U.S. Government Provides Standards for Addiction Treatment
by Lauren on November 28, 2009
Depending on who’s counting, there are between 11,500 and 13,000 licensed addiction treatment providers currently offering their services throughout the United States. With that many options, you’d think it would be an easy thing to find a treatment center that is a perfect fit for yourself or a loved one who suffers drinking or drug abuse issues.
The problem is, when you start shopping for a recovery center that meets all your requirements, you can become stymied by a lack of published standards to serve as a guide to effective treatment. What are the criteria? How do you know which operation is best? Without guidance, you’re pretty much working in the dark. Any treatment facility can claim to be the most effective. And some will give you an impressive recovery rate with percentages based, in many cases, on their own juggling of internal statistics.
Most government resources recommend looking for a program that has good results for permanent recovery from substance abuse over time. The National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) outlines standards for treatment in its publication called “Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide.”
In this guide, NIDA claims the best recovery programs provide a combo plate of services tailored for the individual. The guide says it is critical to locate addiction treatment providers that can handle the specific needs of the individual. The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet an individual patient’s needs. Those include age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, as well as physical and sexual abuse history. Other issues to explore include dual disorder treatment, comorbid conditions (the presence of one or more disorders in addition to a primary disease or disorder), pregnancy, parenting, housing and employment.
NIDA has come up with a list of key principles – a checklist of sorts – for anyone shopping for an effective treatment program. The government organization cites scientific research confirming the fact that a structured, well-run addiction treatment facility can ensure constructive changes in a person’s life.
NIDA suggests finding rehab treatment centers that help their clients “change destructive behaviors, avoid relapse and remove themselves from a life of substance abuse and addiction.” Listed below are the key elements for any recovery treatment program as suggested by NIDA:
- No single treatment program is appropriate for all individuals.
- Treatment needs to be readily available.
- Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug addiction.
- An individual’s treatment and services plan must be assessed often and modified to meet the person’s changing needs.
- Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness.
- Counseling and other behavioral therapies are critical components of all effective treatments for addiction. For certain types of disorders, medications are an important element of treatment, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
- Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.
- Medical management of withdrawal syndrome is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.
- Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
- Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously.
- Treatment programs should provide assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, and should provide counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place themselves or others at risk of infection.
The National Association of Addiction Treatment Provides (NAATP) is a trade association that represents about 300 organizations across the nation that deliver addiction treatment health care. That association also says treatment facilities need to emphasize recovery-oriented systems of care that promote long-term recovery. NAATP establishes three services that are at the core of recovery management:
- Intervention and detection
- Stabilization and treatment
- Disease management services
When anyone enters an addiction treatment center, the goal of the provider must be to diagnose the disease, stabilize the client, provide a range of treatment options and manage their disease after they leave the facility so they can maintain sobriety for the rest of their lives.
Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California, offers comprehensive alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs as well as treatment for those with dual disorders and mental issues. For more information, call 866.725.8565.
Depending on who’s counting, there are between 11,500 and 13,000 licensed addiction treatment providers currently offering their services throughout the United States. With that many options, you’d think it would be an easy thing to find a treatment center that is a perfect fit for yourself or a loved one who suffers drinking or drug abuse issues.
The problem is, when you start shopping for a recovery center that meets all your requirements, you can become stymied by a lack of published standards to serve as a guide to effective treatment. What are the criteria? How do you know which operation is best? Without guidance, you’re pretty much working in the dark. Any treatment facility can claim to be the most effective. And some will give you an impressive recovery rate with percentages based, in many cases, on their own juggling of internal statistics.
Most government resources recommend looking for a program that has good results for permanent recovery from substance abuse over time. The National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) outlines standards for treatment in its publication called “Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide.”
In this guide, NIDA claims the best recovery programs provide a combo plate of services tailored for the individual. The guide says it is critical to locate addiction treatment providers that can handle the specific needs of the individual. The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet an individual patient’s needs. Those include age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, as well as physical and sexual abuse history. Other issues to explore include dual disorder treatment, comorbid conditions (the presence of one or more disorders in addition to a primary disease or disorder), pregnancy, parenting, housing and employment.
NIDA has come up with a list of key principles – a checklist of sorts – for anyone shopping for an effective treatment program. The government organization cites scientific research confirming the fact that a structured, well-run addiction treatment facility can ensure constructive changes in a person’s life.
NIDA suggests finding rehab treatment centers that help their clients “change destructive behaviors, avoid relapse and remove themselves from a life of substance abuse and addiction.” Listed below are the key elements for any recovery treatment program as suggested by NIDA:
- No single treatment program is appropriate for all individuals.
- Treatment needs to be readily available.
- Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug addiction.
- An individual’s treatment and services plan must be assessed often and modified to meet the person’s changing needs.
- Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness.
- Counseling and other behavioral therapies are critical components of all effective treatments for addiction. For certain types of disorders, medications are an important element of treatment, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
- Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.
- Medical management of withdrawal syndrome is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.
- Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
- Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously.
- Treatment programs should provide assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, and should provide counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place themselves or others at risk of infection.
The National Association of Addiction Treatment Provides (NAATP) is a trade association that represents about 300 organizations across the nation that deliver addiction treatment health care. That association also says treatment facilities need to emphasize recovery-oriented systems of care that promote long-term recovery. NAATP establishes three services that are at the core of recovery management:
- Intervention and detection
- Stabilization and treatment
- Disease management services
When anyone enters an addiction treatment center, the goal of the provider must be to diagnose the disease, stabilize the client, provide a range of treatment options and manage their disease after they leave the facility so they can maintain sobriety for the rest of their lives.
Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California, offers comprehensive alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs as well as treatment for those with dual disorders and mental issues. For more information, call
