National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month 2010

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Recovery Month Kit

Treatment and Recovery: Finding Specialized Help for Substance Use Disorders

Download the PDF version of "Treatment and Recovery: Finding Specialized Help for Substance Use Disorders" (657 KB).

Overview of Treatment and Recovery Options
Customized Treatment and Recovery
Resources
Sources

Most Americans face varying levels of stress throughout their lives–at work, in their families, and in their communities. Stress can contribute to the use of alcohol and/or drugs, and it may trigger some people to return to substance use after periods of abstinence.¹ Treatment and recovery support services are effective, but of the 23.1 million people who needed treatment for a substance use disorder in 2008, approximately 20.8 million did not receive it.²

To promote recovery, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sponsors National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) each September. This year’s theme is designed to reach people who in times of stress are susceptible to alcohol and/or drug use. This document provides an overview of treatment and recovery options and outlines how people can use these resources during times of stress to begin to heal.

Overview of Treatment and Recovery Options

To understand addiction, it is important to understand the complexity of the disease and its influence on the brain. Addiction is a chronic illness, like diabetes or asthma. Choices for treatment help individuals with stress, because they can choose a customized recovery method that addresses their everyday needs and fits into their busy schedules.³ For example, medications help suppress drug cravings and are often used in conjunction with counseling and other outpatient behavioral therapies.^{4, 5} Additional treatment options include:

Intervention, Treatment, or Recovery Support Options	Description
Hospital-based rehabilitation units	Located in a unit at a general hospital, these programs are best suited for people who have developed chronic or acute medical or psychiatric problems along with their addiction.⁶
Short-term residential treatment centers	These are stand-alone, live-in facilities that specialize in the treatment of drug addiction, alcoholism, and dual diagnosis of multiple issues.⁷
Long-term residential treatment centers	These centers consist of highly structured programs that offer care 24 hours a day, with an average stay of 6 to 12 months. They help people return to a drug-free lifestyle. They sometimes are transitional facilities used before a person re-integrates into society.^{8, 9}
Outpatient treatment programs	These are a range of programs that typically emphasize individual or group counseling and family therapy. They are convenient for individuals who are employed, have extensive social support systems, and live at home or another structured setting.¹⁰
Self-help, mutual support groups, and peer-to-peer recovery services	These are recovery support programs, such as SMART Recovery®, Nar-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and the Association of Persons Affected by Addiction (APAA). These services include 12-step programs, other regular support meetings, self-help groups, and peer counseling.^{11, 12}
Online support groups and meetings	These groups provide individuals the opportunity to receive support and attend meetings from anywhere. The Recovery Group,In The Rooms, and The Second Road are resources that offer online meetings.
Faith-based support groups	People who attend spiritually based recovery support programs, such as Catholic Charities, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, and the Shinnyo-en Foundation, have the added support that is needed for any type of chosen treatment. Faith-based support is also available at many churches, synagogues, or other religious worship sites.
Recovery support services	These are supplemental programs to help individuals and their families address other needs. They include employee-based support services and health care support.^13,14

For more information and contact information for any resources listed in the above chart, refer to the “Recovery Month Resources” booklet in this toolkit.

Customized Treatment and Recovery

No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.¹⁵ Several groups consistently face stressful situations, and each has unique needs that are important to consider in treatment and recovery:

Public safety officials have stressful careers in which they frequently put their lives at risk for the safety of others. Many units offer anonymous counseling and resources for individuals. One of SAMHSA’s 10 Strategic Initiatives is to support service men and women, as well as their families and communities. If people feel they cannot use workplace programs, anonymous in-person support groups and online resources specific for public safety officials exist, such as Battle Mind.¹⁶
People in the workforce also can feel tremendously stressed, especially during turbulent economic times. Outpatient treatment, mutual support meetings, or online treatment options might be valuable to this group because they are likely concerned about the cost and taking time away from work for treatment.¹⁷ The Employee Assistance Directory, offers addiction and treatment resources by State, and one of SAMHSA’s 10 Strategic Initiatives is to promote help for people affected by financial problems.
Older adults face a number of challenges that include losing a spouse or facing financial hurdles in treatment. In-patient treatment plans, mutual support groups, or partial hospital or day treatment programs might be appropriate for this group so they have additional human interaction.¹⁸ The Web site Aging and Addiction provides resources for older adults who need help for addiction.
Families may encounter illness, marital strain, and work problems that reverberate at home. An inclusive treatment program that includes family therapy might be necessary.¹⁹ Additionally, Nar-Anon and Al-Anon/Alateen offer a variety of addiction and recovery resources for families of individuals suffering from alcohol or drug dependence, respectively. These services allow them to locate and join a local support group.

Resources

Visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov for a comprehensive list of resources. Following are a handful of additional key resources:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline – Accessed by calling 1-800-662-HELP, or 1-800-487-4889 (TDD), this Helpline provides 24-hour free and confidential information and treatment referrals in English and Spanish.
SAMHSA’s “Find Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment” Web site – This Web site contains resources about mental health, substance abuse, and treatment.
Treatment 101: Recovery Today – This SAMHSA television and radio program examines many aspects of treatment and recovery.
SoberRecovery – This Web site offers support forums for people in recovery as well as friends and family members affected by someone’s substance use.
Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Resource Center – This resource center provides information on key issues about alcohol and drug abuse, including interventions, rehab, and treatment. Visitors must enter identifying information to participate in this Web site.

Click here for a more in-depth version of this guide for treatment.

Information about treatment options and special services in your area can be found by calling 1-800-662-HELP or 1-800-487-4889 (TDD), as well as at http://www.samhsa.gov/treatment.

Inclusion of Web sites and other resources mentioned in this document and on the Recovery Month Web site does not constitute official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Sources

¹Stressful Events Can Influence Drugs, Alcohol Use. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America Web site: http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/DrugIssue/Features/Stressful_Events_Can_Influence_Drug_Alcohol. Accessed July 20, 2009.

²Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. HHS Publication No. SMA 09-4434. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, September 2009, p. 83.

³Your Internet Guide to Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery. Addiction Recovery Guide Web site: http://www.addictionrecoveryguide.org/treatment/index.html. Accessed September 21, 2009.

⁴Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, A Research-Based Guide. National Institute on Drug Abuse, April 2009, p. 4.

⁵Treatment Methods for Drug Addiction. Connecticut Clearinghouse Web site: http://www.ctclearinghouse.org/topics/customer-files/Treatment-Methods-for-Drug-Addiction.pdf. Accessed August 16, 2008.

⁶The Recovery Connection Web site: http://www.recoveryconnection.org. Accessed September 21, 2009.

⁷Ibid.

⁸NIDA InfoFacts–Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/treatmeth.html. Accessed August 15, 2008.

⁹Treatment Methods for Drug Addiction. Connecticut Clearinghouse Web site: http://www.ctclearinghouse.org/topics/customer-files/Treatment-Methods-for-Drug-Addiction.pdf. Accessed October 1, 2009.

¹⁰The Recovery Connection Web site: http://www.recoveryconnection.org. Accessed September 21, 2009.

¹¹NIDA InfoFacts–Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/treatmeth.html. Accessed August 16, 2008.

¹²The NSDUH Report. Participation in Self-Help Groups for Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use: 2006 and 2007. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, November 13, 2008.

¹³NIDA InfoFacts – Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/treatmeth.html. Accessed August 16, 2008.

¹⁴National Summit on Recovery Conference Report. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 07-4276. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, September 2007, pp. 5,7.

¹⁵Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, A Research-Based Guide, p. 3.

¹⁶Substance Abuse Among Healthcare Professionals.Addiction Search Web site: http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/substance-abuse-among-healthcare-professionals_49.html. Accessed September 21, 2009.

¹⁷Addiction Recovery Web site: http://www.addictionrecovery.net/day-treatment-programs-for-alcohol-addiction-or-drug-addiction-in-delaware-for-working-people. Accessed September 21, 2009.

¹⁸Older Adult Intervention. Aging and Addiction Web site: http://www.agingandaddiction.net/intervention.html. Accessed September 21, 2009.

¹⁹Al-Anon Web site: http://www.al-anon.org/english.html. Accessed September 21, 2009.

Recovery Month Kit

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The Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers, and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible.

Materials and events posted on the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) Web site are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.