Types of Drug Treatment Programs

Goals of drug abuse treatment is to help peopl become drug abstinence. Often this begins wiht reduced use of drugs.
There are several types of drug abuse treatment programs. Short-term types last less than 6 months and include residential therapy, medication therapy, and drug-free outpatient therapy. Longterm treatment usually includes years of treatment, such as, methadone maintenance outpatient treatment for opiate addicts and residential therapeutic community treatment.


Outpatient drug-free treatment often does not include medications and encompasses a wide variety of programs for patients who visit a clinic at regular intervals. Most of the programs involve individual or group counseling such as AA. Patients entering these programs are abusers of drugs other than opiates such as herorine, or are opiate abusers for whom maintenance therapy is not recommended, such as those who have only brief histories of drug dependence.

Therapeutic communities are living environment with structured programs. the Drug addict stays at a residence for 6 to 12 months. Patients in Therapeutic Communities usually have a long history of drug dependence, are involved serious criminal activities, and have severe difficulty functioning in society. The goal is to resocialization of the patient to a drug-free, crime-free lifestyle.

Short-term residential programs, at chemical dependency units, are often used for treatment for alcoholism. Chemical Dependency programs involve a 3- to 6-week inpatient treatment phase followed by extended outpatient therapy or participation in 12-step self-help groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous or alchol Anonynmous.

Methadone maintenance programs are usually more successful with opiate dependence than are therapeutic communities, within various methadone programs, those that provide higher doses of methadone (usually a minimum of 60 mg.) have better retention rates. .

Drug treatment programs in prisons can helpprevent criminal behavior if they are, linked to community-based programs that continue treatment when the person leaves prison. Some of programs have reduced the re-arrest rate by 1/4-1/2. .

Drug abuse has devasting affects on families and a huge economic impact on society-it is estimated to cost $67 billion per year. This includes costs related to crime, medical care, drug abuse treatment, social welfare programs, and time lost from work. Effective drug treatment programs can reduce these costs. Studies have shown that from $4 to $7 are saved for every dollar spent on treatment.for example, it costs $3,600 per month to leave a drug abuser untreated in the community, prison costs approximately $3,300 per month while methadone maintenance therapy costs about $290 per month.

You may need to obtain Power of Attoney to take care of your loved ones affairs while they are in drug treatment-- Here is a Sample Legal Form GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, ________(1)__________, of ________(2)____________, hereby appoint __________
(3)____________, of _________(4)_____________, as my attorney in fact to act in my capacity
to do every act that I may legally do through an attorney in fact. This power shall be in full force
and effect on the date below written and shall remain in full force and effect until _______(5)
____________ or unless specifically extended or rescinded earlier by either party.
Dated _______(6)____________, ___(7)__.
____________(8)_______________
STATE OF _________(9)___________
COUNTY OF ________(10)__________
BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this _(11)_ day of _______(12)_______, 19_
(13)_, personally appeared _______(14)_______________ to me well known to be the person
described in and who signed the Foregoing, and acknowledged to me that he executed the same
freely and voluntarily for the uses and purposes therein expressed.
WITNESS my hand and official seal the date aforesaid.
_____________(15)____________
NOTARY PUBLIC
My Commission Expires:__(16)__
NOTICE
The information in this document is designed to provide an outline that you can follow
when formulating business or personal plans. Due to the variances of many local, city, county
and state laws, we recommend that you seek professional legal counseling before entering into
any contract or agreement.