Treatment 101 / Explore
Understand the care
Learn what rehab, detox and other treatment settings involve, how care is chosen, where medication fits and what happens after a program.
Explore 27 guides
What treatment involves.
If you started by searching for rehab, the names for different kinds of care may be unfamiliar. These guides explain assessment, treatment settings, medication, the first day, daily life in a program and what continues after it ends.
Each guide links to its sources. Use the information to prepare questions for a qualified professional who can discuss your circumstances.
Questions you might have
Guide · 3 min read
Can I ask for help before I know whether I want treatment?
You can want things to change and still be unsure you want treatment.
Guide · 4 min read
How do I know whether my drinking or drug use needs treatment?
You may have noticed something that worries you and still not be sure it is serious enough to count.
Guide · 6 min read
Can addiction be cured, or does treatment keep going in some form?
You may be hoping that one stay, one course of medicine or one hard month will end the problem for good.
Guide · 4 min read
Is it safe to stop drinking or using on my own?
You may want to stop tonight, quietly, without telling anyone or waiting for an appointment.
Guide · 5 min read
What is the difference between detox and ongoing treatment?
You may be trying to find help while different services use detox and rehab as though the distinction is obvious.
Guide · 6 min read
What is detox actually like?
You may be frightened of feeling ill, being away from home or not knowing what staff will do.
Guide · 5 min read
What happens in an assessment, and who decides the level of care?
You may have been told you need an assessment before anyone can say what kind of treatment fits, and wonder why so many questions come first.
Guide · 6 min read
What is the difference between inpatient, residential, outpatient, PHP and IOP treatment?
These names describe where care happens and how much organized clinical support is available.
Guide · 5 min read
Why was I told I need a different level of care from the one I called about?
You called about one kind of treatment, perhaps a residential stay or evening outpatient sessions, and were told something else would suit you better.
Guide · 5 min read
How is the length of treatment decided?
Treatment length depends on the care you need, the setting, how you respond and what support is arranged next.
Guide · 5 min read
How do treatment approaches differ, and how can I understand a program’s expectations?
You may have heard several treatment names without being able to picture what someone would actually ask you to do.
Guide · 5 min read
Are there medications for alcohol or drug problems, and how do they fit with counseling?
You may have assumed treatment means only talking, groups or willpower, and be surprised to hear a doctor mention medicine.
Guide · 5 min read
Is taking medication for addiction just trading one drug for another?
Someone may have told you that methadone or buprenorphine is “just swapping one addiction for another,” or you may be worried about that yourself.
Guide · 4 min read
How long might I take a treatment medication, and does insurance cover it?
You may be willing to try a medication and still want to know whether it means months, years or the rest of your life, and what it will cost.
Guide · 5 min read
Where do twelve-step and other mutual-help groups fit with treatment?
You may have heard of Alcoholics Anonymous long before you heard of any other kind of help, and wonder whether meetings are treatment, a replacement for it or something programs will expect you to join.
Guide · 5 min read
What if I have depression, anxiety or trauma as well as a substance problem?
You may have started drinking or using to get through panic, low moods or memories you did not want, and now wonder which problem to deal with first.
Guide · 5 min read
What should treatment account for during pregnancy?
You may have found out you are pregnant and be frightened about what drinking or drug use has already meant, what stopping will involve and what telling a doctor could lead to.
Guide · 4 min read
Can treatment happen by phone or video?
You may not be able to leave work, arrange childcare or travel to a clinic several times a week, and wonder whether that rules treatment out.
Guide · 5 min read
How can I tell what a program's success figures actually measure?
A program's website may say that most of its patients stay sober, or quote a percentage that sounds reassuring.
Guide · 5 min read
What might happen on my first day of treatment?
You are about to arrive somewhere unfamiliar, and even knowing where to go or what to say may feel difficult.
Guide · 5 min read
What might an ordinary treatment day include?
You may be trying to picture how you will spend the hours in treatment, especially the time between appointments.
Guide · 5 min read
What is the next step down after residential care, and how does that move work?
You may be partway through a residential stay, or about to start one, and wondering what happens when it ends.
Guide · 4 min read
What should a plan for after discharge include, and when should I ask about it?
It can feel too early to think about leaving a program you have not started.
Guide · 5 min read
What is an alumni or aftercare program, and what should I ask about it?
A program's website may mention aftercare, continuing care or an alumni community, and it can be hard to tell what any of those actually involve.
Guide · 5 min read
Why does support after a program matter to how treatment turns out?
You may think of treatment as the main event and whatever follows as optional extra.
Guide · 5 min read
What is sober living, and how is it different from a treatment program?
Sober living may have come up as a place to stay after a program, or as a cheaper option instead of one, and it can be hard to tell where housing ends and treatment begins.
Guide · 6 min read
If someone drinks or uses again after treatment, does that mean treatment failed?
You may be reading this after it has already happened, or because you are afraid it will.