Exploring the experiences of women enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment

Abstract

This is a study of women at various stages of their MMT and of varying using status' which explores the question: How do women experience their participation in MMT? The data collection methods include personal interviews, a focus group, participant observations and document analysis. Twenty-seven women participated in this study and data was collected for one year. Themes that were identified as pertinent to women's experiences in methadone are fear, family preservation, support, feeling trapped, and the introduction to methadone. The women are identified as falling into one of three categories that emerged from the data: using, using but wishes to be sober, and sober. A matrix is presented identifying how the various categories of women identify with each theme. Results suggest that each category of women in treatment requires very different clinical interventions, and that sobriety may not be a necessary requirement for positive psychosocial outcomes. Programmatic requirements for sobriety for those in treatment, may, in fact, impede women from succeeding in methadone maintenance treatment. Clinical, theoretical and policy implications as well as study limitations and areas for future research are presented.