[Current consumer conditions among opioid addicts--implications for maintenance-treatment programmes provided by ambulatory drug treatment centers and physicians].

Background: Anonymous evaluation of the current conditions of drug scene and drug consumption, entrance age, personal motives for drug consumption and satisfaction among opioid-dependent clients with treatments available within an ambulant maintenance treatment setting.

Methods: The questionnaire for the study was based on representative studies and covered 112 questions regarding drug consumption. In addition, an instrument of the "Hessische Landesstelle gegen die Suchtgefahren", which measures satisfaction of opioid clients regarding public drug-treatment centers, was used.

Results: A total of 158 opioid clients within an ambulant maintenance treatment setting were enrolled in the study. The mean age at first drug consumption was 15.1 (2.4) years for men and 15.2 (3.5) years for women. The Spearman correlation showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.284) between age and time of first drug consumption (p=0.019). Cannabis was the most frequent entrance drug (55.8%), followed by alcohol (33.8%), opioids (17.6%) and nicotine (11.8%). Additional consumption of benzodiazepines was observed in 44.7% of men and 39.7% of women, of cannabis in 74.5% of men and 52.4% of women, and of sustained-release morphine in 41.4% of men and 33.3% of women. Within the previous 6-12 months cocaine was consumed significantly less (p=0.024) by men (63.8%) than by women (90.5%). 93.3% of the drug users rated a follow-up assistance programme after withdrawal and 71.9% special care programmes for designer drugs very important.

Implications: The present study supports the assumption of an earlier age of first drug consumption. In view of our findings on entrance age, and on polytoxicomanic consumption patterns and gender-specific differences, we believe that the objectives of substitution programmes can only be reached if programmes are adequately adapted to the actual conditions of the drug scene and are able to cooperate with other public drug-treatment systems.