Nguyen 1

Stephanie Nguyen
English 2010
6 October, 2014
Research Essay

Knowledge of Drug Treatment Programs Can Help Lead a Sober Life

With the vast amount of people in the world today who are struggling with drug
addictions, there are a variety of different treatments/ programs that have been created in order to
help them recover. These treatments have their own specific goals focusing on specific kinds of
results for different types of drug addictions and different age groups. A lot of the time, people
who are struggling with a drug addiction want to find help, but dont exactly know where to go
due to lack of knowledge of an effective treatment program. The same goes for families who
have loved ones that need help but might not want help. They want to make sure their loved one
is going to a place where they feel confident that they will get better, but most likely they are
clueless on where to start. After doing some research one will find that there are a variety of
different options available. a few different treatment programs that have also been researched
and tested. I am going to explain four different programs and the results/ statistics that have been
gathered from groups of highly educated researchers. The purpose of this is so that people are
aware of the options that they have regarding their drug addiction recovery. These four programs

Nguyen 2
are called, Outreach Treatment Program (OTP), Recovery House (RH), Strengths Oriented
Family Therapy (SOFT), and The Seven Challenges (7C). Hopefully, this will be able to shine
some light on a few different options for drug addiction treatment, or at the least help people get
an idea of what is available. Nobody should have to deal with drug addiction alone, which is why
being aware of different options available for treatment is a crucial factor in helping people lead
a better life.
In the research article about the Outreach Treatment Program, randomized selections of
hardcore crack abusers were encouraged to join treatment by members of the OTP team.
Targeted individuals were mainly people who were homeless, unemployed, had insufficient
care, and have physical problems (Henskens etal). This program was essentially created as part
of a controlled trial, comparing the effectiveness of standard addiction care versus OTP with the
addition of standard addiction care (Henskens etal). The requirements in order to participate
were that one must be 25 years or older, must be able to speak Dutch, and live in the inner city of
Rotterdam (Henskens etal). Services that were available included crack-related education,
medical care, and psychosocial counseling (Henskens etal). OTP staff also made sure that
medical, social, and legal specialists were available to their clients and that consultations could
be made if necessary (Henskens etal). As incentives they provided walk-in service and
acupuncture treatments (Henskens etal). OTP found that the clients relationship with their
therapists was an important aspect to the treatment process. The support, involvement, and
encouraging attitude that care providers gave helped establish a positive relationship with their
clients. At the end of the trial, information was gathered about treatment compliance, outcome,
and satisfaction. The OTP treatment with the addition of standard care turned out to be the most

Nguyen 3
successful with clients who stayed on average 6 months with 3 visits per week. They saw
improvements in physical health, general living conditions, and psychiatric status. Despite these
improvements, they did not see a change in employment, substance abuse, or legal status
(Henskens etal). Overall, results showed that the OTP coupled with standard care was a success
and their clients were satisfied with the service that was provided. According to the results of this
trial, the OTP would be a great program to join for someone who is struggling with crack abuse,
unemployment, and homelessness. Someone who likes/needs one on one interaction with
therapists and doctors might take an interest in this program as well. This program is great with
respect to the attitude and care of the workers involved with the patient. Being able to build a
good relationship with the therapist helps a lot because one will feel like there is always someone
there for them. Overall the supportive care of the whole team contributes greatly in the recovery
process. One will more likely succeed if they know that people believe in them rather than just
thinking that theyll fall back into drugs again. Being aware of the different services specific
programs have can really make a difference in someones ability to overcome addiction.
While there are many programs out there for drug addicts, many times these drug addicts
dont have much choice in where they go. It is a very common concept that people with drug
addictions get either thrown into jail or are put into a program that does not meet their specific
individual needs. People with drug addiction come from a wide range of age groups who have a
variety of different emotional/physical/psychological demands. The Recovery House (RH)
program aims toward male and female adolescents, who have previously been involved in the
juvenile justice system and assigned to rehab centers focused on their specific drug used
(Jainchill etal). Some of the main objectives of Recovery House were to help these kids recover

Nguyen 4
by means of social interaction between, positive peer role models, and the peer community
(Jainchill etal). The mission statement for Recovery House basically states that their main goal is
not to just pass on a message and in hopes have their clients change. Their main goal is that
through their treatment, clients will be able to on their own, change the way they view the world
and how they make do with the information they are given (Jainchill etal). This program can
serve as an alternative option for adolescents who have not seen progress with other programs
(ex. Juvenile justice system). It is important to know that there are programs out there
specifically suited for different age groups, genders, and type of drugs used. The world we live in
is so complex and diverse, which makes the needs of the population different in all aspects.
Peoples different needs should be met and taken care of appropriately so that their chance of
recovery is the highest it can be. By knowing the possibilities to the different choices out there,
one is more likely to find a program that will fit best for them or their loved one.
The last article which Ill talk about also focuses on the continuous increase of substance
abuse among adolescents. However, this article emphasizes two different models and evaluates
the efficacy of both (Smith etol). These two programs are called Strengths Oriented Family
Therapy (SOFT), and The Seven Challenges (7C). The clients who participated in these
programs were all different and came up from different backgrounds. For example, 29% were
female, 24% minority, 39% were raised in a single-parent house hold, and 71% reported current
juvenile justice system involvement (Smith etal). Within the SOFT program, procedures
included first off, a session with the youth and the parent where they would sit down and create a
checklist of immediate concerns. Next, a therapist would interview them and gather a set of
strengths. With these strengths and concerns put together, they would then create a plan that

Nguyen 5
would eventually lead the family to an immediate and long term goal. For extra precautions they
also created a relapse prevention plan. Lastly, the youth and their parents would attend group
sessions with other families where they would learn about communication skills (Smith etal). In
contrast, the 7C program was all about journaling. Youths would meet with their therapist and
have a session with just the two of them. They would also meet together with other teens and
have a group session. Within these group sessions they would write in their journals, answering
questions and talking about different situations from their own perspectives.
Participants completed journaling exercises that examined barriers to being honest about
their use, what they liked about drugs and alcohol, the impact of drugs and alcohol on
their lives, their and others responsibility for their problems (i.e., including
victimization), goals and dreams in life, decisions about use, and steps needed to follow
through on those decisions. (Smith etal)
Therapists also wrote comments on the side of their journals asking more questions or just
writing side messages about how they could relate as well (Smith etal). This non-confrontational
method of communicating with the clients took the pressures of being judged off of their
shoulders. This might be a good program for individuals who dont like confrontational
solutions. People who like to write their feelings down rather than talking in front of people
would likely benefit from this also. Writing comments off to the side helps in building that one
on one relationship. Clients will be able to feel like they are able to relate to somebody. They
wont feel so alienated like theyre not a normal person, but rather feel like they are being treated
as a person. . If you know what people prefer or have been neglected of, its easy to target where
one needs help the most. Thats why by knowing the unique qualities of a person and of different

Nguyen 6
programs and relating those two together, one can effectively choose the right program for
themselves and for others.
There are so many people in our world today struggling with drug addiction. Many
dont know what to do or how to get better. It is also very common that people who have been
involved in treatment programs often drop out or go into remission and then fall back into the
same steps that led them to addiction in the first place. Obviously, there are some big changes
that need to be made in order to help people stay sober, but as a first step in the process, people
need to be aware or informed of possible programs that are out there. If family and friends had
knowledge about certain programs and what these programs offered they would certainly have
an easier time finding a program that could best suit someone they love. The drug addiction
population is so diverse and has specific needs. Knowing about different programs such as the
OTP, RH, SOFT, and 7C, could help serve a wide range of people whether they be male or
female, young or old, crack or marijuana user. The main point is that no one struggling with a
drug addiction should go un-helped due to not having knowledge of the many possibilities
available.

Nguyen 7
Bibliography
Henskens, Renee, Henk Garretsen, Inge Bongers, Ad Van Dijk, Fred Sturmans. Outreach
Treatment Program for Inner City Crack Abusers: Compliance, Outcome, Client
Satisfaction. Substance Use & Misuse 43 (2008): 1464-1475. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

Jainchill, Nancy, Dr. Josephine M. Hawke, Maria G. Messina. Post Treatment Outcomes
Among Adolescents. Substance Use & Misuse 40 (2005): 975-996. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

Smith Douglas C., James A Hall, Julie K. Williams, Hyongin An, Nathan Gotman. Comparative
Efficacy of Family and Group Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse. The
American Journal on Addictions 15 (2006): 131-136. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2
Oct. 2014