A methamphetamine addiction treatment regimen that combines the Matrix Model of psychosocial therapy with rewards for patients who produce clean urine samples works better than therapy alone, according to researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The contingency management (CM) program gave patients who had drug-free urine tests plastic chips that could be exchanged for prizes; those who did not follow program rules could lose chips. Past studies have shown CM programs to be effective with cocaine users, and the latest research concludes that CM also can promote abstinence among meth addicts.

The CM patients produced more drug-free urine samples, and also were abstinent for more consecutive days than a control group.

"This study represents the first controlled trial of CM in the treatment of methamphetamine abuse," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "The Matrix Model of psychosocial treatment currently is thought to be the most effective therapy for methamphetamine addiction, and CM has shown itself to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of treatments for other drug abuse disorders. Combining these two treatments gives us an even more powerful weapon against methamphetamine abuse."

The research, led by John Roll of Washington State University, was published in the November 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.