Patient relapse in the context of drug abuse treatment.

How do addiction treatment programs integrate the expectation of relapse into drug abuse treatment? This article serves as a thought piece to pose questions rather than definitive solutions. It reflects a distillation of discussions that occurred at the National Institute on Drug Abuse meeting titled "Program Response to Patient Relapse," held on July 15, 2009, along with quantitative and qualitative information about the patterns and types of discharge policies, which factors influence them, and how the culture of drug abuse treatment and the personnel interact with this issue. Some existing data on the discharging of relapsed patients are identified.

Gender effects on drug use, abuse, and dependence: a special analysis of results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Background: Gender is increasingly being studied for risk and protective factors underlying substance abuse and addiction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in rates of substance abuse and dependence among drug users.

Methods: A national population sample was examined, focusing on 2 age groups (youths, aged 12-17 years, and young adults, aged 18-25 years) and several commonly abused substances (alcohol, marijuana, and nonmedical prescription medication use).