What works in drug addiction?

Treatment of illicit drug dependence typically involves a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions. Efficacy research supports methadone maintenance in opiate dependence. There is less evidence to support buprenorphine (an opiate receptor partial agonist), lofexidine (an α2-adrenoreceptor agonist) and naltrexone (an opiate receptor antagonist). Evidence for the effectiveness of detoxification, which one of the most widely used treatments, is poor. Of the psychosocial interventions, reasonable evidence exists for the effectiveness of motivational interviewing. Other psychosocial treatments have rarely been compared with no or minimal contact conditions in randomised trials, and their reported effectiveness is often weak. Residential treatments are not demonstrably more effective than community programmes.