Le case di vetro. Contesti e strategie di comunità per il recupero di tossicodipendenti. Il caso di San Patrignano

This study is included in an evaluation research programme on the biggest italian therapeutic communities for drug addicts: San Patrignano, Ceis (Centro italiano di solidarietà), Comunità incontro. The first part gives a detailed account of the whole research programme: from the introduction to the effectiveness evaluation problem (three spheres are marked: ex ante, in itinere, ex post effectiveness; and three effectiveness measures are singled out: attraction, retention, rehabilitation rates), to the illustration of research lines on Ceis and Comunità incontro therapeutic centres. Then, the design of research and the questionnaires given to interview all the subjects [42] leading the working areas and a representative sample [255] of 1768 patients in San Patrignano community, are analysed. The analysis of drug addiction suggested by San Patrignano, the history and general view of life of this therapeutic community, its organizational structure and the operating programme (strategy), are subject matters of the second part. The third and fourth parts include the reconstruction of drug addicts careers (1. initiation to the use of drugs, 2. beginning and evolution of addiction, 3. entrance into the community). Gender, beginning age, first taking occasions and circumstances, duration of drug addiction, financial resources for drug acquirement, family status, family atmosphere, motivation to join the community, are variables used to make a typology. Finally, the fifth part analyses the patients careers into San Patrignano in order to evaluate the in itinere effectiveness. The trend of the treatment responses variables (changes in the relationship oneself-the world/ oneself-the others/ oneself-oneself, acquirement of community values, adjustement to community rules, expectations and plans for the coming life outside the community) related to the subjective, drug addicts careers variables (part third and fourth) and the programme variables (the time spent at community, in particular), is studied.