Naltrexone and Conventionality

Abstract

This study examines the effect of conventionality on whether patients who were scheduled for naltrexone took it, and on treatment outcomes for patients who did take it. It is based on admission and case record data for 147 male opiate addicts who enrolled in New York Medical College's Multitrack Abstinence Program. Naltrexone-taking is examined against an array of “drug” and “social” variables and is found to be strongly related to four in particular: amount spent daily on heroin, number of arrests, type of residence, and employment. These variables are combined into an index which measures a patient's degree of conventionality. It is found that naltrexone-taking varies directly with degree of conventionality. Furthermore, it is found that, among patients who took naltrexone, those who gained in conventionality while in treatment were more likely than others to leave the program opiate-free after terminating naltrexone therapy.