Hospitals and other drug abuse rehabilitation centers offer treatment for patients in an outpatient setting. This usually involves medication that inhibits cravings for the addictive drug and counseling to address the problem at the root cause.

There are however worse cases of drug abuse that call for 24 hour observations and treatments. This is usually true for abuse of powerful drugs for extended periods and whose victims have alienated themselves from society and their families. To effectively address these situations, a residential drug abuse treatment is called for.

Two Kinds of Residential Treatment

Depending on the situation, a patient may be recommended to stay for short term or for long-term residential treatment.

A short-term program involves intensive treatment based on the 12-step approach- the same principles used to treat alcohol abuse. For three to six weeks, patients are subjected to treatments that involve medication and counseling. It is followed by self-help group meetings and follow-up therapy counseling.

A residential program can extend into a long-term treatment of six to twelve months. In this setup, addiction as a disease is treated with combined methods of medication, counseling and life coaching. A patient is exposed to other patients in therapy communities, his support group. Most patients that need long-term residential treatments are special cases- individuals who have co-occurring mental illness and with symptoms that result to violence and criminal involvement. They are so far gone into the addiction that a more comprehensive and totally invasive intervention is needed.

Programs include resocialization activities prepare the patients to a life back with his family, friends and officemates. These activities address addiction in its social and psychological contexts and can at times be confrontational as they aim to let patients examine damaging beliefs and concepts. In the context of resocialization, patients are also rehabilitated to make them suitable for work, equipping them with the necessary attitude and outlook to deal with co-workers.