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Substance abuse treatment is a type of behavior modification therapy designed to help people quit using alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medications for non-prescribed purposes.

Substance abuse is the habitual misuse of alcohol or drugs. Drug abuse may involve using illegal drugs or misusing prescription medications.

There are several different types of substance abuse treatment programs, including inpatient programs, residential programs and outpatient programs.

Because substance abuse is often accompanied by denial (refusal to admit truth or reality), some patients refuse to seek treatment. Others seek treatment only after friends, family members, coworkers or others have urged them to do so. Some patients enter treatment only after it is ordered by a judge or other means.

Before treatment begins, a clinical assessment is performed by a physician or non-physician mental health professional to determine the most appropriate course of treatment for the patient.  Some information that may be sought during an assessment includes:

• Type and amount of substance(s) abused
• Length of time patient has abused substance(s)
• Effects of substance(s) on patient’s life

Substance abuse treatment typically begins with detoxification (a process that helps the body rid itself of alcohol or drugs). Patients may be treated with medications that reduce physical symptoms of substance withdrawal, such as nausea and shakiness. Sudden withdrawal from certain substances (e.g., alcohol, benzodiazepines) can be life-threatening.

After detoxification, patients should receive rehabilitation services, such as individual and group counseling, life skills training and training to prevent relapse (using alcohol or drugs after a period of abstinence).