Vincent P. Dole Dual Diagnosis Unit, Santa Chiara University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, NPB, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67 56100 Pisa, Italy.
J Addict Dis. 2009 Oct;28(4):382-8. doi: 10.1080/10550880903183000.
It is commonly assumed that people who are addicted to certain substances would abuse any substance. This position has never been supported by validly collected and analyzed research data. In this study, the authors examine the use of street methadone by heroin addicts seeking their first agonist opioid treatment in a clinical setting. Fifty-four heroin addicts who resorted to street methadone use were compared by socio-demographic, current clinical, and disease-related variables to 251 peers who do not use street methadone. Heroin addicts who resort to street methadone use are more likely to be females and to have a higher degree of education, are less likely to engage in polyabuse (use of more than three substances), are less severely ill, have been addicted for a shorter period of time, and have been seeking treatment sooner in the course of their disease. Also, they suffer from a wider range of psychopathological distress symptoms. In Italy, resorting to street methadone does not seem to be a surrogate form of heroin addiction, but rather represents means of harm reduction, with treatment seeking occurring shortly after its initiation. This should be accounted for when deciding on take-home policies and issues of potential methadone diversion.
人们通常认为，对某些物质上瘾的人会滥用任何物质。这种观点从未得到有效收集和分析的研究数据的支持。在这项研究中，作者研究了在临床环境中寻求首次阿片类激动剂治疗的海洛因成瘾者使用街头美沙酮的情况。研究人员将 54 名使用街头美沙酮的海洛因成瘾者与 251 名不使用街头美沙酮的同龄人进行了比较，比较的因素包括社会人口统计学、当前临床和与疾病相关的变量。使用街头美沙酮的海洛因成瘾者更有可能是女性，且受教育程度更高，他们不太可能滥用多种物质（使用三种以上物质），病情较轻，成瘾时间较短，在疾病过程中寻求治疗的时间更早。此外，他们还患有更广泛的精神病理困扰症状。在意大利，使用街头美沙酮似乎不是海洛因成瘾的替代形式，而是一种减少伤害的手段，在开始使用后不久就会寻求治疗。在决定携带回家政策和潜在美沙酮转移问题时，应该考虑到这一点。
