Drug Treatment Approaches: How to Choose

Help for drug dependents is not hard to access nowadays because of the multitude of drug treatment approaches available. Below are some examples of the most common approaches offered by most treatment centers.
Scientific therapy
One science-based approach to treatment is behavioural therapy, which may include counseling, cognitive and psychotherapy. Another type of approach which is also scientifically based is the matrix model, which operates on a framework that educates the patients on issues pertaining to drug use.
Medication
Aside from these science-based therapy treatments, there are also approaches that involve medication. Common examples of these medication-based approaches are agonist maintenance and addiction detoxification. Agonist maintenance is a treatment wherein the patient is stabilized by making him or her take a synthetic opiate drug, usually methadone or LAAM. Addiction detoxification is a precursor of treatment for possible withdrawal symptoms. Medications are used to systematically and safely withdraw a patient from his or her dependency
Choosing a program
1. Personalization
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that the best treatment programs are those that combine a series of different approaches, therapies, and other services to address the individual needs of a patient. The drug treatment approach or should be suited to the extent of the drug dependency. A good approach is also one which offers treatment for other conditions that may be brought about by the addiction.
3. Relapse and after-care
It is likewise important to choose a program with a good after care program, which helps reduce the risk of a relapse especially in the three months after treatment when this is most likely to happen.
3. Family involvement
The program you choose should be also provide help and education for family members and close friends. This is important for achieving a well rounded recovery not only for the patient but also for people close to him.
4. Costs
In these hard economic times, the high cost of drug treatment is a reality. You would not want to have financial problems after solving dependency problems, so make sure to choose and approach or program that will best suit your lifestyle and financial capability.