What is Drug Addiction Treatment?

Treatment varies depending on the type of drug and the characteristics of the patient. The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services.


There are many addictive drugs, and treatments for specific drugs can differ. Treatment also varies depending on the characteristics of the patient. Problems associated with an individual's drug addiction can vary significantly. People who are addicted to drugs come from all walks of life. Many suffer from mental health, occupational, health, or social problems that make their addictive disorders much more difficult to treat. Even if there are few associated problems, the severity of addiction itself ranges widely among people.

A variety of scientifically based approaches to drug addiction treatment exists. Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy (such as counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy), medications, or their combination. Behavioral therapies offer people strategies for coping with their drug cravings, teach them ways to avoid drugs and prevent relapse, and help them deal with relapse if it occurs. When a person's drug-related behavior places him or her at higher risk for AIDS or other infectious diseases, behavioral therapies can help to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Case management and referral to other medical, psychological, and social services are crucial components of treatment for many patients.

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.
Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy, medications, or their combination.

Treatment medications, such as methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone, are available for individuals addicted to opiates. Nicotine preparations (patches, gum, nasal spray) and bupropion are available for individuals addicted to nicotine. The best treatment programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient.
Medications, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or neuroleptics, may be critical for treatment success when patients have co-occurring mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychosis.

Treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time. Because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder characterized by occasional relapses, a short-term, one-time treatment often is not sufficient. For many, treatment is a long-term process that involves multiple interventions and attempts at abstinence.
Taken From: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Addiction Treatment

Founded by leading addiction specialist Nancy Szakacsy, Stone Eagle Retreat is the first residential & outpatient rehabilitation center to partner directly with Prometa®. Combining the biological intervention with a professional staff having over 30 years of addiction treatment experience, Stone Eagle Retreat is leading the way in innovative and lasting substance abuse and dependence therapy.

Located on twenty-one peaceful acres in the Malibu hills, we offer a luxurious healing environment that is state of the art, and which cares for only six clients at a time to ensure total privacy and individual service. We specialize in the treatment of Addictions & Professional Burnout. To give you an idea of how your drinking and drug abuse may fall into harmful patterns take our Self Test for Alcoholism & Drug Addiction.

We believe that by combining Stone Eagle Retreat's personalized therapy and Prometa's® medical treatment, our clients receive the best chance for a successful and lasting sobriety.

Recovery is a process not an event. At Stone Eagle Retreat we take great care in developing an individualized healing program that models a multi-dimensional approach to therapy. There is no attempt to "fit" the client into a predetermined agenda. We specialize in building a unique, person-centered treatment plan that provides for a lasting recovery of the body, mind and spirit. We provide an unparalleled 30 hours of individual therapy a week for each client. See Sample Schedule

Our clients benefit from full staff collaboration that provides daily insight into every step of their recovery process. Decades of wisdom and state of the art expertise set this staff apart in the domains of psychotherapy, chemical dependency and addiction, neurobiological dependence, physical well-being & fitness, life coaching, diet and nutrition, massage and meditation therapy.