Drug rehab programs are geared toward the rehabilitation of persons who are
trying to overcome their addiction. There are many types of rehab programs. Some
of them are of short duration and some can be residential and others are long
term such as marijuana replacement programs. Rehabilitation depends on
participation for a sustained period of time.

The rehab programs are designed to address the physical aspects of drug
addiction and the psychological aspects of integrating back into society. Some
programs are residential especially for persons with serious drug addiction and
may be covered by private or public insurance to some extent.

There are also chemical dependency units where there is about a 3-6 week
period of inpatient care where withdrawal from drugs is done in a medically safe
fashion. It has been shown that plain replacement of opiate craving with
methadone, while helpful is not as effective as a more comprehensive program
with counseling and medical care.

Other programs also address co-morbid conditions like HIV/AIDS since drug
addiction does not occur in isolation. There have been excellent prison rehab
programs which have decreased the re-arrest rate by 25-50%.

Methadone maintenance programs work best if the dose of methadone is at least
60 mg or so as a general approximation but the role of comprehensive care cannot
be overemphasized. Relapse is a natural part of the curable disease that drug
addiction tends to be.

All treatment programs should aim to budget this into their plans. Commitment
by the staff will go a long way in creating trust and faith in the program since
most people who are suffering from substance abuse issues will need reeducation
in normal social interaction.

There is a need for programs geared towards younger individuals since they
have many competing challenges such as teenage physiological changes, peer
pressure, juvenile delinquency and lack of support at home.