A Holistic Model for Drug Treatment Evaluation

Abstract

Increasingly, and appropriately, drug dependency is being viewed as a problem with people rather than simply a problem with chemicals (Treffert, 1971). Comprehensive, multi-dimensional, “different strokes for different folks” approaches have largely replaced single entity, uni-dimensional programs (Glasscote, et al., 1972). As evident and as commendable as that movement and direction is in the treatment area, evaluation efforts are still locked into the use of a single, uni-dimensional, and solitary measure—the presence or absence of drug use or abuse following discharge. If it makes sense to look beyond drugs in treatment, then it makes sense as well to look beyond the return to drug use or abuse as the sole measure of effectiveness of drug programs. This paper describes a holistic, multi-dimensional, evaluation approach to measuring effectiveness of drug treatment programs which does not ignore, but does not focus entirely upon, the return to drug use or abuse as the sole measure of effectiveness. This evaluation tool has been in use for twelve (12) months in the Tellurian Community, a 38 bed residential treatment program for the seriously dependent drug abuser.