A programmatic series of studies will be conducted on relapse prevention therapy for cocaine dependence in order to evaluation the optimal components of this treatment approach. Three brief intervention studies with 70 subjects each will be conducted sequentially to address the following specific aims: Study 1 - This study will determine whether the addition of motivational enhancement techniques to standard relapse prevention therapy results in greater patient participation and retention than relapse prevention therapy alone; Study 2 - Since abstinence initiation during treatment is a potent predictor of functioning after treatment, the impact of two alternate methods used to deal with future drug use will be evaluated. Specifically, abstinence rates will be compared for subjects who are taught to anticipate and cope with lapses and for subjects who receive an absolute abstinence message; and Study 3 - This study will examine whether the degree of cognitive complexity of individual relapse prevention therapy sessions influences patient satisfaction and participation as function of patient pretreatment characteristics. If our hypothesis are confirmed, these studies will provide critical information on the effectiveness and acceptability of specific components of relapse prevention therapy. Ultimately, this information will be used to refine relapse prevention therapy for cocaine abusers with the goal of increasing the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
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