title: Differences in the acceptability of non-abstinence goals by type of drug among American substance abuse clinicians.
abstract: To assess whether acceptability of non-abstinence outcome goals varied depending on the specific drug a client consumes (alcohol, cannabis, amphetamine, heroin, cocaine, MDMA/ecstasy, polydrug), severity of diagnosis (DSM-IV Abuse vs. Dependence), and finality of outcome goal (intermediate vs. final), we recruited 432 clinicians to complete a web-based questionnaire. More respondents rated non-abstinence acceptable as an intermediate goal for clients diagnosed with alcohol abuse (44%) or cannabis abuse (43%) than for clients diagnosed as abusing the other listed drugs (23 to 31%). Similarly, larger proportions of respondents rated non-abstinence as acceptable as a final goal for clients diagnosed with alcohol abuse (30%) or cannabis abuse (24%) than for clients diagnosed as abusing the other drugs (11 to 13%). Only 9 to 13% of respondents rated non-abstinence as an acceptable final goal for clients diagnosed with dependence, but 20% to 30% rated non-abstinence as acceptable as an intermediate goal for clients diagnosed as dependent.
authors: Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA. Electronic address: hrosenb@bgsu.edu.
authors: Harold
authors: H
authors: Rosenberg
authors: Alan K
authors: AK
authors: Davis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
keywords: Controlled drinking; Controlled drug use; Harm reduction; Non-abstinence