"In a recent secondary analysis of a national US survey of clients conducted in the early 1990s (National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study), researchers tried to identify which types of treatment modality (methadone-substitute prescribing, methadone-assisted detoxification, outpatient detoxification, short-term residential, long-term residential or criminal justice focused) and treatment characteristics (e.g. length of treatment) were associated with better employment outcomes (Dunlap et al., 2007). Overall, the treatment modality received and the characteristics of that treatment (such as length of stay or number of sessions completed) were not significantly associated with employment outcomes. The strongest predictor of employment was pre-treatment employments. The authors hypothesised that receipt of treatment services per se was less important than the quality of services received, although this was not tested."

Source

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA Insights Series No 13, "Social reintegration and employment: evidence and interventions for drug users in treatment" (Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012), ISBN: 978-92-9168-557-8, doi: 10.2810/72023, p. 67.
emcdda.europa.eu