Treatment for addiction varies widely according to the types of drugs involved, amount of drugs used, duration of the drug addiction, associated mental or physical illness, medical complications and the social needs of the individual

Treatment for drug addiction or dependence begins with an evaluation by a psychiatrist and includes detailed history about drug use, a complete physical and mental status examination . Then drug use is stopped either gradually or abruptly (detoxification) usually with help of medicines. Sometimes a drug with a similar action is taken instead (substitution/replacement therapy) . At times the withdrawal is managed symptomatically with other medicines. Detoxification can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

Treatment programs also include counseling, both for the person and his family . These programs use behavior modification techniques, which are designed to get users to recognize their behaviors and teach new coping skills .