Summary
In the United States, four major types of substance treatment programs are available at any given time. These treatment programs include methadone maintenance, the therapeutic community (TC), outpatient drug-free programs, and self-help peer groups (Goode, 2020, p. 629). When it comes to addiction treatment, methadone maintenance is most commonly utilized to treat narcotic addicts and abusers. It is also most commonly supplied to persons who are extremely reliant on opioid medication. People prescribed for this treatment program have either reached a stable dose of methadone or have not used methadone in some phases for an extended period of time.
When people are subjected to this kind of methadone treatment, they physically depend on the methadone instead of the illicit narcotics they turned on previously (Lyons et al., 2019, p.60). If the patients have withdrawn from using the methadone treatment program, they have to undergo painful abstinence symptoms where they become methadone addicts. Patients who use metabolic or adaptive methadone treatment methods must be able to administer a significant dose over a lengthy period of time in order to be effective.
Therapeutic communities (TCs) treatment programs are described as either residential or live-in programs in nature. Hundreds of other TC-type programs are functioning around the country, including Phoenix House, Daytop Village, and Odyssey House, among others. A common belief among TCs is that living a drug-free life is not only a viable objective for recovering drug addicts but also a highly required one. It is the belief of all treatment centers that substance usage is not the primary problem of the abuser. So instead of being an ailment peculiar to one’s personality, substance abuse is an indication of an immature and hedonistic self-centered personality (Beetham, 2021, p.320). Methadone is not used in outpatient drug-free treatment programs for patients with substance addiction. As part of their overall treatment plan, they take in individuals from the neighborhood and offer them some form of therapy or counseling.
Peer support groups like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are free, non-profit organizations with thousands of self-sufficient local communities. Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are not affiliated with any religious or political organization. The belief in a higher power and the realization of one’s helplessness to resist the temptations of substance misuse serve as the foundation for “The Twelve Steps” of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Since 1969, the Drug Abuse Reporting Program (DARP) has been conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of drug treatment programs in the United States. Clients who began treatment between 1969 and 1972 were included in the study. According to the study’s findings, therapy in methadone maintenance, therapeutic communities, and outpatient drug-free programs resulted in decreased drug use, criminal behavior, and participation in constructive activities (Goode, 2020, p. 627). In the words of many in the drug treatment sector, they are “penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Various drug treatment programs have different strengths and weaknesses and each is best suited to a specific group of individuals. Even while the therapeutic community appears to be the most expensive choice, it also seems to be the most beneficial. Methadone maintenance is only recommended to those addicted to drugs, and it is most helpful for those who have tried and failed at other forms of therapy. The maintenance program also sees fewer people referred by the criminal justice system than the other two programs. Outpatient drug-free programs are the most effective treatment option for patients who do not fall into either two classifications.
Goode’s Criteria in Evaluating the Effectiveness of Drug Treatment Programs
To begin with, it is difficult to eliminate all drug use and misuse from society. The success of a program must be measured in terms of reductions in usage rather than complete abstinence. It is nearly impossible to attain total abstinence without concluding that many programs have unsuccessfully attempted (Goode, 2020, p. 627). The effectiveness of each program will differ from one to the next. Some colleges and universities are better administered than others, their enrollment is more thoroughly regulated, or their personnel and resources are more sufficient. The need to examine how programs are operating across the country rather than focusing on a specific case, is crucial.
If a client is younger or older, male or female, polydrug abuser or crack addict, or educated or illiterate, one type of treatment may be more beneficial than another for that client group. The following are some examples: Programs may need to be tweaked to better appeal to their intended demographic (de Moura et al., 2021, p.1460). The majority of these individuals are also polydrug users, treatment dropouts or failures, and alcoholics, to name a few characteristics. The practice has a vast number of patients who are suffering from a wide range of problems. Treatment programs for drug addiction are less likely to be successful if the client’s issues are more severe than before entering the treatment program. The various drug treatment programs must be evaluated within these criteria.
Best Drug Treatment Policy
It has been demonstrated that the “one size fits all” mentality is ineffective. A complete range of settings is required to treat the plurality of drug-using patterns that are currently prevalent rather than concentrating on a single setting. To best serve the needs of patients, it is necessary to conduct thorough evaluations of the many drug treatment programs available. This will enable better treatment among patients with different substance abuse addictions.
References
Beetham, T., Saloner, B., Gaye, M., Wakeman, S. E., Frank, R. G., & Barnett, M. L. (2021). Admission Practices and Cost of Care for Opioid Use Disorder at Residential Addiction Treatment Programs in the US: The study examines practices and cost of care for opioid use disorder at additional residential programs. Health Affairs, 40(2), 317-325.
de Moura, A. P., Dinis, M. A. P., Ferros, L. L., Jongenelen, I., & Negreiros, J. (2021). Outpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs: Predictors of treatment effectiveness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(5), 1452-1467.
Goode, E. (2020). Drugs in American society (Tenth, pp. 1–837) [Review of Drugs in American society]. McGraw-Hill Education.
Lyons, T., Womack, V. Y., Cantrell, W. D., & Kenemore, T. (2019). Mindfulness-based relapse prevention in a jail drug treatment program. Substance Use & Misuse, 54(1), 57-64.