NCJ Number
197857
Date Published
August 2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Focusing on the therapeutic community treatment process for drug abuse and addiction, this report discusses this service and its effectiveness in reducing rates of drug use and abuse.
Abstract
Treating drug abuse and addiction through the therapeutic community (TC) approach is the focus of this report. After describing TC’s as drug-free residential settings, using hierarchical models with treatment stages reflecting increased levels of personal and social responsibility, this report explains that TC members interact in structured and unstructured stages in order to influence attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors associated with drug use and abuse. Discussing the effectiveness of TC’s in treating drug addiction, this report suggests that studies from over 65,000 individuals admitted to TC’s indicate that TC’s are associated with positive outcomes including lower levels of cocaine, heroin, and alcohol abuse, as well as lower crime, unemployment, and depression rates. This report documents that two thirds of individuals admitted to TC’s were on probation or pending a trial. Focusing on the length of treatment in a TC, this report indicates that individuals who completed a 90-day treatment program had significantly better outcomes than did persons who stay in a TC for a shorter period of time. Designed to help drug addicts constructively identity, express, and manage their feelings, TC’s comprise clinical groups, community meetings, vocational and educational activities, and community and clinical management activities. Providing treatment in a series of stages, TC’s focus on early, primary, and community re-entry treatments. Individuals with HIV/AIDS, homeless people, women, adolescents, and the mentally ill all benefit from TC-oriented programming that is tailored to their special needs and unique life circumstances. This report concludes by stating that modifying TC’s to accommodate the roles of managed health care provides greater treatment resources to larger numbers of drug addicts. References