Moderators of Motivation to Maintain Sobriety Over 18 Months

Funding: NIDA R03 DA034961

This project will study how motivation to maintain sobriety is associated with abstinence and reduced substance use over 18 months. Rather than yet another study of motivation within a formal treatment program, this project will study it among a population of individuals entering sober living recovery homes. Hypothesis suggest 1) motivation will be associated with alcohol and drug use within and across time points and 2) moderators of the impact of motivation on alcohol and drug use will include measures of supportive confrontation and drinking and drug use, in the social network. The study will consist of secondary analysis of data from two previous grants that noted longitudinal improvements in multiple areas of functioning, including alcohol and drug use, arrests, employment, and psychiatric severity.  At 18 months, over 42% had been completely abstinent from substances for at least 6 months even though nearly all had left the sober living houses.  Findings from the study will add substantively to our knowledge about how motivation impacts the recovery process over time in the community.