Drug abuse treatment successful

Ireland's first longitudinal study on drug misuse treatment has shown that significant reductions in drug use and involvement in crime by participants were achieved after one year of treatment. Researchers recruited 404 opiate users when they started drug treatment and followed them over one year. Interviews were carried out when the opiate user entered drug treatment, after six months and after 12 months. Significant reductions in heroin and other drug use were observed in the followed-up study population one year after treatment intake. Twenty-seven per cent of those followed up were abstinent from all drugs excluding alcohol after one-year compared to 7% at treatment intake. Extensive reductions in injecting drug use were observed; both the number of days participants injected and the number of times per day reduced.

Read More