Coming Soon - ASAM Clinical Considerations for Engagement and Retention of Non-Abstinent Patients in Substance Use Treatment

Initiation, engagement, and retention in treatment are critical factors that impact long-term outcomes for substance use disorders (SUDs); early treatment engagement and longer durations of treatment predict better clinical outcomes. Despite this, patients are regularly dissuaded from initiating treatment until they commit to full sustained abstinence from all intoxicants, and too frequently are administratively discharged from SUD treatment programs during instances of substance use recurrence. This clinical considerations document is being developed to support SUD treatment programs providers to increase treatment engagement and retention while addressing the complexities associated with patient non-abstinence.

This project is funded by the California Department of Health Care Services.