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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of three interventions (individual motivational interviewing, group motivational interviewing, or nurse-led hepatitis health promotion) in reducing drug use. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted with 256 methadone maintained moderate-to-heavy alcohol-using adults attending one of five MM outpatient clinics. Drug use in the overall sample was significantly reduced from baseline to 6-month follow-up, as assessed by a 30-day recall (p < 0.0001), with a trend apparent for 6-month recall (p = 0.09). The group and individual programs revealed significant decreases in drug use at the 30-day recall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROBLEM: This cross-sectional study identified a number of factors that were correlated with drug-use severity among homeless youth. METHODS: To examine a commonly used measure of substance-use severity, the TCU Drug Screen II, in a convenience sample of 156 homeless youth, ages 15-25 from a drop-in site in Santa Monica, California. FINDINGS: Higher drug-use severity scores were independently related to low levels of perceived health and maladaptive coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study are particularly relevant in that they support previous results showing that psychosocial variables are related to substance use behavior among young populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]