A pilot feasibility study of chemical aversion therapy in the treatment cocaine dependence as part of a multimodal treatment program was conducted at the Schick Shadel Hospital of Santa Barbara. Twenty (20) patients (9 treating for cocaine only and 11 treating for cocaine/alcohol), who primarily smoked cocaine, completed a program which included chemical aversion therapy to develop a conditioned aversion to the sight, smell, and taste of a cocaine substitute (tetracaine, mannitol, and quinine with Psychem¨. Ninety-five (95) percent of patients were followed up in six months with a total abstinence rate from cocaine of 56% (78% current abstinence of at least 30 days prior to follow-up) in the cocaine only group and total abstinence from cocaine of 70% (also 70% current abstinence) for the cocaine/alcohol group. Ninety (90) percent were followed up at 18 months. Thirty-eight (38) percent of the cocaine only group had been totally abstinent (75% were currently abstinent). Fifty (50) percent of the cocaine/alcohol group had been totally abstinent (80% were currently abstinent). Validation of results was obtained from "significant others" for 90% of patients.

A sample of 200 patients who had been treated for alcoholism in a multimodal inpatient program that used aversion therapy as a treatment component was selected for outcome evaluation. One hundred sixty (80%) were located. A minimum of 13 months had elapsed since treatment (mean 20.5 months) collateral reports were used to verify self-reports in 36% of the cases. Abstinence status was determined for the first 12 months since treatment, the entire elapsed time since treatment (range 13 to 25 months, mean 20.5 months), and "current abstinence" (last 6 months). The abstinence rate for the first 12 months was 71.3%; for the total period since treatment, the rate was 65% (mean 20.5 months); the current abstinence rate was 78.1%. The data was also viewed from other perspectives. The findings of this study suggest that a multimodal alcoholism treatment program utilizing aversion conditioning is at least as acceptable to patients as counseling centered programs and can be expected to yield favorable abstinence rates

A follow-up study was conducted at approximately one year post-treatment of a group of clients treated at a commercial stop smoking program (Schick Smoking Centers). A sample of 327 clients was contacted from the total number of 832 clients treated in the year 1985. These clients were selected in a random systematic fashion and were contacted by telephone using a structured interview.

Two hundred forty-nine patients who were treated for alcoholism in an inpatient multimodal treatment program that included aversion therapy were matched post hoc on 17 baseline variables with patients from a national treatment outcome registry. The latter patients received inpatient treatment that emphasized individual and group counseling as the primary therapeutic elements but did not include aversion therapy for alcohol. Six- and 12-month abstinence rates from alcohol and all mood-altering chemicals are reported. The patients treated with aversion therapy for alcohol had higher alcohol abstinence rates at 6 and 12 months (p < 0.01). The abstinence rates from all mood-altering chemicals were higher in the aversion group at 6 months (p < 0.05) but not at 12 months. The largest differences between treatment groups in 6-month alcohol abstinence rates were noted for males (p < 0.001), those over 35 (p < 0.001), daily drinkers (p < 0.001), and those with alcohol-related work performance problems (p < 0.05).

A sample of 600 patients treated in a multimodal treatment program using aversion therapy and narcotherapy at three Schick freestanding addiction treatment hospitals and one Schick unit in a general hospital were followed-up. Contact was made a minimum of 12 months and as many as 20 months after completion of treatment (mean 14.7 mos.). Telephone contact was made by an independent research organization with 427 of the patients (71.2%). Of these, 65.1% were totally abstinent for 1 year after treatment and 60.2% were abstinent until follow-up a mean of 14.7 months later.