Through treatment that is tailored to individual needs, patients can learn to control their condition and live normal, productive lives. People in drug-addiction treatment learn behavioral changes and often take medications as part of their treatment regimens.
The ultimate goal of all drug-abuse treatment is to enable the patient to achieve lasting abstinence, but the immediate goals are to reduce drug use, improve the patient's ability to function and minimize medical and social complications. Like people with diabetes or heart disease, people in treatment for drug addiction will need to change behaviors to adopt more healthful lifestyles.
Up until a few years ago, it was hard to find treatment programs specifically for marijuana users. Treatments for marijuana dependence were much the same as therapies for other drug-abuse problems. These included detoxification, behavioral therapies and regular attendance at meetings of support groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous.
Recently, researchers have been testing different ways to attract marijuana users to treatment and help them abstain from drug use. There are currently no medications for treating marijuana dependence. Treatment programs focus on counseling and group support systems. From the studies, drug treatment professionals are learning which characteristics of users are predictors of treatment success and which approaches to treatment can be most helpful.
