EFFECTIVENESS OF POST-DETOXICATION REFERRALS - EFFECTS ON LATER DETOXICATION ADMISSIONS, DRUNKENNESS AND CRIMINALITY

• NCJ Number: 45966
• Journal: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (MAY 1977) Pages: 149-155
• Author(s): R G SMART; J FINLEY; R FUNSTON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: Elsevier Sequoia Sa
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A STUDY UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POSTDETOXIFICATION REFERRALS TO A VARIETY OF TREATMENT FACILITIES, IN TERMS OF BOTH REFERRAL ACCEPTANCE AND TREATMENT OUTCOME, IS DESCRIBED.

Abstract

SUBJECTS OF THE STUDY WERE 114 MALES WHO HAD COMPLETED DETOXIFICATION TREATMENT AT A TORONTO, CANADA, CENTER. TREATMENT OFFERED AT THE CENTER IS SHORT TERM AND NONMEDICAL AND EMPHASIZES THE NEED FOR LONG TERM TREATMENT REFERRALS. REFERRAL FACILITIES INCLUDE A HALFWAY HOUSE, A LONG STAY FARM, AND THE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT (OPD) OF THE ADDICTION RESEARCH FOUNDATION CLINICAL INSTITUTE. THE SAMPLE WAS LARGELY COMPOSED OF MIDDLE-AGED CHRONIC DRUNKENNESS OFFENDERS, USUALLY OF NO FIXED RESIDENCE AND WITH AN UNSTABLE EMPLOYMENT HISTORY. OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE, 38 PERCENT REFUSED REFERRAL; OF THOSE REFERRED TO LONG TERM FACILITIES, ONLY 60 PERCENT ACTUALLY ARRIVED FOR REFERRAL APPOINTMENTS. IN GENERAL, THOSE WHO REFUSED REFERRAL TENDED TO HAVE FEWER 'SKID ROW' CONNECTIONS AND HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN LESS PUBLIC INTOXICATION THAN THOSE WHO ACCEPTED REFERRAL. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN PRETREATMENT VARIABLES WERE FOUND FOR TREATED/UNTREATED OR REFERRAL/REFUSAL SUBJECTS. OUTCOME WAS ASSESSED IN TERMS DETOXIFICATI0N READMISSIONS, DRUNKENNESS ARRESTS, AND CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS FOR EACH TREATMENT GROUP AND FOR THE UNTREATED GROUP AND REFUSAL GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT TREATMENT EFFECT IN TERMS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LAW OR DETOXIFICATION READMISSIONS OVERALL FOR THE THREE TYPES OF TREATMENT FACILITY, NOR WERE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT OVERALL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TREATED AND UNTREATED GROUPS. SUBJECTS IN THE REFUSAL GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DETOXIFICATION READMISSIONS THAN DID OTHER SUBJECTS, ALTHOUGH OVERALL THIS GROUP SHOWED THE GREATEST SUCCESS AS DEFINED BY A 50 PERCENT OR MORE REDUCTION IN READMISSIONS AND LAW INVOLVEMENT. THIS WAS PROBABLY A RESULT OF THE BETTER INITIAL PROGNOSIS FOR THESE SUBJECTS. LONGER WORK HISTORIES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCCESS. A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THE LACK OF SIGNIFICANT TREATMENT EFFECTS FOUND IN THIS STUDY IS THAT FEW TREATMENT SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE FULL PROGRAM. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)