Improving client engagement and retention in treatment: the Los Angeles County experience.

This article discusses a two-phase demonstration project focused on the implementation of the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment model of process improvement among substance abuse treatment providers in Los Angeles County, California. A total of 30 Change Teams from 12 county-contracted treatment agencies planned and executed one or more rapid-cycle change projects to reduce wait time to treatment, reduce no-shows to scheduled appointments, increase admissions, or improve continuation in treatment. The findings and lessons learned illustrate the importance of a concrete and straightforward methodology and consistent peer-to-peer interaction provided in a learning collaborative environment.

Craving and control: methamphetamine users' narratives.

In this article the authors explore the experience of craving of methamphetamine users and seek to illuminate how differences in craving contribute to use patterns. Using in-depth interviewing, data were collected from 82 active methamphetamine users in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The constant comparison method common in grounded theory guided the data analysis.