Nonpharmacologic approaches to substance abuse treatment

Abstract

Familiarity with nonpharmacologic approaches to substance abuse treatment is critical for medical practitioners to act effectively to prevent the progression of substance use to medically harmful use, abuse, or dependence; to identify patients with substance use disorders and motivation behavioral changes; and to maximize the likelihood of successful treatment. At their most basic level, these nonpharmacologic approaches involve components of practice that are requisite to the successful management of any medical disorder: fostering an empathic, supportive relationship; routinely evaluating the system or problem area; providing accurate medical information about diagnosis, natural history, and treatment; and following up on identified problems to improve compliance, evaluate the impact of treatment, and modify treatment as indicated. Because of the nature of substance use disorders, their impact on multiple areas of functioning, and the conditioned craving that occurs following repeated substance use, nonpharmacologic treatments can improve outcome, even when effective pharmacologic treatments are also employed. Treatment of nicotine dependence provides a useful example. Physician advice to stop smoking substantially increases the likelihood of smoking cessation and long-term abstinence. Combined with physician advice, nicotine replacement therapies, using nicotine gum or transdermal preparations, approximately double the rate of long-term abstinence, compared with physician advice alone. Providing behavioral treatment in addition to physician advice and nicotine replacement treatment leads to the highest rates of sustained abstinence, significantly higher than advice alone or rates associated with nicotine replacement alone. Nonpharmacologic treatments complement pharmacologic approaches often by addressing different target symptom and problem areas. In the case of nicotine dependence, nicotine replacement ameliorates withdrawal symptoms and craving associated with withdrawal. Behavioral treatment improves outcome by focusing on cue-evoked craving and developing effective long-term strategies to avoid or cope with craving and other cues. As discussed in this article, brief motivation approaches are particularly well suited for general medical practice settings. These approaches have been evaluated most extensively and shown to be most effective in preventing the progression of heavy drinking to problem drinking and alcohol dependence. Following a thorough evaluation of a patient's drinking habits, providing advice about sensible and safe drinking to patients identified as heavy drinkers leads to meaningful reductions in drinking. For patients who have developed problems of abuse or dependence, motivation approaches can be used to foster an interest and commitment to stop use and accept a referral to treatment. This article also provides an overview of the major psychosocial approaches used in more intensive specialty treatment of patients with substance use disorders. Familiarity with these approaches is essential for clinicians in general medical settings to facilitate referral of patients and monitor and improve the efficacy of treatments provided to patients. Medical practitioners must be able to educate patients about the need for more intensive specialty treatment and about what treatment entails. Medical practitioners must also be able to engage in informed discussions with substance abuse treatment specialists about the specific treatment recommendations made for a patient and the rationale for them. Medical practitioners who are informed about the treatment plans, rationale for treatment, and patient progress can play critical roles in encouraging patients to persist with the often difficult process of treatment.