Treatment options

Addiction treatment today.

Treatment has changed. There is a wide range of care now, and the best plans often combine more than one kind of help. Here is a plain guide to how the pieces fit together.

Levels of care

Care runs from round-the-clock support to a weekly appointment. Many people move through more than one level as they get stronger.

Detox

Medically supervised withdrawal, so the first days are safe and as comfortable as possible.

Residential treatment

Living at a program for a period of time, with staff there day and night.

Partial hospitalization (PHP)

Treatment for most of the day, several days a week, while living at home.

Intensive outpatient (IOP)

Group and individual sessions a few hours at a time, several days a week, around work and family.

Outpatient counseling

Regular sessions with a counselor or therapist, often once a week.

Recovery housing

A shared home with structure and support while you rebuild day-to-day life.

Medication and counseling work best together

For opioid and alcohol addiction, FDA-approved medications ease withdrawal and cravings and help prevent relapse. For opioid addiction, they also lower the risk of overdose.

Medication treats the body. Counseling and therapy help with the rest. Used together, each makes the other work better.

Not everyone needs or wants medication. Some people do well with counseling and peer support alone. The right mix depends on the person, and it can change over time.

The medications, explained

Counseling and therapy

Several kinds of therapy have a strong track record in addiction treatment. A good program uses more than one.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): learning to spot the thoughts and situations that lead to using, and building other ways to handle them.
Motivational interviewing: working through mixed feelings about change at your own pace, without pressure.
Contingency management: small, concrete rewards for meeting recovery goals.
Group therapy: working alongside others who understand, guided by a counselor.
Family therapy: repairing trust and helping the people at home support recovery.

Peer support

Peer support is help from people with lived experience of addiction and recovery. It comes in many forms: recovery coaches, peer specialists inside treatment programs, and mutual-help groups of many kinds.

For a lot of people, it is what keeps recovery going after formal treatment ends.

Addiction and mental health

Many people living with addiction also live with depression, anxiety, trauma or another mental health condition. Each one can feed the other.

Care that treats both at the same time is the recommended approach.

Many pathways to recovery

There is no one-size-fits-all recovery. The best plan fits your life, your history and what you are ready for, and it can change as you go.

Not sure where to start? We’ll help you sort it out, free.

Contact us

For referrals, partnerships, or help for yourself or someone you love:

[email protected]
(314) 325-0126

We respond within 24 hours.