Substance Abuse Treatment Law and Legal Definition
Substance abuse treatment is a behavior modification therapy imposed by a court for those who use drugs or alcohol to the disadvantage of themselves and others. It is a special condition in which a court asks an individual to undergo testing and treatment for the use and prescription of alcohol and drugs. Substance abuse treatment imposes both inpatient and out patient counseling. Sometimes detoxification is also adopted as a method of substance abuse treatment.
A substance abuse treatment is generally offered by trained and certified professionals or by a residential addiction treatment program. It helps a substance abuser to discontinue abusing drugs, alcohol or unhealthy behavior by organizing support for alternative behaviors. Substance abuse treatment may be either long-term or short-term residential treatment, intensive or regular outpatient treatment, chemical detoxification, or some other education modality. The mode of treatment is determined on the basis of offender’s risk of recidivism, responsiveness to different types of treatment, and the severity of the offender’s substance abuse treatment need. Substance abuse treatment for offenders on parole and post-release supervision include outpatient counseling and transitional therapeutic community residential placements.