Benefits with LEARN

Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask—Part 1

The goal of drug abuse treatment is to stop drug use and allow people to lead active lives in the family, workplace, and community. One continual challenge, however, is keeping patients in treatment long enough for them to achieve this goal. That is why finding the right treatment for a person's specific needs is critical. Drug abuse treatment is not one size fits all. Treatment outcomes depend on the

• Extent and nature of the person's problems
• Appropriateness of treatment
• Availability of additional services
• Quality of interaction between the person and his or her treatment providers

Family and friends can play important roles in motivating people with drug problems to enter and remain in treatment. However, trying to identify the right treatment programs for a loved one can be a difficult process.

1. Does the program use treatments backed by scientific evidence?

Effective drug abuse treatments can include behavioral therapy, medications, or, ideally, their combination. Behavioral therapies vary in focus and may involve

• Addressing a patient's motivation to change
• Providing incentives to stop taking drugs
• Building skills to resist drug use
• Replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities
• Improving problem-solving skills
• Building better personal relationships

Examples of Behavioral Therapies

• Cognitive behavioral therapy—Seek to help patients recognize, avoid, and cope with the situations in which they are most likely to abuse drugs.
• Motivational incentives—Use positive reinforcement such as providing rewards or privileges for remaining drug free, for participating in counseling sessions, or for taking treatment medications as prescribed.
• Motivational interviewing—Uses strategies to encourage rapid and self-driven behavior change to stop drug use and help a patient enter treatment.
• Group therapy—Helps patients face their drug abuse realistically, come to terms with its harmful consequences, and boost their motivation to stay drug free. Patients learn how to resolve their emotional and personal problems without abusing drugs.

Medications are an important part of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies. Different types of medications may be useful at different stages of treatment: to stop drug abuse, to stay in treatment, and to avoid relapse.

2. Does the program tailor treatment to the needs of each patient?

No single treatment is right for everyone. The best treatment addresses a person's various needs, not just his or her drug abuse. Matching treatment settings, programs, and services to a person's unique problems and level of need is key to his or her ultimate success in returning to a productive life. It is important for the treatment approach to be broad in scope, taking into account a person's age, gender, ethnicity, and culture. The severity of addiction and previous efforts to stop using drugs can also influence a treatment approach.

The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet a patient's needs. In addition to drug abuse treatment, a patient may require other medical services, family therapy, parenting support, job training, and social and legal services.

Finally, because addictive disorders and other mental disorders often occur together, a person with one of these conditions should be assessed for the other. And when these problems co-occur, treatment should address both (or all conditions), including use of medications, as appropriate.

Medications Available to Treat Drug Addiction

Medical detoxification is a necessary first step in the treatment of certain addictions, but by itself does little to change long term drug use. Currently, medications are available to treat opioid, tobacco, and alcohol addictions.

• Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are used to treat people addicted to opiates (e.g., heroin, prescription pain relievers).
• Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, nasal spray, and the medications varenicline and bupropion are used to treat tobacco addiction.
• Disulfiram, acamprosate, naltrexone, and topiramate are used for treating alcohol dependence.