ALCOHOL AND COCAINE ABUSERS 6 MONTHS AFTER TRADITIONAL TREATMENT - DOTHEY FARE AS WELL AS PROBLEM DRINKERS

Problem drinkers (N = 49) and individuals presenting with both alcohol and cocaine problems (N = 51) admitted to a traditional 28-day alcoho lism treatment milieu were compared on their psychosocial, psychologic al, neuropsychological functioning and substance abuse at admission as well as at six months posttreatment follow-up. On admission, alcohol and cocaine patients were younger, more likely to live alone or with t heir family of origin, to report having started using alcohol at an ea rlier age, to have fewer alcohol-related problems and to have fewer ye ars of but more diversity in their substance abuse than the alcohol-on ly patients. Otherwise both groups were more similar than different on psychosocial, psychological and neuropsychological dimensions. At six -months posttreatment, both groups showed similar improvement on most dimensions of functioning measured. However, a significantly greater p roportion of the alcohol and cocaine abusers admitted to having relaps ed in the previous six months, reported significantly fewer average da ys of abstinence than the alcohol group since terminating treatment, a nd were more likely to present urine specimens indicative of recent su bstance abuse at the six-month follow-up interview. Thus, traditional approaches to alcoholism treatment may be less effective in establishi ng abstinence for individuals with both alcohol and cocaine problems. Adaptations to treatment to reduce the risk for relapse faced by alcoh ol and cocaine abusers in such milieu are discussed.