Drug rehab programs are geared toward the rehabilitation of persons who are trying to overcome their addiction. There are many types of rehab programs. Some of them are of short duration and some can be residential and others are long term such as marijuana replacement programs.

Rehabilitation depends on participation for a sustained period of time. The rehab programs are designed to address the physical aspects of drug addiction and the psychological aspects of integrating back into society. Some programs are residential especially for persons with serious drug addiction and may be covered by private or public insurance to some extent. There are also chemical dependency units where there is about a 3-6 week period of inpatient care where withdrawal from drugs is done in a medically safe fashion. It has been shown that plain replacement of opiate craving with methadone, while helpful is not as effective as a more comprehensive program with counseling and medical care.

Other programs also address co-morbid conditions like HIV/AIDS since drug addiction does not occur in isolation. There have been excellent prison rehab programs which have decreased the re-arrest rate by 25-50%. Methadone maintenance programs work best if the dose of methadone is at least 60 mg or so as a general approximation but the role of comprehensive care cannot be overemphasized. Relapse is a natural part of the curable disease that drug addiction tends to be.

All treatment programs should aim to budget this into their plans. Commitment by the staff will go a long way in creating trust and faith in the program since most people who are suffering from substance abuse issues will need reeducation in normal social interaction. There is a need for programs geared towards younger individuals since they have many competing challenges such as teenage physiological changes, peer pressure, juvenile delinquency and lack of support at home.