Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug addiction treatment comes in a variety of forms. Depending upon the individual's drug of choice and the depth of addiction, different treatment options are more appropriate. They can be residential, where the addict moves into a 24-hour clinic or care center focused on their recovery or non-residential in which the addict comes to group meetings or therapy on a regular basis.

Detox

For each of these drug addiction treatment options, detoxification or detox is the first step. This involves the client or patient going through the physical symptoms of withdrawal that occur when they stop using. Symptoms vary according to the drug of choice, the length of addiction , and the amount used per dosage. Physical manifestations of the detox usually begin within hours of the last dose for the most severe drugs and can be quite intense. It is best to undergo detoxification from opiates or narcotics under the supervision of a medical doctor.

Types of Drug Addiction Treatment

Once detoxification is complete, any number of drug addiction treatment styles follows. Some involve substitution in which one drug takes the place of another under medical supervision, like methadone treatment for heroin addiction. Other treatment methods prescribe to total abstinence of all drugs, others focus on finding the least harmful method of sustained drug use and still others are religious or spiritual in nature. They include:

• Methadone maintenance – Narcotic and especially heroin use is replaced with a prescription for methadone that is monitored by a doctor and gradually reduced over time until the user is free from addiction.
• 12-step treatment – Both spiritual and non-spiritual versions are available free of charge and feature meetings in which fellow addicts in recovery meet and share their experiences and lend each other support.
• Harm reduction – Methadone maintenance and needle exchanges are forms of harm reduction in which addicts are encourage using more safely in order to minimize overdose and the spread of disease.
• Inpatient residential treatment – Residential centers provide 24-hour medical care, continuous therapy and one-on-one counseling both short- and long-term and provide structure for addicts struggling to rebuild their lives without their substance of choice.
• Outpatient treatment – Non-residential centers provide a base of support and therapeutic options for those who require a less-structured form of drug treatment.