What components of methadone maintenance treatment account for reductions in AIDS risk behaviors?
Reductions in drug use and related AIDS risk behaviors among methadone-maintained individuals have been associated with both physiological and psychosocial factors. Recent studies have confirmed that adequate methadone dose levels are required to achieve significant reductions in opioid abuse. At the same time, research has demonstrated that methadone alone will have, at best, limited impact. Additional psychosocial support services are needed to maximize the effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment. Research Highlights • A study examining the impact of psychosocial services in methadone treatment found that outcomes were significantly improved for those injection drug users who received services in addition to methadone (McLellan, Arndt, Metzger, et al., 1993). In this study, methadone patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups that received either: (1) methadone alone with no other services, (2) methadone and regular counseling, or (3) methadone with counseling an
