Addiction treatment draws on a number of core therapies that address behavior, biology and social ties at the same time. Many programs use a combination of short term interventions and longer term supports to help people stop using substances, reduce harm and rebuild daily life.
The therapies described below each bring a particular focus and set of tools, and they often work best when combined into a coherent plan.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people spot the thought patterns that feed use and learn practical skills to change them. Clinicians work with clients to identify triggers and to test beliefs that lead to risky choices, then practice alternate responses until new habits take hold.
Sessions often include homework that builds real world skills such as coping with cravings, managing stress and planning for high risk situations. Over time the repetitive practice of new cognitive and behavioral routines can reduce automatic responses and increase choices.
Motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing uses conversation to strengthen a person’s own reasons for change rather than pushing advice at them. The approach is collaborative and nonjudgmental, helping people weigh pros and cons and resolve mixed feelings about quitting or cutting back.
Clinicians reflect back a person’s statements, ask open questions and reinforce any movement toward change, small or large. This method often opens the door to other therapies by increasing engagement and readiness.
Medication assisted treatment
Medication assisted treatment pairs approved medications with counseling to treat opioid and alcohol use disorders and manage cravings and withdrawal. Drugs such as buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone are used to stabilize brain chemistry while behavioral work helps rebuild daily routines and coping strategies.
Proper medical oversight, dosing and follow up reduce risk and improve the chance of staying connected to care over time. When combined with psychosocial support, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs can make medication-assisted therapy far more effective by integrating behavioral and medical care seamlessly.
Contingency management
Contingency management uses positive reinforcement to encourage abstinence and engagement by rewarding specific behaviors with tangible incentives. Typical programs offer vouchers, privileges or small tangible rewards for clean tests or attendance, which helps create a new pattern of reinforcement that replaces drug related rewards.
The principle is simple and grounded in behavioral science: reward desirable behavior and it is more likely to recur. Many studies show reliable short term gains and improved retention in care when incentives are applied fairly.
Family and couples therapy
Family and couples therapy brings significant others into treatment to address relationship patterns that can maintain substance use or support recovery. Sessions focus on communication skills, conflict resolution and finding ways to support healthier routines without enabling harmful behavior.
Repairing family trust, clarifying roles and setting sober expectations often reduces stress and isolation that can trigger relapse. When the social system is engaged, gains made in individual therapy are far more likely to last.
Twelve step and peer support
Twelve step and peer support models offer community based fellowship that provides ongoing social support, accountability and shared experience. Meetings provide a place to trade practical tips for staying sober, celebrate milestones and receive emotional backing from people who have been there.
Peer supporters and sponsors often serve as bridges to formal care and help keep people connected through ups and downs. For many, the sense of belonging and routine contact adds an extra layer of protection against slipping back.
Trauma informed care
Trauma informed care recognizes that many people with substance use issues have histories of emotional or physical trauma which shape coping and risk. Providers take care to create safety, avoid re trauma and slow the pace when memories or triggers surface during treatment.
Integrating trauma work into addiction care can reduce shame and increase the capacity to tolerate distress without turning to substances. Safe environments and skilled staff make it possible for deeper healing alongside relapse prevention.
Mindfulness based therapies
Mindfulness based therapies teach attentional skills that help people observe cravings without acting on them, grounding practice in present moment awareness. Techniques include breathing exercises, body awareness and focused attention that reduce reactivity when urges arise and help people choose responses.
Over time regular practice can strengthen self regulation, lower stress reactivity and break the automatic loop between cue and use. These approaches are adaptable to group formats or brief individual sessions and can be woven into daily life.
Harm reduction strategies
Harm reduction strategies focus on minimizing negative consequences of use while meeting people where they are, rather than insisting on immediate abstinence. Practical measures such as clean supply programs, safe use education and supervised settings reduce risk of overdose and infection and create points of contact with services.
These programs aim to keep people alive and engaged, opening possibilities for future shifts toward treatment when individuals are ready. The approach is pragmatic and people centered, valuing small steps that preserve health and dignity.
Relapse prevention planning
Relapse prevention planning helps people map high risk scenarios, build concrete responses and practice how to recover quickly if use reoccurs. Plans typically identify warning signs, coping strategies, supportive contacts and step by step procedures for getting back on track after a slip.
Emphasis is placed on realistic strategies that can be used in the moment and on normalizing setbacks as part of the learning curve rather than proof of failure. With a clear plan, people often feel less fear about facing cravings and more able to keep trying.