Showing papers in "American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in 1975"

Studying Addicts over Time: Methodology and Preliminary Findings

Abstract: This preliminary report of findings pertaining to the “natural history” of narcotic addiction was based on a systematic random sample of males identified as narcotic abusers by the Baltimore City Police Department over a twenty year period (1952–71) and thus differs from other studies of addiction in that it represents a community-wide population of narcotic users. The sample was stratified by year of identification as well as by race and consisted of equal numbers of blacks and whites.Personal interviews with subjects were conducted using a structured questionnaire, and a special staff was used to locate and obtain permission to interview. Of the 349 persons in the sample, 343 were located, with a substantial proportion being out-of-state. Among the 343 located, 57 were dead, two were psychotic, six were not located, and 17 refused to be interviewed. Thus, 267 of the 290 potentially interviewable subjects were actually interviewed, which represents an interview response rate of 92%.The mean age for the e...

Clinical experience with naltrexone.

Abstract: (1975). Clinical Experience with Naltrexone. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 365-377.

Social Sanctions and Rituals as a Basis for Drug Abuse Prevention

Abstract: (1975). Social Sanctions and Rituals as a Basis for Drug Abuse Prevention. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 165-182.

Naltrexone Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Metabolism: Current Status

Abstract: (1975). Naltrexone Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Metabolism: Current Status. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 357-363.

Problem drinkers among patients on methadone.

Abstract: Among 212 former heroin users maintained on methadone, the authors identified 27% as problem drinkers. The problem drinkers were found remarkably similar to other patients on methadone in personal and treatment characteristics. They differed significantly from other patients in only three respects: the problem drinkers worked more frequently at manual labor, they had more evidence of liver disease, and they appeared more depressed. All subjects showed more depression than normal controls. This finding with evidence from other studies of depression among opioid users suggests that depression may serve as an important etiological factor in chronic opioid use.

The DARP Research Program and Data System

Abstract: The evaluation research on the effectiveness of treatments for drug abuse, which is the subject of several papers in this journal issue, is a multi-faceted program of data base management and subst...

Plasma testosterone levels in healthy male marijuana smokers.

Abstract: Plasma testosterone, FSH, and LH levels were obtained from 25 healthy consecutive heterosexual male mauijuana smoking university students. All values were within the range of normal and the means did not differ significantly from those of 13 normal controls. These data suggest that the casual marijuana smoker (at least one time weekly with an average of 5.1 joints per week) may have plasma testosterone levels which are normal for the time of day and the laboratory.

Retention in treatment of drug users: 1971-1972 DARP admissions.

Abstract: In this brief summary of results, the “holding power” of different approaches to treatment and how certain patient characteristics are involved were examined. In all treatments, rate of termination prior to completion of treatment was high, particularly for the treatments not involving methadone maintenance. Almost three-fourths of the patients in these treatments terminated prior to treatment completion, and most of the terminations were due to quitting. Furthermore it was found that of the patients who terminated, a large number left within a month after admission and over half were gone within 3 months.In terms of patient characteristics which were related to retention, older patients in all types of treatment were less likely to terminate than younger patients. Even among patients who terminated during the first 12 months after admission, older ones tended to stay longer before leaving. Thus, age was related in a consistent manner with maintenance as well as drug-free oriented programs. Other more tre...

Death Rates and Causes of Death Among Opioid Addicts in Community Drug Treatment Programs During 1970–1973

Abstract: Death rates and causes of death among opioid addicts in 52 community treatment programs in a national reporting network were compared for 3 consecutive years. The greatest proportion of patients in the base samples were male, 21 to 25 years old, black, and in MM programs. The 275 patients in the deceased sample presented essentially the same profile, with the exception that the older patients were more highly represented among the deceased. Death rates were particularly high during each year for patients over 30 years old. Over the 3 years, death rates increased for whites, addicts 21 to 25 years old, and patients in outpatient DF programs. Consistent decreases in rates each year were found for blacks, patients in the 26 to 30 age range, and patients in MM programs.

Evoked Potential Changes During Ethanol Withdrawal in Rats

Abstract: We have recently observed an increase in central nervous system excitability during intoxication and alcohol withdrawal in alcoholics. Our present results demonstrate a similar phenomenon in rats. The hyper-excitability caused by ethanol withdrawal is still present subsequent to the overt behavioral symptoms of withdrawal.

A revised treatment typology based on the DARP.

Abstract: (1975) A Revised Treatment Typology Based on the DARP The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol 2, No 1, pp 37-50

The impact of peer pressure on the verbally expressed drug attitudes of male college students.

Abstract: Peer pressure was shown to have a powerful influence on the verbally expressed drug attitudes of the undergraduate male sample. Subjects exposed to a group which consistently espoused either conservative (antidrug) or liberal (pro-drug) attitudes toward the personal use of drugs were highly likely to conform to the groups' attitudinal norms (p < 0.001). Effects of natural peer groups are discussed along with recommendations for primary prevention programming and further research.

Description of drug users in treatment: 1971-1972 DARP admissions.

Abstract: The 1971–1972 DARP patient sample can be generally described as follows: (1) males were the largest in number (76%), and most patients (73%) were in the age range of 18 to 30 at the time of admission; (2) ethnically, blacks and whites were predominant (46% and 36%, respectively), with smaller representations of Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans; (3) pretreatment drug use generally involved opiates daily (68%); (4) most patients began drug use with marihuana (57%) or heroin (21%), usually between the ages of 14 and 20 years old; (5) pretreatment alcohol consumption was generally low, with 68% of the sample reporting their average daily use was zero; and (6) the majority of the sample completed 10 to 12 years of education and had spent time in jail, while 40% were legally involved at the time of admission and almost one-third reported that their major source of support was illegal.

On the role of chemotherapy in the treatment of heroin addiction.

Abstract: (1975). On the Role off Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Heroin Addiction. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 279-288.

The Resurgence of Heroin Abuse in the District of Columbia

Abstract: Prospectively collected drug abuse trend surveillance data suggest that the rate of heroin use in Washington, D.C. is rising following a two year decline in the magnitude of this problem. Supportive data include increased potency of street level heroin, increased numbers of heroin-related deaths, increased detection of heroin positive urine specimens in the D.C. Superior Court arrestee population, increased demand for addiction treatment services and rising property crime rates. Increased prevalence of heroin use has not yet been associated with an increase in incidence, suggesting that former heroin users have begun to use once again following a period of abstinence.Analysis of heroin specimens seized across the United States suggests that cities formerly dependant upon European (white) heroin have now developed a new heroin distribution system which supplies Mexican (brown) heroin. This has offset the reduction in heroin use observed during 1972–1973 concomitant with the East Coast heroin shortage and w...

The Time to Combine: Epidemiological Similarities off the Use and Abuse of Alcohol and Other Drugs

Abstract: In many quarters there remains a resistance to integrating research and preventive efforts relative to alcohol and other types of drugs. Alcohol and other drugs are treated as separate and distinct phenomena that have little relevance for each other. The objections to developing combined programs are typically based on what are perceived to be important differences among different types of drug-using phenomena. While it is true that the psychopharmacological effects of various substances are different, and that the societal reactions to abuse of different substances may vary, and that the legal status of alcohol and some other drugs is different and that patterns of use may be different [1], this does not mean that there is an absence of strong epidemiological similarities that might form a sound basis for more integrated approaches to efforts in the areas of research and prevention. The purpose of this paper is to examine recent epidemiological research that strongly indicates the existence of important ...

Realistic goals for antagonist therapy.

Abstract: This paper has been prepared to discuss the realistic benefits that may be obtained from the use of narcotic antagonists in treating narcotic addicts. The reasons for these deliberations are twofold. (1) The full impact of chronic administration of narcotic antagonists is coming to be recognized, and we are finding that narcotic antagonists, like all drugs, have undesirable side effects, and if this toxicity is to be avoided, they must be used with some caution. (2) Further, it has become apparent that only a small portion of addicts will elect an antagonist mode of therapy. When cyclazocine was first [ 11 proposed for the treatment of narcotic addiction, it was our feeling, based on experiences on the wards of the Addiction Research Center, that only highly motivated patients who had some compelling reason for wishing to remain abstinent would accept this modality of treatment. There are such patients, and they do benefit from antagonist therapy. The question of whether there should be a continuing effort to develop narcotic antagonists for the treatment of narcotic addicts requires a thoughtful answer. What are the advantages that may accrue to patients and to society as a consequence of antagonist therapy? For those patients who wish to remain abstinent, the antagonists protect them from their own impulsivity and the consequences of drug-seeking behavior in times of stress and in

Indicators of criminality during treatment for drug abuse.

Abstract: Many studies have pointed to a sharp reduction in criminal activities upon entry into drug treatment programs [1, 2], as well as to a generally low ebb of criminal behavior during treatment. The present study sought to add to such findings by taking a close look at several indicators of criminality in a sample of 3483 outpatients who were followed for the first 6 to 12 months in methadone maintenance or drug-free treatment programs at 31 different agencies participating in the Drug Abuse Reporting Program [3]. The data available on each patient, admitted during a one-year period starting June 1, 1971, consisted of an Admission Record and bimonthly status reports.

1-alpha-acetylmethadol(LAAM) pharmacokinetics and metabolism: current status.

Abstract: (1975). 1-α -Acetylmethadol (LAAM) Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism: Current Status. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 301-305.

Evaluation of treatment for 1971-1972 DARP admissions: comments and conclusions.

Abstract: The overall evaluative results indicate that the methadone programs generally have the best marks, at least in relation to retention and outcomes during treatment. The record nevertheless leaves room for much improvement. First, in regard to retention, 45% of MM-A and 38% of MM-CO patients leave treatment under unfavorable conditions within 12 months of admission. As already noted, the retention record of all other treatments is lower than that for MM. Second, with respect to outcome criteria, the noteworthy immediate effects during treatment are on drug use and drug use-related criminal activity. Analysis of the data on employment and productive activities suggests, as found in Cohort 1, that the drug abuse treatment programs are not being effective in these areas. Finally, again in agreement with the Cohort 1 results, it appears that the best results are being obtained with patients above the age of 22. The under-23 segment constitutes about 15% of the MM population, but between 40 to 50% of the patient...

Outcome measurement for drug treatment in the DARP: during-treatment criterion scales.

Abstract: In summary, it is believed that the index values served quite well as criterion measures, considering the highly skewed distributions of the original data. The index values could be readily interpreted without reference to any statistical distribution, and they lent themselves to the study of levels and patterns of outcomes over time in treatment.

Research on patient classification for drug users in the DARP.

Abstract: In the Drug Abuse Reporting Program (DARP) research on evaluation of treatment effectiveness, a major effort has been devoted to patient classification using Admission Report data relating to the pretreatment background and status of patients. In two previous evaluation studies based on DARP Cohort 1 samples [1,2], the concept of homogeneous grouping of patients proved to be informative and useful in predicting differential outcomes in treatment. Due to the addition of new agencies and revisions in admission policies in those agencies continuing in the program during Cohort 2, however, there was a question regarding whether or not the same strategy should be employed as for Cohort 1. More specifically, it was a question of whether the patient types developed for the earlier cohort were still fully applicable.