How to Navigate the Addiction Treatment System

Realizing that your teen or young adult child needs help for his or her substance use can be scary and overwhelming, and chances are you have no idea where to begin. There is no one-size-fits-all answer so it can take a fair amount of research to figure out what type of help your child needs, and how to get it. No matter where you are emotionally, mentally or physically, we’re here to help.

What is Treatment?

For most people, “treatment” for substance use conjures images of detox or a residential rehab facility. In reality, detox (detoxification) is not treatment, and a residential program is just one of a variety of options. Treatment can take place in different forms, settings and for different lengths of time.

The approach to treating addiction is generally similar regardless of substance. However, treatment is typically individualized to some degree based on the characteristics of the patient — programs usually address an individual’s physical, psychological, emotional and social issues in addition to his or her alcohol or drug use — as well as the type of substance itself, as in the case of medication-assisted treatment for opioids.

Read the full article: https://drugfree.org/article/navigating-the-treatment-system/