Multimodal Treatment Package for Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

Abstract

Most drug addicts are treated in a program setting rather than in private practice. Despite this fact, few treatment designs are available to service these clients. Historically, psychologists have been reluctant to treat drug abusers because of the stereotype of the addict as one who is unmotivated to change and nonresponsive to treatment, and because they present management problems and have high relapse rates. Psychologists have made important contributions in conceptualizing the problems of drug abuse; they have established animal models of addiction, conducted seminal research on personality variables in addiction, and conducted outcome and evaluation research. The lack of consensus on how to treat drug abusers and drug addicts is a deficiency that does not exist among alcoholic treatment programs. This article presents a multimodality treatment package design for a short-term, residential, hospital-based treatment program for drug abuse. © 1985 American Psychological Association.