What exactly defines alternative drug rehab?  For the most part, the treatment center industry is dominated by the 12 step model.  This means that about 90 percent of treatment centers (probably higher actually) are 12 step based, in that they propose to their clients that following the 12 step program of AA or NA is the best way to stay clean and sober.  The treatment is based on the 12 step program and typically the clients will attend a few 12 step meetings while they are in rehab.  Because this approach is so widespread, any treatment model that differs from this is generally considered to be “alternative rehab.”

One type of alternative are religious based programs.  For example, there are many Christian based rehab facilities out there that a struggling addict could go to.  A religious rehab facility is one type of alternative to a 12 step program.

There are other rehab choices out there that do not have any spiritual or religious aspects to them at all.  For example, there are some holistic drug rehabs in which the spiritual component is strictly optional, and does not really make up a core part of the treatment.

Another rehab alternative for drug addiction is a strictly therapy-based program.  There are some rehabs in which 12 step meetings are not offered, or they are offered but they are strictly optional.  The core part of that treatment model is therapy based instead of 12 step based.  The idea is to work with the clients while they are in treatment and have therapists get at the root causes of why people started to self medicate with drugs and alcohol.

Some of these alternatives are quite expensive, but so is traditional, 12 step based treatment.  When you consider the success rates of both types of treatment, neither one of them is really outstanding, and a strong argument can be made that all existing treatment models are lacking right now.  We do not have a magic bullet for treating drug addiction successfully, and no amount of money or resources has the power to keep someone clean who is destined for relapse.

One approach that a struggling drug addict might use is to look at their past and see what has worked for them and what has not.  If they have never had any success in traditional drug rehab, then what is the harm in trying an alternative?  Surely there is value in experimenting and trying new methods for recovery.

Right now, the treatment industry has not produced great success rates and if we see any innovation in the near future it is likely to come from the edges, not from the mainstream.  That means we need to continue to investigate alternative drug rehabs as a potential path to recovery, because traditional models seem to fail for the majority of addicts.