Continuing care for cocaine dependence: Comprehensive 2-year outcomes

This report presents 2-year outcome data from an outpatient continuing care study in which cocaine-dependent patients (N = 132) were randomly assigned to either standard group counseling (STND) or individualized relapse preve ntion (RP). Data on cocaine outcomes during the 6-month treatment phase of the study were presented in an earlier report (J. R. McKay, A. I. Alterman, J. S. Cacciola, M. R. Rutherford. & C. P. O'Brien, 1997). In the present r eport, a continuing care condition main effect was obtained on only 1 of 8 outcome variables examined. However, patients who endorsed a goal of absolu te abstinence on entering continuing care had better cocaine use outcomes i n RP than in STND, whereas the opposite was the case for those with less st ringent abstinence goals. In addition, patients with current cocaine or alc ohol dependence on entering continuing care who received RP had better coca ine use outcomes in Months 1-6 and batter alcohol use outcomes in Months 13 -24 than those in STND.