This following pages provide information
about substance abuse treatment — what it is and how is it done.
There is also a link to a United States national database of
treatment providers that can be searched by Zip Code (or City and
State, if you prefer).
##What is Treatment?
The following links are to a publication that
the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has put together which
describes what treatments are available for substance use disorders
and what one can expect from treatment (the title is: Principles of
Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide). I have
separated the sections below to make them more accessible. The
document is also available for download in PDF format from the
above link.
1. Principles of
Effective Treatment
2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about
Substance Use Treatment
2.1. FAQ Section One:
1) What is drug addiction treatment? 2) Why can’t drug addicts quit
on their own?
2.2. FAQ Section Two:
1) How effective is drug addiction treatment? 2) How long does drug
addiction treatment usually last? 3) What helps people stay in
treatment? 4) Is the use of medications like methadone simply
replacing one drug addiction with another?
2.3. FAQ Section
Three: 1) What role can the criminal justice system play in the
treatment of drug addiction? 2) How does drug addiction treatment
help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases?
3) Where do 12-step or self-help programs fit into drug addiction
treatment? 4) How can families and friends make a difference in the
life of someone needing treatment? 5) Is drug addiction treatment
worth its cost?
3. Drug Addiction
Treatment in the United States
3.1. General Categories of Treatment
Programs
3.1.1. Treatment Program
Categories Section One: 1) Agonist Maintenance Treatment. 2)
Narcotic Antagonist Treatment Using Naltrexone. 3) Outpatient
Drug-Free Treatment. 4) Long-Term Residential Treatment.
3.1.2. Treatment Program
Categories Section Two: 1) Short-Term Residential Programs. 2)
Medical Detoxification. 3) Treating Criminal Justice-Involved Drug
Abusers and Addicts. 4) Prison-Based Treatment Programs. 5)
Community-Based Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations.
4. Scientifically Based Approaches to Drug
Addiction Treatment
4.1. Treatment Approaches
Section One: 1) Relapse Prevention. 2) Supportive-Expressive
Psychotherapy. 3) Individualized Drug Counseling. 4) Motivational
Enhancement Therapy. 5) Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents. 6)
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for Adolescents. 7)
Multisystemic Therapy (MST).
4.2. Treatment Approaches
Section Two: 1) Combined Behavioral and Nicotine Replacement.
2) Therapy for Nicotine Dependence Addiction. 3) Community
Reinforcement Approach (CRA) Plus Vouchers. 4) Voucher-Based
Reinforcement Therapy in Methadone Maintenance Treatment. 5) Day
Treatment with Abstinence Contingencies and Vouchers. 6) The Matrix
Model.
##Treatment Manuals
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)
has made three cocaine treatment manuals available online. The
manuals describe their respective approaches to substance abuse
treatment. The reading is not too “heavy”, but it will take time.
These manuals should provide you with some understanding of what
therapists/counselors do and why they do it. (All three are also
available for download in PDF format.)
-
A
Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction
(1998). This
describes cognitive-behavioral therapy, a short-term focused
approach to helping cocaine-addicted individuals become abstinent
from cocaine and other drugs. Kathleen Carroll, Ph.D. Yale
University. -
A Community
Reinforcement Plus Vouchers Approach: Treating Cocaine
Addiction (1998). This treatment integrates a community
reinforcement approach with an incentive program that uses
vouchers. Alan J. Budney, Ph.D., and Stephen T. Higgins, Ph.D.
University of Vermont. -
An Individual
Drug Counseling Approach to Treat Cocaine Addiction (1998).
“This manual is intended as a guide for the individual treatment of
cocaine addiction by addiction counselors.” Delinda E. Mercer,
Ph.D. and George E. Woody, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania and
Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
##Where to find treatment
Substance
Abuse Treatment Facility Locator: This is a service where you
enter the US Zip Code (or City, State) of the area in which you are
interested in finding treatment facilities. The program displays a
map with a number of facilities within a wide area around that Zip
Code. Very easy! (US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration - SAMHSA).
This directory seems to offer listings only
of licensed medical facilities and only those who completed the
SAMHSA forms. You can also find licensed private practitioners
(such as your SysOp) and
treatment facilities in your local telephone book. (Where ever
someone seeks treatment, make sure the practitioners/facilities are
licensed. Licensure provides some minimum assurances that certain
quality standards have been met.)