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Internet-delivered treatment effective for substance abuse

In a study of 507 adults in substance abuse programs, those who received group therapy treatment in addition to a web-based behavioral intervention — the Therapeutic Education System — had a lower dropout rate and higher abstinence rate than traditional addiction treatment alone.

The participants attended 10 outpatient addiction treatment programs and were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of treatment as usual in the form of counseling at the individual or group level (n=252) or treatment as usual plus Therapeutic Education System (TES), which substituted for about 2 hours of standard care per week (n=255). Urine drug screenings and self-reports conducted twice-weekly were used to assess the primary outcome: abstinence from drugs and heavy alcohol consumption and time to dropout from treatment, according to the abstract.

“The TES model consists of 62 computerized interactive modules covering skills for achieving and maintaining abstinence, plus prized-based motivational incentives contingent on abstinence and treatment adherence,” the researchers wrote.

The TES group had a lower dropout rate (HR=0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.92) and a greater abstinence rate (OR=1.62; 95% CI, 1.12-2.35), and the effect was marked in those  who, at study entry, had a positive urine drug or breath alcohol screen (n=228; OR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.3-3.68), the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: Please see the full study for a list of researchers’ financial disclosures.