The Effective Eveluation of the Methadone Maintenance Treatment of Heroin Addicts

Objective:To evaluate the changes of drug taking,criminal and sexual behavior among heroin addicts in methadone maintenance treatment(MMT)in Urumqi city,providing information for AIDS control and prevention.Methods:170 MMT patients were interviewed using questionnaire for demographic features,drug abuse and sexual behavior.Follow-up interviews were conducted 6 months(mean)after the first interview.Results:Six months after admission,52% of the subjects were kept on methadone maintenance and 48% dropped out.The percentage of participants in sharing needles and syringes in the pasted three months declined from 44.07% at baseline to 25.42% at the medium-term follow-up.Average heroin use dropped from an average of(28.40±2.07)days per month at baseline to(1.90±1.10)days per month after 6 months.44% of 170 MMT patients self-reported not using heroin during follow-up.The average number of days of illicit injecting reduced from 25.7 to 10.8 days.Employment increased from 32.98%(31/94)before treatment to 47.87%(45/94)after 6 months.Treatment satisfaction rating was increased,but it was not significant(P0.05).Conclusion:MMT was effective in reducing high-risk drug abusing behavior,sexual behavior,crime,improving family and social function.MMT should be expanded in our country to control rapid spread of HIV among drug users.