Brief motivational intervention at a clinic visit reduces cocaine and heroin use

Brief intervention is effective for alcohol misuse, but not adequately tested in the clinical setting with drug using patients. This study tested the impact of a single, structured encounter targeting cessation of drug use, conducted between peer educators and out-of-treatment cocaine and heroin users screened in the context of a routine medical visit. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in inner-city teaching hospital outpatient...