Are 'the basics' more important than innovation?

Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches (BHOPB) is a residential alcoholism and drug abuse treatment facility in Lake Worth, Florida. The desire to provide the best possible treatment for our patients has led us to seek innovative treatment interventions. Examples include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for patients with symptoms of trauma and acupuncture for patients with chronic pain. Tailored interventions are also available for addicts with co-occurring chronic anxiety, unresolved anger, or grief issues. The desire to discover how well our patients have done led us to track a random sample of 90 patients for one year. Data were collected between August 2002 and December 2004. We were eager to determine an overall success rate, as well as the impact of our innovative interventions. Patients were contacted by telephone three months, six months, nine months, and one year from their date of discharge. We learned that 53% of the sample completed one year of continuous recovery. We believe these results understate patients' overall success. The essentials for treatment are discussed.

Journal

English

Michael Weiner
Donald Mullaney

Weiner, M., & Mullaney, D. (2006). Are 'the basics' more important than innovation? Addiction Professional, 4(2), 1-58.