Because addiction is a chronic disease, simply stopping the use of drugs for a week or two does not cure the addiction. Opiate dependency treatment takes months and may involve repeated episodes to achieve long-term abstinence. No single approach to treatment is successful for everyone. Opiate addiction treatment can be effective in a variety of settings using a combination of methods designed to meet individual needs.
Outpatient Programs
The most common form of treatment for opiate and other drug dependencies is the outpatient program, also known as day treatment. Outpatient programs involve individual and group counseling as well as educational sessions about addictive disease. Professional staff use therapeutic techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help addicts learn to identify and cope with issues that trigger drug use.
Participants are encouraged to seek out additional community resources for opiate addicts, such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, to acquire additional tools for relapse prevention. Clients who have a stable, drug-free home, reliable transportation and who have no previous treatment episodes are most likely to do well in outpatient programs.
Residential Programs
Residential treatment programs include social model recovery homes, also known as therapeutic communities. These programs are highly structured, peer-oriented and community-based. A typical stay is 90 days, followed by outpatient after-care and/or sober-living.
Social model recovery programs provide non-professional role models, such as staff and alumni, who accept and encourage the addict to change the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate opiate drug use. According to Danny Leahy, executive director of ABC Recovery Center, Inc, in Indio, California, residential recovery homes provide extensive subjective and objective education about addictive disease. Those who have previous failed attempts at treatment or who lack safe living arrangements are appropriate for residential treatment. Social model recovery homes are usually based on 12-step philosophy and may host daily or weekly on-site NA meetings.
Meds
Medications offer an important element to opiate addiction treatment, especially when combined with counseling and other programs. Targeting opiate receptors in the brain, methadone and buprenorphine suppress cravings, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NDA states that buprenorphine is less likely to cause addiction or overdose than methadone and can be prescribed by the patient's doctor. Both medications help addicts avoid drug-oriented lifestyles and function better in society.
According to an article published in the June 15, 2001 issue of "American Family Physician," methadone therapy is the most widely researched treatment for opiate addiction. Methadone is considered long-term therapy, managed initially through dedicated clinics. Patients remain on a stable dose with the option of gradual withdrawal.
Inmate Programs
Drug offender rehabilitation treatment programs exist within the criminal justice system. NIDA reports these programs can effectively prevent the relapse of opiate addiction following incarceration, particularly when continuing treatment and sober living are conditions of parole or probation. The NIDA publication, "Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, A Research-based Guide," states that participants in mandated treatment are just as likely to achieve successful outcomes as those who seek treatment voluntarily.
References
- NIDA: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction
- Danny Leahy, Executive Director, ABC Recovery Center, Inc., Indio, CA
- NIDA: Heroin Abuse and Addiction
- "American Family Physician", Methadone Therapy for Opioid Dependence, Krambeer LL, et.al., June 15, 2001, 63(12)
- NIDA: Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment
