Patients (N = 108) in a study of cocaine-specific coping skills training (C
ST), which was found to reduce cocaine use during a 3-month follow-up, were
followed for an additional 9 months. CST involved coping skills training i
n the context of high-risk situations. Control treatment used meditation-re
laxation. Both were added to comprehensive private substance abuse treatmen
t. Patients in CST who relapsed had significantly fewer cocaine use days th
an did the control group during the first 6 months, then both conditions di
d equally well. Patients in CST also drank alcohol more frequently in the l
ast 6 months than did contrast patients bur did not differ in heavy drinkin
g days. For cocaine use outcomes, no interaction of treatment was found wit
h gender, education, route of administration, drug use severity, sociopathy
, or depression. Implications include the need to investigate different len
gths and combinations of treatment.