Biological treatments consist of detoxification, antagonist drugs and maintenance drug therapy. Detox is a systematic, medically supervised withdrawal from a drug. Outpatient detox programs exist, but hospitals and clinics also provide this service; Individual and group therapy may also be available in hospitals and clinics to provide a “full-service” approach to treatment. There are two different approaches to detoxification. One way is to have clients gradually withdraw from a substance by taking smaller and smaller doses, until they no longer stop taking the drug. Another way, which is usually medically preferred, is to give clients other medications that help with withdrawal symptoms. For example, anxiolytic medications may be used to reduce severe alcohol withdrawal reactions, such as delirium tremens and seizures. Detox programs are successful in helping motivated people quit drugs, but relapse rates are generally high for individuals who do not receive any type of follow-up
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