STUDY:ADDICTS BENEFIT FROM TREATMENT

Offering new evidence that treating drug addicts works in the long term,a
government survey has reported that addicts who get treatment are
considerably less likely to consume drugs or commit crimes to support their
use,even after five years.

Adolescents were the conspicuous exception. Their overall drug use did not
drop significantly after treatment, the study said.

But adolescents also have been identified as the age group with the most
risk takers, while adults tend to quit using drugs as they get older. The
new survey confirmed that older people were more likely to curtail drug use
and criminal behavior than younger ones. It also reported that women
responded better to treatment than men.

The national survey, which was released Wednesday by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human
Services, surveyed 1,799 people five years after their discharge from
drug-abuse treatment programs in 1989 and 1990. Their responses on drug use
were verified using urinalysis.

Relapse often occurs after treatment, but the study found that the number of
people using any illicit drug dropped by 21 percent. The number of powder
cocaine users decreased by 45 percent, while the number of crack smokers
decreased by 45 percent, while the number of crack smokers decreased by just
17 percent. The number of heroin users went down by 14 percent and marijuana
users by 28 percent. The number of those using alcohol declined by 14
percent.

Addicts who were treated with methadone, a synthetic heroin blocker, showed
the most significant drop. Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed stopped
using heroin.

As for criminal behavior, the study reported that 56 percent of addicts
studied no longer stile cars and 38 percent no longer committed burglaries
after completing treatment. The number of prostitutes and their procurers
declined by 30 percent, the study said.

Checked-by: Don Beck