Abstract
This study evaluated the long-term effects of a therapeutic workplace social business on drug abstinence and employment. Pregnant and postpartum women (N = 40) enrolled in methadone treatment were randomly assigned to a therapeutic workplace or usual care control group. Therapeutic workplace participants could work weekdays in training and then as employees of a social business, but were required to provide drug-free urine samples to work and maintain maximum pay. Three-year outcomes were reported previously. This paper reports 4- to 8-year outcomes. During year 4 when the business was open, therapeutic workplace participants provided significantly more cocaine- and opiate-negative urine samples than controls; reported more days employed, higher employment income, and less money spent on drugs. During the 3. years after the business closed, therapeutic workplace participants only reported higher income than controls. A therapeutic workplace social business can maintain long-term abstinence and employment, but additional intervention may be required to sustain effects.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 329-338 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment |
Volume | 47 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Cocaine
- Contingency management
- Employment
- Heroin
- Incentive
- Methadone
- Social business
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Phychiatric Mental Health
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health