NCJ Number
157393
Journal
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (1979) Pages: 25-37
Date Published
1979
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This preliminary report from an epidemiological study of heroin addiction in Tucson, Ariz., 1956-76, examines the status of heroin addicts 20 years after they have been identified as narcotics abusers, focusing on the maturation hypothesis, which holds that heroin addicts tend to cease use of narcotics spontaneously by age 40.
Abstract
A cohort of 51 subjects was identified from Public Records of Court Appearances for narcotic offenses during a 36-month period (1955-57); they were located and interviewed when possible. Records from a minimum of two agencies (law enforcement, corrections, treatment, welfare) were used to establish current status of the individual with reference to the use of narcotics and/or other drugs. Demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition of the sample, as well as criminal involvement and treatment episodes, are included. After 20 years, one individual is drug-free or abstinent. Twenty-three are considered still addicted to heroin, and 16 of these are in prison; 7 are addicted to methadone or alcohol; 13 are dead; and 6 could not be located. All but one are more than 40 years old. For these 51 addicts, the maturation hypothesis does not hold. 22 references