Latest Drug Treatment Options

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) lists the following general categories of drug treatment programs in the United States:

• Agonist Maintenance Treatment - usually conducted in outpatient settings, this program for opiate addicts uses long-lasting synthetic opiate medication (usually methadone) to prevent opiate withdrawal, block opiates' effects, and reduce craving for the illicit substance
• Narcotic Agonist Treatment using Naltrexone - using nonaddictive Naltrexone, a long-acting synthetic opiate antagonist, patients who have been medically detoxified and opiate-free for several days, receive Naltrexone daily or three times a week
• Outpatient Drug-Free Treatment - offering basic education and admonition services
• Long-Term Residential Treatment - in nonmedical facilities, program duration is from 6-12 months and uses therapeutic community model, as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Short-Term Residential Program - an intensive, but brief, residential treatment program based on a modified 12-step approach
• Medical Detoxification - individuals are systematically withdrawn from addicting drugs, under the care of a physician, with medications available for the detox process

The NIDA list also includes programs for treating criminal justice-involved drug abusers/addicts:

• Prison-Based Treatment Programs
• Community-Based Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations

According to the NIDA, scientifically-based approaches to drug addiction treatment include:

• Relapse Prevention - using cognitive behavior therapy originally developed for alcohol addiction, and later adapted for cocaine addiction
• The Matrix Model - where patients, working with a therapist, learn about issues related to their direction, receive direction and support, become familiar with various self-help programs, are monitored for drug use by urine testing, and have education available for family members
• Supportive-Expressive Therapy - a time-limited and focused psychotherapy program adapted for heroin- and cocaine-addicted clients
• Individual Drug Counseling - provided by trained therapists
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy - employs strategies to evoke in the client rapid and internally-motivated change
• Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents - consists of therapeutic activities designed to demonstrate desired behavior and provide consistent reward for incremental steps to achieving it
• Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for Adolescents - an outpatient, family-based drug-abuse treatment for teenagers
• Multisystemic Therapy (MST) - addresses factors involved in serious antisocial behavior in drug-abusing children and adolescents
• Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) Plus Vouchers
• Day Treatment with Abstinence Contingencies and Vouchers

Here is a listing of some drug treatment options other than residential treatment programs, and most of which are available now. Some are relatively new, and one will potentially be offered in the near future.

Detoxification

Detoxification is a planned withdrawal program, either in a hospital setting or specific facility, on an in-patient or out-patient basis, and under the care of a physician. The detox program may or may not include medication. The amount of time involved in the detox depends on the substance the client abused as well as the types of detox methods used. Similarly, medication is available depending on the type of addiction (opiates, nicotine, alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other sedatives).

Acupuncture

Although still considered alternative medicine, acupuncture as a drug treatment method is gaining popularity, especially in combination with traditional therapy methods. The process involves insertion of five needles in each ear, placed in the traditional acupuncture positions for "kidney," "liver," "lung," "sympathetic," and "shenmen."

Holistic

The holistic approach exposes patients to ancient Eastern practices in the attempt to help them gain balance and control over their lives. The clients practice yoga, have acupuncture, do transcendental meditation and other Chinese practices.

Therapeutic Intervention

Conducted by a trained therapist, therapeutic intervention involves group or individual counseling and psychotherapy. Most therapeutic interventions rely on cognitive-based therapy that seeks to address the person's irrational thinking in an attempt to restructure their thought processes.

Support groups, usually managed by a group member, include the well-known Narcotics Anonymous, modeled on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and rely on a "higher power" or faith to help individuals achieve their goals.

Nanotechnology

Brand-new research just published March 23, 2009 online by scientists at the University at Buffalo (UB) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers great hope for drug treatment using nanotechnology. Scientists at the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, and UB's Department of Medicine, have developed what they call a "stable nanoparticle" that delivers short RNA particles in the brain that serve to turn off or "silence" a gene (DARPP-32, a brain protein) that plays a powerful role in several types of drug addiction.

How it works is that silencing the DARPP-32 gene with certain RNA called "short interfering RNA" or siRNA, can inhibit the production of this protein and, hopefully, help prevent drug addiction.

The nanotechnology research next enters stage two, in vivo experiments. Scientists are hopeful that nanotechnology may be soon available for treatment of drug addiction as well as other medical conditions.