Treatment career snapshots: profiles of first treatment and previous treatment clients.

To examine the substance abuse recovery process from a treatment-career perspective, this study compared the profiles of clients entering treatment for the first time versus those returning to treatment. Clients (N = 7,092) presenting for publicly funded treatment were assessed as part of the St. Louis Target Cities project. Previous treatment clients were more likely to have more severe substance abuse problems, additional psychiatric problems, and greater problems in other life areas. Comorbid psychiatric problems and motivation to change were identified as areas of focus for clinical intervention. Discriminant analysis yielded a significant function that accounted for 6.5% of the variance between groups. Results suggest that change occurs via multiple processes.