This study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and ASSIST-linked brief intervention in a college mental health clinic. Data are from a single group, pre-post evaluation study (2006–2009) at a university counseling center. Students deemed to be at risk for substance use problems were offered the ASSIST and the ASSIST-linked brief intervention. Staff therapists administered the ASSIST and intervention as part of routine care; 453 students (ages 18–24) participated in the evaluation and completed baseline and six-month follow-up interviews. Changes in alcohol and marijuana use were examined by McNemar’s test of proportions and by paired t-tests for means. Slight reductions in the rates and number of days (in the prior 30 days) of binge drinking and marijuana use were found. Routine screening and brief intervention procedures in a mental health setting may reduce problematic substance use among college students.

These findings reflect a higher XR-NTX cessation rate and a lower average number of doses, in contrast to similar demonstration projects in community settings with patients on parole or probation. However, this study shows that it is feasible to engage treatment providers in the use XR-NTX among their patients with alcohol or opioid use disorders. Several implications for future research and implementation are discussed.

Very few studies have analyzed the role of social environments on substance abuse treatment outcomes among urban American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). This study examined a measure of positive treatment response—abstinence from substance use at treatment discharge—among urban AI/ANs in Los Angeles County. The sample included all AI/ANs in outpatient drug-free (e.g., no methadone) treatment and residential treatment from 2004–2008 (N = 811). Predictors of abstinence at discharge were (a) having recovery-oriented social support and (b) not having a difficult living situation, i.e., experiencing family conflict and/or living with someone who uses alcohol and/or drugs. Higher levels of recovery-oriented social support in the past 30 days predicted abstinence during outpatient treatment. In residential treatment, retention of 90 days or more, high recovery-oriented social support, and not experiencing difficult living situations predicted abstinence. Suggestions for optimizing treatment outcomes among AI/ANs and areas of further research are provided.