OUTCOME AFTER METHADONE TREATMENT - INFLUENCE OF PRIOR TREATMENT FACTORS AND CURRENT TREATMENT STATUS

Post-treatment follow-up assessments were conducted on patients from a clinical trial examining the efficacy of different doses of methadone . The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was administered at treatment ent ry and ten weeks after the six- month program. Patients were improved in drug and alcohol use, and in areas of pro-social behaviors, at the time of follow-up. Improvements were not related to in-treatment varia bles, but were related to resumption of treatment during the follow-up interval. These results demonstrate improvement persists after methad one treatment, and further improvement can be achieved by resumption o f further treatment.