Drug Addiction Programs

Through drug addiction programs that are tailored to an individual needs, patients can learn to control their condition and live normal, productive lives. Because there are different types of drug addiction programs which one will be the right choice depends upon the degree of dependence, the patient's social situation, and the kind of drug to which they are addicted. Some rehabilitation treatments have medical components, to ease the symptoms of withdrawal, intensive counseling, and methods that address underlying causes of addiction. In general, one can differentiate between drug rehab with in-patient, or residential, requirements versus out-patient treatment.

Drug addiction programs often offer some form of behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapies can include counseling, psychotherapy, support groups, or family therapy. In general, the more treatment given, the better the results. Many patients require other services as well, such as medical and mental health services and HIV prevention services. Patients who stay in drug addiction programs longer than 3 months usually have better outcomes than those who stay less time. Patients who go through medically assisted withdrawal to minimize discomfort but do not receive any further treatment, perform about the same in terms of their drug use as those who were never treated. Over the last 25 years, studies have shown that drug addiction programs work to reduce drug intake and crimes committed by drug-dependent people. Researchers also have found that drug abusers who have been through treatment are more likely to have jobs.

There are several categories of drug addiction programs. The ultimate goal of all drug abuse treatment is to enable the patient to achieve lasting abstinence, but the immediate goals are to reduce drug use, improve the patient's ability to function, and minimize the medical and social complications of drug abuse. One of the many drug addiction programs is short-term rehab. Short-term methods last less than 6 months and include residential therapy, medication therapy, and drug-free outpatient therapy. Longer term treatment may include, for example, methadone maintenance outpatient treatment for opiate addicts and residential therapeutic community treatment.

Drug addiction programs also include outpatient care. Outpatient drug-free treatment does not include medications and encompasses a wide variety of programs for patients who visit a clinic at regular intervals. Most of the programs involve individual or group counseling. Patients entering these programs are abusers of drugs other than opiates or are opiate abusers for whom maintenance therapy is not recommended, such as those who have stable, well-integrated lives and only brief histories of drug dependence.

Therapeutic communities (TCs) are another category of drug addiction programs. They are highly structured programs in which patients stay at a residence, typically for 6 to 12 months. Patients in TCs include those with relatively long histories of drug dependence, involvement in serious criminal activities, and seriously impaired social functioning. The focus of the TC is on the re-socialization of the patient to a drug-free, crime-free lifestyle.

In the end, different types of drug addiction programs rely on diverse philosophies pertaining to the nature of addiction, available resources, and the degree of cooperation from the patient. The medical, psychological, and law enforcement communities disagree on which programs are most successful, therefore there are a variety of paths towards recovery. While varied, these paths go through similar stages, beginning with detoxification, going through therapy, and ending in integration into employment and housing.