Stimulant abuser groups to engage in 12-step: An overview for the STAGE-12 executive committee.

This presentation examines the evidence supporting, and methods of implementing, 12-step facilitation in substance abuse treatment programs. It begins by providing general background information on 12-step, which is applicable to a broad range of clients, found to be efficacious, and has easily available therapy manuals and other training materials. It also discusses why 12-step facilitation is particularly suitable for a CTN trial, including the fact it can be trained in a short amount of time, can by used by counselors of varying skill levels, and allows for an examination of “treatment as usual” in CTPs vis-a-vis 12-step approaches. The presentation also describes previous research on 12-step involvement, and then provides an overview of the STAGE-12 protocol in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. This protocol will evaluate the degree to which a combined group and individual intervention that also uses recovery mentors, “Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12-Step” (STAGE-12), improves substance-related outcomes compared to treatment as usual (TAU) without STAGE-12 among stimulant (methamphetamine and/or cocaine) abusers.

The presentation also describes three ancillary studies that have attached themselves to STAGE-12: alcohol assessment (AUDIT-C items related to alcohol diagnostic criteria), health services research (agency organizational influence over intervention adoption and therapists protocol fidelity as a predictor of treatment outcome), and cognitive impairment associated with stimulant abuse.

Related protocols: CTN-0031