TUESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Young and homeless problem
drug users, and those not currently injecting drugs, are most
likely to leave drug treatment programs early, a British study
finds.
University of Kent and Kings College London researchers analyzed
data on 2,624 problem drug users in treatment programs and found
that 25 percent left the programs before they'd completed 30 days
of the program. Of those, two-thirds never even started the
recommended course of treatment. Those who left early were much
younger than those who remained in the programs.
The study also found that drug users were more than twice as
likely to exit early if there was a longer waiting time between
assessment and the start of treatment. This suggests that program
differences, not just individual factors, influence the decision to
exit treatment early, the researchers said.
Interviews with treatment agency staff and drug users support
this conclusion.
"Whilst it is easy to blame the early exit out rate of problem
drug users on the 'chaos' of their lives of drug and their lack of
motivation, our data and interviews suggest that there is not much
that services can do to enhance the rate of retention in the first
few days and weeks," noted study author Dr. Alex Stevens.
For example, problem drug users who don't belong to the
traditional client group of users in their late 20s and 30s who
inject heroin may be put off by drug treatment services provided in
often run-down buildings in central locations. And limited hours of
service may make it difficult for some, especially those with jobs,
to attend treatment.
While methods to increase early retention -- such as proactive,
personalized contact for appointments and motivational interviewing
during treatment sessions -- are available, they're not widespread,
the researchers said.
The study was published in the current issue of
Harm Reduction Journal.
More information
The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about
treatment for drug addiction.
