Drug Addiction Treatment Has Many Options
The type of drug addiction treatment depends upon the severity and nature of the drug addiction, motivation, and the availability of drug treatment services. Some users may come into drug addiction treatment voluntarily and have the support of family, friends, and workplace; others may be sent to drug treatment by the courts against their will and have virtually no support system. Most people in drug treatment have a history of criminal behavior; approximately one third are sent by the criminal justice system.
Drug Treatments
Both pharmacological and behavioral drug addiction treatments are used, often augmented by educational and vocational services. Drug treatment may include drug detoxification, therapy, and support groups, such as the 12-step groups Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Cocaine Anonymous. Nonresidential programs serve the largest number of patients. Residential facilities include hospitals, group homes, halfway houses, and therapeutic communities; most of the daily activities are treatment-related. Programs such as Al-Anon, CoAnon, and Alateen, 12-step programs for family and friends of substance abusers help them to break out of codependent cycles.
Some drug addiction treatment programs use medicines that neutralize the effects of the drug. Antabuse is a medicine used in the treatment of alcoholism. It causes severe and sudden reaction (nausea, vomiting, headache) when alcohol is present. Naltrexone, to treat alcohol and heroin addiction and acamprosate, used to treat alcoholism, both reduce cravings. Other drug treatment programs use stabilizing medications, e.g., methadone or buprenorphine maintenance programs for heroin addiction. Acupuncture has been successful in treating the cravings that accompany cocaine withdrawal and is being used with pregnant substance abusers to improve the health of their babies.
Not Everyone Receives Drug Addiction Treatment
For every person in drug addiction treatment there is an estimated three or four people who need it. Many, who attempt to get drug treatment, especially from public facilities, are discouraged by waits of over a month to get in. Evaluating the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment is difficult because of the chronic nature of drug abuse and alcoholism and the fact that the disease is usually complicated by personal, social, and health factors.
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