Executive summary

This document provides a summary of research on treatment outcome in drug and alcohol. There have been a number of extensive reviews in the area of treatment outcome in this area and more recently a number of large studies. Three of the most extensive reviews which this report aims to build on are:

Heather, N., & Tebbut, J. (Eds.) (1989). An Overview of the Effectiveness of Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems. National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Monograph Series Number 11. Australian Government Publishing Service.
Mattick, R.P., & Jarvis, T. (Eds.) (1993). An Outline for the Management of Alcohol Dependence and Abuse. Quality Assurance Project. National Drug Strategy Monograph.
Mattick, R.P., & Hall, W. (1993). A treatment outline for approaches to opioid dependence: Quality Assurance Project. NDS Monograph No. 21. Canberra: AGPS.

Summaries of more recent large-scale studies and reviews are presented at the end of the report (Appendix). The report takes each treatment area in turn, firstly for alcohol, then opiates, cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines. The existing reviews are summarised and any new research is critically assessed and summarised. The report therefore provides both a summary of the existing reviews in the area and a thorough review of research since 1993. The aim of the document is to outline what has been shown to work and to highlight recent research completed since the above major reviews in the area.