NIDA Principles of Effective Treatment
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a federal agency that is part of the National Institutes of Health, issued 13 principles of effective treatment for drug addiction in 1999. These principles call for the treatment of the whole person:
1. No single treatment is appropriate for all individuals.
2. Treatment needs to be readily available.
3. Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug use.
4. An individual's treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary
to ensure that the plan meets the person's changing needs.
5. Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness.
6. Individual or group counseling and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective treatment for addiction.
7. Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
8. Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.
9. Medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.
10. Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
11. Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously.
12. Treatment programs should provide assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, and counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place themselves or others at risk of infection.
13. Recovery from drug addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. Family should assertively intervene in the face of any relapse.
What is The HBO Addiction Project and how is National Institute of Drug Abuse Involved?
The HBO Addiction Project is a multimedia venture that includes a centerpiece documentary, supplementary materials, a website, and a book. This monumental project was done in partnership with NIDA, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The purpose of HBO's Addiction Project is to provide the public with an in-depth picture of the science of addiction, treatment, and recovery, with contributions from the Nation's leading scientists and the personal narratives of addicts and their loved ones. As the foremost expert authority on the science of drug addiction, NIDA's scientists and staff worked closely with HBO to provide an accurate and comprehensive picture of the current science on drug addiction.