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Programs

Life Without A Crutch Training Program

Category: Crime & Legal-Related - Rehabilitation Services for Offenders
Beneficiaries: Adults; Substance abusers (drug/alcohol abusers)
Priority: 3
Budget: $4,371.00

No matter how creative or constructive a recovery approach may be, its effectiveness hinges on client receptivity. And as every dependency counselor knows, half the battle is achieving client acknowledgment of his or her addiction. Without this essential affirmation, the isolation and rigidity of addiction stubbornly resist even the most competent and compelling intervention.

The Life Without a Crutch program offers a valuable catalyst to bring the addict face-to-face with the realities of his or her dependent behavior and the enlightened self-interest of taking responsible action. This experiential approach serves to better prepare the addict to accept and make positive use of recovery-based initiatives of all types.

The Life Without a Crutch Training Program is composed of an easy-to-use trainer's manual, a student textbook, and an audio cassette transcription of the text to support group work or special
individual needs. The guide contains a series of reproducible student exercises which follow and expand upon the progressive stages of the handbook and audio tape.

Definition of long-term success:

Long term success is defined as increased acceptance of responsibility and the deisre to improve/succed.

Definition of short-term success:

Completion of program and increased attitudinal awareness of their addiction and a desire to change.

Success monitored by:

Correctional Facility Staff; Acceptance by program users.

Evidence of success:

Does the Life Without A Crutch training program work?

Attitudinal surveys of inmates, conducted at four penal institutions, reveal statistically significant changes in inmates’ mind-set and perceptions after completing the Life Without a Crutch Program. Attitudinal assessment fell into three broad categories, including: the ability to recognize and actively change personal problems, temptations to consume alcohol, and opinions of drug use. Attitudinal change in inmates occurred across all three of these dimensions.

HIGHLIGHTS:

o After completion of the program, there was a 20% increase in the number of inmates who felt that they were working hard to make changes in their lives. 54% indicated that they were doing something about the problem that had been bothering them.

o The influence of alcohol on offenders’ decisions was also noticeably reduced. For example, there was a 10% decrease in the number of offenders who claimed that drinking made them feel more relaxed and less tense.

o The temptation to drink was also significantly lower after the completion of the program. Only 35% of offenders believed they would be very or extremely tempted to drink when others around them are drinking, as compared to 47% at the inception of the program.

o The acceptability of using drugs to relieve tension strongly applied to 38% of the offenders at the beginning of the program. At the completion of the program, only 29% strongly believed that drugs would alleviate tension.

o In initial surveys, 30% of offenders indicated that they were extremely confident that they could resist using drugs when they were anxious or stressed. After completing the program, the proportion increased to 43%.

o Offenders’ beliefs that they could resist situations and people that reminded them of their drug use/habits were also stronger after participating in the program. Before starting the Life Without A Crutch Program 44% of respondents expressed extreme confidence in their ability to resist such situations and individuals, whereas after completing the program 68% reported that they were extremely confident in their ability to resist situations and people linked to drug use.




* N differs by module. The study included 5 modules. A number of cases were dropped due to incomplete surveys. Minimum N=138. Maximum N=187
** Prepared by Danielle Lavin-Loucks, Ph.D., and Margaret A. Knight The University of Texas at Dallas (2005).
***The Life Without a Crutch attitudinal survey is the sole property of the University of Rhode Island (©1998). Other sources for the survey design include:
-McConnaughy, E.N., Prochaska, J.O., & Velicer, W.F. (1983). Stages of change in psychotherapy: Measurement and sample profiles. Psychotherapy: Theory , Research and Practice, 20, 368-375.
-McConnaughy, E.A., DiClemente, C.C., Prochaska, J.0., & Velicer, W.F. (1989). Stages of change in psychotherapy: A follow-up report. Psychotherapy, 26, 494-503.1989
-Maddock, JE., Laforge, RG. & Rossi, JS. Short Form of a Situational Temptation Scale for Heavy Episodic Drinking. Journal of Substance Abuse, 2000:11(3):281-288.
The decisional balance scale came from the work of: Migneault, J. P., Velicer W. F., Prochaska, J. O., and Stevenson J. F. Decisional balance for immoderate drinking in college students. Subst. Use Misuse. 34(10): 1325-1346, 1999.
-Maddock, J. E. Development and validation of decisional balance and processes of change inventories for heavy, episodic drinking. Unpublished Master's Thesis, University Of Rhode Island, 1997.