Levels of Drug And Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Before entering any drug or alcohol treatment program, it’s important to examine how severe the problem is and what level of treatment is most appropriate.

There are various levels of treatment for chemical dependency just as there are for many other health problems.

Here are some different levels of care:

Brief Intervention and Therapy

This is a course of treatment which is typically very brief, but can be very effective. For example simply going to an assessment to learn about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Someone who racks up their first DUI while on a holiday binge but who has not yet established a history of drug and alcohol abuse is a good candidate for this treatment level. It is usually a short alcohol education course.

Detoxification

Detox is not really therapeutic treatment for alcohol or drugs. Rather, it aims to ensure the safety of an intoxicated person and to de-escalate the intoxification. When the patient is no longer intoxicated and deemed safe, they are released. For acute and long term cases of addiction, supervised detox is a good idea, there can be significant medical complications including seizures. Detox may be required before entering treatment proper.

Outpatient Services

Out-patient programs are non-residential treatment, generally consisting of attendance to group therapy sessions, possibly in addition to individual therapy sessions. Due to cost factors outpatient therapy can run for a longer period of time for less cost to the patient than residential inpatient treatment.Outpatient treatment can benefit those who have problem usage patterns but are not yet genuinely dependent.

Intensive Outpatient Program

As with out patient care this is not residential  and, as is implied, a more intense level of treatment than standard outpatient. At the Intensive Outpatient level one can expect 15-20 hours of therapy per week. These programs may even be a ’step-down’ treatment following the completion of residential treatment.

Residential Treatment

Most people think of this when the term ‘drug rehab is mentioned. These are residential programs, usually lasting anywhere between a month and a year. This is the most intensive form of drug addiction treatment. Inpatient drug and alcohol treatment centers can generally address other issues associated with chronic alcohol and drug use, such as psychological, emotional and medical issues.

Now, I’ll admit that as an addiction counselor, I am not an unbiased observer. I recommend inpatient treatment for anyone who is  chemically dependent. Better to be overly cautious than to take a chance.However, these facilities can be expensive and are not covered by most health insurance policies.
It is crucial that the level of care match the specifics of the patients problems and drug and alcohol rehab.

And now I would like to invite you to acquire even more information on addiction treatment. You may also claim our Free, massive Addiction Recovery Help Guide. To gain instant access, visit us at: <a href=”http://AddictionRecoveryBasics.com”>http://AddictionRecoveryBasics.com</a>

One of the first challenges in getting help for yourself or a loved one, is knowing where to start. We can help with a free assessment and someone to talk with right now. Click Here For Immediate Help And Answers

Welcome back!

Related posts:

1. Medical Drug Treatment And Twelve Step Drug Treatment Medical Drug Treatment has proven to be very effective in...
2. Addiction Treatment: Motivating Compliance With Drug Or Alcohol Treatment Getting an addict to listen to your concerns about their...

Tagged as: addiction, alcohol addiction treatment, chemical dependency, detox