Treatment Approaches and Strategies

Alcohol and other drug treatment approaches and strategies are dependent upon the model of addiction adopted by the particular treatment program. However, there is a growing trend toward more eclectic approaches to treatment that combine aspects of different treatment models. Although this is certainly good practice, it has also been driven by financial concerns, particularly in for-profit treatment programs. For example, some insurance companies pay for substance abuse treatment only if there is another mental disorder as well. This consideration has resulted in treatment programs developing "co-occurring disorders" programs and using components from a variety of treatment approaches.

Although it would be expected that all treatment programs utilize evidence-based practices (i.e., approaches and strategies validated by research), this is not always the case. Therefore, the treatment ...