A review of recent study in drug abuse treatment suggests that by the 1980s there had developed a concern about melding drug abuse treatment techniques with strategies drawn from the field of mental health. The emergence of AIDS has made it necessary to augment treatment objectives to include containment of HIV infection as an appropriate goal and develop innovative strategies appropriate to achieving that goal. There is a review of new models of service delivery that can be initiated and/or have been initiated in three areas: outreach/recruitment of IV drug users and their cohabitants, education/counseling with regard to risk-reducing behaviors, and extending the period of treatment influence. The impact of AIDS on program administrators and line staff is also discussed.
