Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction: What Science Says

A variety of scientifically-based approaches to drug addiction treatment exist. Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy (e.g., counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy), medications, or their combination. Case management and referral to other medical, psychological, and social services are crucial components of treatment for many people as well. The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient, which are shaped by such issues as age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, parenting, housing, and employment, as well as physical and sexual abuse.

Several of the key principles underlying this approach to treatment follow.