other routes. The proportion of drug users who successfully completed treatment decreased from 5.8% in 1998 to 3.5% in 2002, but the proportion of drug users who came back to start treatment again after dropping out of treatment increased from 22.9% in 1998 to 48.6% in 2002.

BioMed Central



Related Drug Addiction Current Events and Drug Addiction News Articles Drug Addiction Current Events and Drug Addiction News RSS Drug Addiction Current Events and Drug Addiction News RSS
Cocaine: How addiction develops
Permanent drug seeking and relapse after renewed drug administration are typical behavioral patterns of addiction. Molecular changes at the connection points in the brain's reward center are directly responsible for this.

Addiction treatment proves successful in animal weight loss study
Vigabatrin, a medication proposed as a potential treatment for drug addiction by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, also leads to rapid weight loss and reduced food intake according to a new animal study from the same research group.

Cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity linked to persistent addictive behaviors
The persistent nature of addiction is its most devastating feature. Understanding the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is the key for designing efficient therapy. Two separate studies published by Cell Press is the August 14 issue of the journal Neuron identify specific cocaine-induced changes in dopamine (DA) neurons that play a pivotal role in behaviors associated with drug addiction.

Halting retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent addiction relapse
Disrupting the brain's retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent relapse in drug addiction, according to new research in the August 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

'Erasing' drug-associated memories may stop drug addiction relapses
'Erasing' drug-associated memories may prevent recovering drug abusers from relapsing, researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered.

Unlocking mystery of why dopamine freezes Parkinson's patients
Parkinson's disease and drug addiction are polar opposite diseases, but both depend upon dopamine in the brain. Parkinson's patients don't have enough of it; drug addicts get too much of it. Although the importance of dopamine in these disorders has been well known, the way it works has been a mystery.

Study finds connections between genetics, brain activity and preference
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has used brain imaging, genetics and experimental psychology techniques to identify a connection between brain reward circuitry, a behavioral measurement of preference and a gene variant that appears to influence both.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy of similar benefit for HIV-infected injection drug users
Contrary to the belief that HIV-infected injection drug users (IDUs) receive less benefit from highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), new research finds little difference in the survival rate between IDUs and non-IDUs after 4-5 years of receiving HAART.

Obesity predisposition traced to the brain's reward system
The tendency toward obesity is directly related to the brain system that is involved in food reward and addictive behaviors, according to a new study.

N.Y. Research Team Discovers How Antidepressants and Cocaine Interact with Brain Cell Targets
In a first, scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center have described the specifics of how brain cells process antidepressant drugs, cocaine and amphetamines. These novel findings could prove useful in the development of more targeted medication therapies for a host of psychiatric diseases, most notably in the area of addiction.
More Drug Addiction Current Events and Drug Addiction News Articles


Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding (Addicus Nonfiction Books)
by Rod Colvin

This newly revised third edition delves into the most widely abused narcotic in the U.S.—prescription drugs. The book offers help to those suffering from this type of addiction as well as their families. The topics discussed include dynamics of addiction and the newest treatment options, who is at risk for addiction, why more teens are abusing prescription drugs, the symptoms of withdrawal,...



Addiction: From Biology to Drug Policy
by Avram Goldstein

Drug addiction is a brain disease--that's the modern view and it is fully expressed in this up-to-date book. Among the many volumes on drugs written for lay readers, this one is unique in the breadth of its coverage and the depth of its science. The first part gives a clear scientific account of the nature of addiction, stressing neurobiology and addictive behavior and describing the "highs"...



Prescription Drug Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic
by Rod Colvin

Are you suffering with an addiction to prescription drugs? Or, are you suffering because you have a loved one who is addicted? If so, author Rod Colvin understands your anguish. His brother, Randy, died as a result of his years of addiction to prescription drugs. Once recovered from the loss, Colvin was determined to help others who are still suffering. He wrote Prescription Drug Addiction—The...



Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery.
by Beverly Conyers

Witnessing the addiction of a family member or loved one is a heart-rending experience. But hope can prevail, as shown in this compelling new book. Here, the gripping stories of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters of addicts offer important lessons on loving, detachment, intervention, and self...



Alcohol, Other Drugs and Addictions: A Professional Development Manual for Social Work and the Human Services
by Allan Edward Barsky

Designed to prepare students for the realities of working with clients affected by addictions, this text provides the necessary tools needed to competently translate addictions theory into practice. It offers a thorough examination of a range of models and perspectives for helping, and it encourages critical thinking to best match approaches with clients and situations. Presented in a work-text...



Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions
by A. Thomas Horvath



Addiction-Free--Naturally: Liberating Yourself from Tobacco, Caffeine, Sugar, Alcohol, Prescription Drugs, Cocaine, and Narcotics
by Brigitte Mars

The first comprehensive guide to overcoming addictions by using  natural remedies that rebuild health for both body and mind from the inside out.• Covers a full range of natural remedies, including herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy, flower essence remedies, color therapy, acupressure, and more. •  Addresses many different substances, such as caffeine and chocolate, and discusses how the body...



Losing Jonathan
by Robert Waxler, Linda Waxler

When Bob and Linda Waxler received a phone call warning them their beloved and accomplished son Jonathan was taking heroin, they began a journey that took them through the detox hospitas and halfway houses of America. But the second call a year later, from the medical examiner in San Francisco, informing them that Jonathan had died, plunged them into the deep darkness-a long, lonely journey into...



800 Meters: A Journey of Addiction, Recovery and Redemption
by Mikael D. Luman

800 METERS A Journey of Addiction, Recovery and Redemption. Mikael Luman had it all: good friends, a loving family and an outstanding future as an athlete. But his spiral into drug addiction destroyed everything Mikael valued. He traded college athletics for a world of strippers and good times, highs and lows, raves and week-long parties all fueled by ecstasy, nitrous oxide, cocaine and...



Drug Addiction and Families
by Marina Barnard

© 2008 BrightSurf.com