Recovery and Spiritual Transformation Among Peer Leaders of a Modified Methadone Anonymous Group

Correlates of Opioid Abstinence in a 42-Month Posttreatment Naturalistic Follow-Up Study of Prescription Opioid Dependence

OBJECTIVE

The natural course of prescription opioid use disorder has not been examined in longitudinal studies. The current study examined correlates of opioid abstinence over time after completion of a treatment trial for prescription opioid dependence.

METHODS

The multisite Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study examined different durations of buprenorphine-naloxone treatment and different intensities of counseling to treat prescription opioid dependence, as assessed by DSM-IV; following the clinical trial, a longitudinal study was conducted from March 2009-January 2013. At 18, 30, and 42 months after treatment entry, telephone interviews were conducted (N = 375). In this exploratory, naturalistic study, logistic regression analyses examined the association between treatment modality (including formal treatment and mutual help) and opioid abstinence rates at the follow-up assessments.

RESULTS

At the 3 follow-up assessments, approximately half of the participants reported engaging in current substance use disorder treatment (47%-50%). The most common treatments were buprenorphine maintenance (27%-35%) and mutual-help group attendance (27%-30%), followed by outpatient counseling (18%-23%) and methadone maintenance (4%). In adjusted analyses, current opioid agonist treatment showed the strongest association with current opioid abstinence (odds ratios [ORs] = 5.4, 4.6, and 2.8 at the 3 assessments), followed by current mutual-help attendance (ORs = 2.2, 2.7, and 1.9); current outpatient counseling was not significantly associated with abstinence in the adjusted models.

CONCLUSIONS

While opioid agonist treatment was most strongly associated with opioid abstinence among patients with prescription opioid dependence over time, mutual-help group attendance was independently associated with opioid abstinence. Clinicians should consider recommending both of these interventions to patients with opioid use disorder.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00316277​.

Personal recovery in individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

The process of personal recovery in people diagnosed with substance use disorder and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was mapped. Four general themes representing four consecutive stages in the recovery process were identified in both client groups: (1) crisis and diagnosis; (2) dealing with agitation, symptoms, and burden; (3) reorganization of life; and (4) meaningful life. However, the personal recovery outcomes and the need for support were different for the two clients groups. Based on these findings, mental health nurses can offer recovery supporting care tailored to the challenging needs of these clients. For the SUD+ADHD group, overall, a coaching attitude is preferred. For the SUD+ASD group, overall, instructional, supportive and directive attitude is needed.

Improving psychosocial health and employment outcomes for individuals receiving methadone treatment: a realist synthesis of what makes interventions work

BACKGROUND

For over 50 years, methadone has been prescribed to opioid-dependent individuals as a pharmacological approach for alleviating the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. However, individuals prescribed methadone sometimes require additional interventions (e.g., counseling) to further improve their health. This study undertook a realist synthesis of evaluations of interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial and employment outcomes of individuals on methadone treatment, to determine what interventions work (or not) and why.

METHODS

The realist synthesis method was utilized because it uncovers the processes (or mechanisms) that lead to particular outcomes, and the contexts within which this occurs. A comprehensive search process resulted in 31 articles for review. Data were extracted from the articles, and placed in four templates to assist with analysis. Data analysis was an iterative process and involved comparing and contrasting data within and across each template, and cross checking with original articles to determine key patterns in the data.

RESULTS

For individuals on methadone, engagement with an intervention appears to be important for improved psychosocial and/or employment outcomes. The engagement process involves attendance at interventions as well as an investment in what is offered. Three intervention contexts (often in some combination) support the engagement process: a) client-centered contexts (or those where clients' psychosocial and/or employment needs/issues/skills are recognized and/or addressed); b) contexts which address clients' socio-economic conditions and needs; and, c) contexts where there are positive client-counselor and/or peer relationships. There is some evidence that sometimes ongoing engagement is necessary to maintain positive outcomes. There is also some evidence that complete abstinence from drugs (e.g., cocaine, heroin) is not necessary for engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to consider how the contexts of interventions might elicit and/or support clients' engagement. Further research is needed to explore how an individual's background (e.g., involvement with different interventions over an extended period) may influence engagement. Long-term engagement may be necessary to sustain some positive outcomes although how long is unclear and requires further research. Engagement can occur without complete abstinence from such drugs as cocaine or heroin, but additional research is required as engagement may be influenced by the extent and type of drug use.

Medication-assisted recovery from opioid addiction: historical and contemporary perspectives

Recovery is being used as a conceptual fulcrum for the redesign of addiction treatment and related support services in the United States. Efforts by policy, research, and clinical leaders to define recovery and calls for assertive models of long-term recovery management raise critical questions about how transformation efforts of recovery-focused systems will affect the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of opioid addiction and the status of patients participating in such treatment. This article highlights recent work advocating a recovery-oriented approach to medication-assisted treatment.

The trouble with morality: the effects of 12-step discourse on addicts' decision-making

Since its development in the 1960s, researchers have extensively scrutinized methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) as a medical response to heroin addiction. Studies consistently find that MMT is more successful than other treatment models in the reduction of opiate/opioid misuse, the transmission of diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, and criminal arrest and conviction rates. Nonetheless, a significant portion of active and former heroin addicts view MMT negatively and-perhaps as a result-MMT is vastly underused. This study examines the effects of 12-Step discourses on the opinions and treatment decisions of active heroin addicts, addicts in MMT, and addicts in 12-Step treatment programs. The study finds the abstinence/morality based discourse of drug addiction and treatment is pervasive among addicts and their non-drug using relations and peers alike; moreover, addicts have internalized this narrative, oftentimes despite their own knowledge of MMT's success and positive personal experiences. The findings suggest that the dominance of abstinence/morality narratives contributes to MMT's poor reputation among, and low use rate by current and former heroin addicts and that the power of the dominant discourse is such that it produces a desire to buy into its values and tenets even when it is against the individual's interests to do so.

Spiritual transformation, psychological well-being, health, and survival in people with HIV

OBJECTIVES

Although Spiritual Transformation (ST) occurs in a sizable proportion of people with HIV (about 39%), there is little research on the potential benefits of ST with respect to psychological well-being, health, and survival in this population. Our study attempts to fill this gap.

METHOD

Using a mixed method approach, we related interviews of 147 people with HIV (identifying the presence/absence of ST) to questionnaires measuring demographics, medical history, treatment adherence, physical symptoms, and psychological well-being (i.e., stress, coping, life attitude, and spirituality), and assessments of CD4-counts and viral load and survival 3 to 5 years later.

RESULTS

At comparable times since HIV-diagnosis and antiretroviral medications prescribed, the presence of ST was significantly associated with better treatment success (undetectable viral loads, higher CD4 counts), better medication adherence, fewer symptoms, less distress, more positive coping, different life attitudes (i.e., existential transcendence, meaning/purpose in life, optimism, death acceptance), more spiritual practices, and increased spirituality. ST was also associated with substance-use recovery and with being African American. Survival up to 5 years was 5.35 times more likely among participants with ST (p(f) = .044). According to a Cox-regression adjusted for baseline CD4-counts, age, race-ethnicity, gender, education, years since HIV-diagnosis, and a history of substance-use problems, ST still reduced the risk of death (HR = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01-0.53, p = .010).

CONCLUSIONS

ST has associated benefits for psychological well-being, health, and survival.

Why don't out-of-treatment individuals enter methadone treatment programmes?

BACKGROUND

Despite the proven effectiveness of methadone treatment, the majority of heroin-dependent individuals are out-of-treatment.

METHODS

Twenty-six opioid-dependent adults who met the criteria for methadone maintenance who were neither seeking methadone treatment at the time of study enrollment, nor had participated in such treatment during the past 12 months, were recruited from the streets of Baltimore, Maryland through targeted sampling. Ethnographic interviews were conducted to ascertain participants' attitudes toward methadone treatment and their reasons for not seeking treatment.

RESULTS

Barriers to treatment entry included: waiting lists, lack of money or health insurance, and requirements to possess a photo identification card. For some participants, beliefs about methadone such as real or rumored side effects, fear of withdrawal from methadone during an incarceration, or disinterest in adhering to the structure of treatment programmes kept them from applying. In addition, other participants were not willing to commit to indefinite "maintenance" but would have accepted shorter time-limited methadone treatment.

CONCLUSION

Barriers to treatment entry could be overcome by an infusion of public financial support to expand treatment access, which would reduce or eliminate waiting lists, waive treatment-related fees, and/or provide health insurance coverage for treatment. Treatment programmes could overcome some of the barriers by waiving their photo I.D. requirements, permitting time-limited treatment with the option to extend such treatment upon request, and working with corrections agencies to ensure continued methadone treatment upon incarceration.

Kickbacks from helping others: health and recovery

AA is often viewed as a spiritual organization, but it is less commonly recognized that helping others is a fundamental part of AA's conception of spirituality. Helping others by bringing AA's program to other alcoholics (articulated in Step 12) is understood as the culmination of AA's program and the behavioral manifestation of a spiritual awakening (Step 11). Also, members are encouraged to help in all stages of their involvement in AA's, and it is this helping that is thought to keep them sober. Accordingly, the current chapter addresses the question of whether helping benefits the helper from an empirical standpoint-and specifically, whether helping might contribute to recovery in the context of AA involvement. In addition to describing AA's approach to helping, we review research on associations between helping and (a) health outcomes in the general population, (b) recovery in diverse mutual help groups, and (c) recovery from chemical dependency within and outside of AA. We find evidence supporting benefits for helpers in each of these domains and tentatively conclude in favor of helper therapy principles. However, the work is limited by the lack of experimental studies and by problems in defining helping. Other concerns are that "over-helping" can be worse than not helping at all and that helping may sometimes harm the intended recipients. Recommendations for further research are to address these limitations. Particularly useful would be research designing and testing interventions aiming to increase helping, perhaps informed by social model programs and principles.