For some individuals, recovery is a more lengthy process than it is for others. So long as efforts are being made on the part of the recovering individual to maintain sobriety and adhere to treatment and recovery program guidelines, progress in the process is being made. Several different types of treatment are available for substance abuse. Different people react differently to each treatment modality, therefore, treatment must be tailored to meet the needs of the individual. Long-term treatment may include, for example, methadone maintenance outpatient treatment for opiate addicts and residential therapeutic community treatment.
Pharmacological treatments can be beneficial for select patients with substance abuse disorders.
Behavioral therapies are essential components of a comprehensive treatment program. Treatment settings vary according to the availability of specific treatments modalities, the degree of restriction on access to substances that are likely to be abused, the availability of general medical and psychiatric care, and the overall setting and treatment philosophy. Residential treatment is indicated for patients who do not meet the clinical criteria for hospitalization, but whose lives and social interactions have come to focus predominantly on substance use, and who lack sufficient social and vocational skills and drug-free social supports to maintain abstinence in an outpatient setting. Outpatient treatment of substance use disorders is appropriate for patients whose clinical condition or environmental circumstances do not require a more intensive level of care. In some cases, this approach may successfully modify the addict s behavior by itself.