THE COMMUNITY REINFORCEMENT APPROACH WITH HOMELESS ALCOHOL-DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS

Homeless alcohol-dependent individuals were randomly assigned to recei ve either a behavioral intervention (i.e., the Community Reinforcement Approach [CRA]) or the standard treatment (STD) at a large day shelte r. Ninety-one men and 15 women participated. The majority of participa nts were White (64%), but both Hispanic (19%) and Native American (13% ) individuals were represented as well. Overall, the decline in drinki ng levels from intake through follow-ups was significant. As predicted , CRA participants significantly outperformed STD group members on dri nking measures across the 5 follow-ups, which ranged from 2 months to 1 year after intake. Both conditions showed marked improvement in empl oyment and housing stability.