BEHAVIOR-THERAPY FOR DRUG-ABUSE - A CONTROLLED TREATMENT OUTCOME STUDY

82 Ss were studied in a comparative evaluation of a behavioral vs supp ortive treatment for illegal drug use. Behavioral treatment included s timulus control, urge control, contracting/family support and competin g response procedures for an average of 19 sessions. 37% of Ss in the behavioral condition were drug-free at 2 months, 54% at 6 months, and 65% at 12 months vs 20 +/- 6% for the alternative treatment during all 12 months. The behavioral treatment was more effective across sex, ag e, educational level, marital status and type of drug (hard-drugs, coc aine, and marijuana). Greater improvement for this condition was also noted on measures of employment/school attendance, family relationship s, depression, institutionalization and alcohol use.