Treatment Programs for Addiction: Types & Options for Adults

Addiction Treatment: Types of Treatment Programs

AAC offers a full spectrum of drug addiction treatment programs for adult men and women, based upon individual needs as assessed through comprehensive evaluations at admission and throughout participation in our program.

All Clients are Unique

Your individualized addiction plan is customized according to the addiction severity, presence of a co-occurring mental health disorder, and your unique needs.

Medical Detox

Depending on the drugs in your system, you may need to go through a detoxification process, or “detox.” Medical Detox is our highest level of care and involves round-the-clock medical monitoring of the withdrawal process to ensure your body safely heals from chemical dependency.

Safe Withdrawal

During this process, which typically lasts 5-7 days, our medical team provides 24/7 supervision for safe withdrawal as substances slowly exit the body. We also address any medical issues and administer the appropriate medications if clinically necessary.

Residential Detox

Our treatment facilities work with local healthcare providers to assess the unique detox needs of all clients. Once clients are medically cleared, our staff transports them to their specified residential treatment setting that is staffed 24/7 for medical monitoring.

Client Medications

For the safety of you or your loved one, all medications are kept in a secure location that remains locked at all times. At the appropriate dosing times, clients administer their own medications with one of our behavioral health staff present. In case of non-life threatening emergencies or to report changes in a client’s mental, physical, or emotional status, we have physicians and providers on-call to assist.

Residential Treatment (RT)

Clients enter residential treatment, (sometimes known as inpatient treatment), once they are medically cleared and physical withdrawal symptoms have stabilized. Residential clients at our facilities are monitored 24/7 for their safety.

Structured Treatment

Our staff ensures that residential clients are actively involved in treatment. This includes consistent attendance at groups, individual sessions, and 12-Step meetings. Along with addiction care, our co-occurring focus addresses mental health issues as part of our integrated treatment. Co-occurring issues commonly treated are depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and other trauma conditions.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Our PHP level of care provides you or your loved one with structured addiction treatment at least five days a week for a minimum of six treatment hours each day. Clients participate in customized treatment according to their needs consisting of daily programming, regular group therapy, and weekly individual therapy sessions.

Real-life Experiences

Clients enjoy greater access to the surrounding sober community with the opportunity to attend outside 12-Step meetings, while learning to have fun in recovery through recreational activities and experiential therapies. The purpose of PHP is to move clients away from around-the-clock supervision to gain more real-life experience in the community.

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

IOP addiction treatment is the least restrictive of our programs, and provides you or your loved one with care three days per week, with a minimum of three treatment hours each day.

Community Access

Clients in IOP have greater access to the community and if scheduling permits, are able to continue their employment and other personal obligations. The focus of our IOP is to reintegrate individuals into society while we further collaborate with them on developing aftercare plans, exploring employment opportunities, and preparing them for the next step in their recovery.

Medical Detox at American Addiction Centers

Detoxification is an essential step in the addiction treatment process. A Medical Detox program helps you or your loved one safely stop using the substance(s) of abuse by removing residual toxins caused by the body’s physiological dependence on the drug(s) in a safe, medically-supervised setting.
While both drug or alcohol detox can be physically unpleasant at times, without this process toxins may remain in the body and continue to cause cravings, psychological and emotional distress, medical issues, or other complications. Since substance use causes changes in the body’s biochemistry, it takes time, professional supervision, and individualized treatment to recover and restore equilibrium.

This biochemistry component of the addiction disease is why professionals and medical research strongly recommend that individuals seek supervised detox services instead of quitting cold turkey. Without professional supervision and medications to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, the risks of health complications and relapse substantially increase.

Furthermore, studies by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show an there is an increased risk of fatal overdose when individuals relapse during this period just after detox due to the body’s shift in lowered drug tolerance levels.

If you believe you or someone you love may be struggling with an addiction, call our drug helpline at

How Detox Works at AAC

Step 1: On-Site Assessment

When clients walk through our doors, they are greeted by staff and escorted to a private area for discussion, assessment, and completion of paperwork. This initial on-site assessment helps determine the needed intensity of treatment services and level of care based on their presenting symptoms and conditions.

Step 2: Clinical Assessment

Based on the assessments’ findings, within 24 hours of admission clients undergo additional assessments that include a medical history, psychological evaluation, and physical. At this time, if there is a need for medications to help reduce or eliminate any withdrawal symptoms, our nurses obtain orders from licensed physicians.

Step 3: Tapering Programs

Tapering protocols signify approximately how long the drug detox or alcohol detox program will last, and the pace at which daily dosages of detox medications will be reduced. Detox tapering protocols are started according to physician’s orders.
Withdrawal Experiences are Unique
It is important to emphasize that each person’s withdrawal experience is unique based on:

• Substances used – Amount, frequency, and method
• Tolerance level – Increased or decreased
• Addiction severity – History and progression
• Co-occurring conditions – Mental health, medical, and chronic disease

Step 4: Transition to Treatment

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that the longer the time between an individual’s detox and admission into a residential treatment program, the greater the risk of relapse. It is for this reason that following completion of our detox program, clients immediately transition to one of our addiction treatment programs.

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