Pharmaceutical and Non-Pharmaceutical Therapies in Substance Use Disorder

The use of substances for recreational and other non-medical purposes is alarming in the society. The trend of substance use globally has been phenomenally startling in the last five decades, and has assumed epidemic and worrisome proportions in recent times. A significant number of these substances are used in the treatment of diverse clinical conditions. Objective: The work discussed the protocols for rehabilitation and recovery from substance addiction, strategies for prevention, principles underlying the treatment of substance use disorder, and the various therapeutic measures for containing substance use disorder. Method: The literature search included databases of google scholar, directory of open access journals, cross reference, pubmed, web of science, etc. Articles on substance abuse and addiction were identified and reviewed for selection. The keywords used in the search were: drug abuse, drug addiction, substance abuse, substance misuse, drug dependence and drug use disorders. There was also a scan of the references of identified journal articles. Only works written in English were extracted. Result and Discussion: One hundred and eighteen journal articles and other materials were sourced, while thirty-six (36) articles and other works were identified, extracted and reviewed. Findings show that substance abuse is not immune to any societies. It is a global problem and is responsible for millions of crime and criminality, and their sustenance, as well as many of the deaths, especially violent crimes (e.g., domestic violence, sexual assault, gangsterism, robbery, banditry, insurgency, etc.) in many countries. Substance addiction is preventable and can be treated. No single modality of treatment adequately fits all forms of substance addiction. Relapse frequently occurs during rehabilitation and treatment programmes, and sometimes after many years of abstinence from substance use. Conclusion: The indiscriminate and inappropriate use of legal and prohibited substances is now a serious public health and social concern. Addiction is the most severe form of substance use disorder. It is a chronic and complex, but treatable disease that affects the human brain structure, function, and behaviour. Prevention reduces the scourge of the menace through public health enlightenment programmes. Several modalities are available for treating substance use disorder, and they include psychotherapy or talk therapy (e.g., counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, guided self-help, etc.), medical detoxification, pharmacotherapy, and traditional (herbal) remedies. None of these therapeutic approaches works for everyone. In most cases, a combination of these treatment modalities is used during therapy of substance abuse and addiction. Treatment disrupts the cycle of addiction, which is often times prolonged and intensive.