The Sierra Tucson research projects. (on cocaine and alcohol addiction)

In its desire to develop the highest quality treatment, the administration of Sierra Tucson has long endorsed a program of Treatment Outcome Research in its addiction and mental health treatment facilities. Since 1985. in fact, Sierra Tucson and the Matrix Institute on Addictions of Beverly Hills, CA have conducted follow-up studies to provide feedback for clinicians and program development. Early studies concluded one- and five-year follow-up studies of alcohol and cocaine users, as well as studies of co-dependency patients, male bulimia nervosa patients. and others.

In 1992, Sierra Tucson and the Matrix Institute implemented a sophisticated facility-wide treatment outcome data collection system using the services of Strategic Advantage, Inc. of Minnesota. The system includes baselhle assessment upon admission. assessment upon discharge. and post-treatment follow-up at 6 months. This ongoing process of data collection is expected to give clinicians a rich set of information to help modify and improve program effectiveness, give referral sources and payors a clear understanding of what to expect, and provide a tremendously valuable perspective on these patients which can be shared in the professional research literature.

As an example, the following highlights some of the major findings from a one-year Sierra Tucson Outcome Study on chemical dependency patients that has proven to be of enormous benefit in providing insight into factors contributing to relapse and factors supporting sobriety .

One-Year Follow-Up of Alcohol and Cocaine Users

In 1987/88, the Matrix Institute on Addictions collected detailed follow-up data on 85 alcoholics and 65 cocaine addicts who completed treatment at Sierra Tucson. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of substance abuse recovery, assess the different treatment needs of cocaine addicts and alcoholics, and to provide a better understanding of what contributes to the maintenance of sobriety and what events lead to relapse.

Patient Characteristics: Alcoholics vs. Cocaine Users. The cocaine users consisted of a group of subjects who are younger than the alcoholics by 10 years; fewer of the cocaine users had been or were currently married and a higher percentage of them were men. In addition, over 40% of the alcoholics had had prior treatment histories, as compared with fewer than 15% of the cocaine addict.

These difference suggested a need for different treatment emphasis for cocaine users than for alcoholics. For example. working with younger addicts (i.e., the cocaine addict) at an earlier stage in the addiction process suggested the incorporation of action-oriented materials in treatment. They had alternative social/recreational needs. These results suggested it was important to teach cocaine users how to avoid relapse, and to return to treatment in the event of future substance abuse problems.