Program & Services

Methods of Treatment to Help Drug Addiction

Drug addiction can be helped. Treatment can be made to fit a persons needs. People can learn to control their state. They can live normal, useful lives. People in treatment for this problem can learn to change how they act. They also often take medicines to help them.

Therapy that can help includes the following;

• counseling
• support groups
• family therapy

Medicine is needed to help with the side effects when someone stops taking drugs. It helps reduce the drug craving. It also helps block the drug effects. Treatment for heroin addiction using methadone combined with therapy helps reduce death rates. It also helps with many health problems linked to heroin abuse.

Better results are often found when more treatment is given. Many patients require other services such as;

• medical
• mental health, and
• HIV prevention services.

Those who have over 3 months of treatment have a better chance than those who do not. Treatment reduces drug intake and the amount of crime. It has also been found that people who have had treatment are more likely to have jobs.

Types of Treatment Programs

The ultimate goal of drug treatment is to stop using drugs. The immediate goals are the following;

• reduce drug use
• improve the ability to function
• reduce the medical issues of drug abuse
• reduce the social issues of drug abuse

There are many types of drug abuse treatment programs. Short-term methods last less than 6 months. They include the following:

• residential therapy
• medicine therapy and,
• drug-free outpatient therapy

Longer term help may include drug treatment as a visiting patient. Or it may include living in a community treatment center.

Heroin addicts are given a man made drug. It is taken by mouth. It is given to block the drug's effect. It also stops the drug cravings. Then the person stops wanting the drug. The person stops committing crime. With special help, this person can live a productive life.

Outpatient drug-free treatment does not use medicine. It does have many programs for those who go to a clinic a lot. Most programs are in a group or alone. These patients are drug abusers. Maintenance therapy is used for those who don't do drugs a lot.

Therapeutic communities (TCs) are programs with a lot of structure. Patients stay at one for 6 to 12 months. These patients have long histories of drug abuse. They are dependent on drugs. They can be involved in serious crime. They also do not have good social skills. The focus is to stop them from doing drugs and committing crime.

Short-term live-in programs have a 3- to 6-week treatment phase. Then there is an extended outpatient therapy. Or they can get involved in 12-step groups. State funded programs are on the rise.

Programs that use medicine are better at helping clients. The programs with higher dose medicine do better. The more services are provided the better too.

Programs that help with drugs in prisons can reduce crime. They help more if linked to programs outside of prison. Some of the better programs have reduced the re-arrest rate up to one-half.

There are very high costs due to drug abuse. Treatment helps reduce costs. It is shown that getting help can save $4 to $7 for every dollar spent. It costs $3,600 per month to not treat a drug abuser. The cost of prison is $3,300 per month. In contrast, medicine therapy costs $290 per month.

Call the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service for more help. The number is 1-800-662-4357 .