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A life course perspective of drug use offers an organizing framework for:

A Life Course Perspective. A life course perspective of drug use offers an organizing framework for: classifying distinctive patterns of drug use over the life course,

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A life course perspective of drug use offers an organizing framework for:

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  1. A Life Course Perspective A life course perspective of drug use offers an organizing framework for: • classifying distinctive patterns of drug use over the life course, • identifying critical events, factors, and system interactions responsible for continuity or change in drug use patterns over the life course, and • analytically ordering the immense variety of events that occur during the life course. www.caldar.org

  2. Some Lessons from Applying a Life Course Perspective to Drug Use • Over the 10 years following first use of heroin, cocaine, and meth: • Long periods of heavy use (7-18 days of use per month) persist. • Users are more exposed to the criminal justice system than to treatment (1.4 years of incarceration vs. 5 months of treatment). • Time from first use to first treatment is 7 years for heroin, 8 years for meth, and 10 years for cocaine. • Heroin and meth users who start using before age 15 are less likely to stop using over time. • Periods of no use are aided by treatment and self-help participation for cocaine and meth users. • Timing of first drug treatment (early, late, or not at all) appears to impact use patterns over time. • Over the 5 years following drug treatment: • Even among persistent criminals, decreases in drug use and incarceration, and increases in employment occurs. • HIV risk behaviors don’t always decrease. www.caldar.org Findings may not apply to non-treatment seeking populations.

  3. Some Implications for Practice & Policy • Changes in use happen at different stages of the life course for different people. • Interventions are needed to delay, and prevent, first use of drugs. • Treatment can be a life changing event. • Treatment must be prompt, tailored, and ongoing. • Treatment impacts non-drug using behaviors and it can benefit serious offenders. • Strategies are needed to engage the treatment naïve but CJ experienced. • Treatment may not be necessary for everyone but it must be available to all. www.caldar.org

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