Treatments for Substance Abuse

Does methadone maintenance help clients or simply prolong their addiction.

Research Methods I

Kaplan University

Helen Farel

The disease of addiction may never be fully understood, but further studies in methadone maintenance with opioid dependence will prove that methadone maintenance prevents cravings and withdrawal symptoms and helps an addict to maintain their sobriety while trying to overcome their addiction. In this paper the author will discuss the scientific method and several studies that have been conducted on the use of methadone in the treatment of substance abuse.

The scientific method is a set of principles and procedures that researchers use to develop questions, collect data and reach conclusions. (Cherry, 2013). In Psychology the goals of the scientific method is to seek and describe behaviors and explain why the behaviors occur. (Cherry, 2013). Researchers also strive to create research that can be used to predict and change human behavior. (Cherry, 2013). The four steps of the scientific method are, (1) forming a testable hypothesis, (2) devising a study and collecting data, (3) examining the data and reaching conclusions and (4) reporting the findings of the study. (Cherry, 2013).

All the research articles discussed in this paper used the empirical research method. This type of research is based on experimentation or actual observation; it is conducted to test a hypothesis. The researchers observed and measured the behaviors of the participants using a quantitative research method by collecting data and reporting the data using numbers. (Frankfort-Nachimas, C. & Nachimas, D. 2008).

The first study, “Understanding attitudes toward the use of medication in substance abuse”, is research based on the first...