Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12-Step (STAGE-12)

Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12-Step (STAGE-12): Evaluation of a Combined Individual-Group Intervention to Reduce Stimulant and Other Drug Use by Increasing 12-Step Involvement

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a combined group and individual 12-Step facilitative (TSF) intervention, Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12 -Step (STAGE-12), improves substance -related outcomes.

This protocol is to evaluate the degree to which a combined group and individual 12-Step facilitative (TSF) intervention, 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 abusers. The primary objective is to evaluate reduction in percent of days of stimulant use as measured by self-report. Secondary objectives include evaluating reduction in percent days of use of other substances, the degree to which STAGE-12 increases involvement in 12-step activities and attendance at 12-step meetings, and the extent to which such 12 -step involvement and meeting attendance mediate substance use outcomes.

STAGE-12 received 3 individual and 5 group 12-step facilitation sessions focusing on 12-step principles plus an intensive referral in which counselors linked participants to community-based 12-step volunteers. These sessions took the place of 3 individual and 5 group sessions in the standard intensive outpatient drug treatment program and were integrated into treatment as usual.

Treatment as usual received standard care provided in intensive outpatient drug treatment program without the STAGE-12 components.

The STAGE-12 intervention will consist of a combination of five group and three individual sessions. The five group sessions will be taken from the Project MATCH Twelve Step Facilitation manual as modified for use with drug abusers and adapted for delivery in a group format. The group sessions will be augmented by three individual sessions derived from the introductory and termination sessions from the TSF manual and incorporating elements of the brief intensive 12-step referral procedure.

Inclusion Criteria: seeking outpatient treatment for stimulant abuse or dependence current diagnosis of stimulant abuse or dependence willing to participate in the protocol Exclusion Criteria: not sufficiently medically or psychiatrically stable pending legal action that would inhibit their participation in the study in need of detoxification from opiates

Donovan DM, Daley DC, Brigham GS, Hodgkins CC, Perl HI, Garrett SB, Doyle SR, Floyd AS, Knox PC, Botero C, Kelly TM, Killeen TK, Hayes C, Kau'i Baumhofer N, Seamans C, Zammarelli L. Stimulant abuser groups to engage in 12-step: a multisite trial in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2013 Jan;44(1):103-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2012.04.004. Epub 2012 May 31. Erratum In: J Subst Abuse Treat. 2015 Feb;49:71. Kau'ibaumhofer, Nicole [corrected to Kau'i Baumhofer, Nicole].