What Kinds of Doctors Treat Drug and Alcohol Addiction?
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People who are struggling with drug or alcohol abuse might not know how to get started on the road to recovery or think it will be too hard to accomplish. That’s why it’s critical to understand that doctors who treat drug addiction are available to help, working hand in hand with other experts to offer treatment for drug addiction that is compassionate and effective.
In Los Angeles, Muse Treatment is a trusted drug and alcohol rehab center that offers a full range of addiction treatment programs, therapy, and aftercare support services to help people from all walks of life break the chains of addiction and achieve long-lasting recovery. Our board-certified doctors specialize in Addiction Medicine, keeping up to date with the latest research and treatment options to help you or your loved one achieve the brighter future you deserve. Let’s explore how doctors who specialize in addiction medicine can treat drug or alcohol addiction and offer the help that people need to get better.
The American Board of Medical Specialties now recognizes Addiction Medicine (ADM) as a physician subspecialty, with credentialed subspecialists working as clinical experts, faculty members, and researchers. There are two main titles for doctors who treat drug addiction with this credential:
Addiction Medicine Physicians: Doctors who are trained to diagnose and treat drug or alcohol addiction and other health conditions related to substance use disorder. In addition, they can work to assist family members who are affected by someone else’s addiction.
Addiction Psychiatrists: Doctors with an addiction psychiatry subspecialty board certification offered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says this field of medicine is vitally important because substance abuse and addiction are America’s biggest preventable health problems. Still, only 10% of patients actually get treatment for addiction. By pushing this new subspecialty of medicine, the NIDA says these experts can help break the stigma of addiction and give patients the treatment options they need to get better.
What Kinds of Doctors Are Also Good for Addiction?
When considering doctors who treat drug addiction, it’s important to keep in mind that there are several different pathways to becoming a board-certified Addiction Medicine Physician or Addiction Psychiatrist. For example, professionals trained and experienced in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, or psychiatry, among other fields, can specialize in Addiction Medicine. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says there are more than 5,000 medical doctors who are board-certified addiction specialists in the United States.
Do Neurologists Treat Addiction?
In addition to figuring out if your health insurance will cover the costs of drug rehab, you or a loved one who needs help to defeat addiction will need to do your research and make some critical choices. This includes where to seek help if an inpatient or outpatient treatment program is the best option for you, and what kinds of doctors who treat drug addiction would be the most beneficial in your case. But do neurologists treat addiction? In some cases, yes, neurologists could be a part of a treatment team of experts to help someone who is suffering from drug or alcohol addiction.
There are a couple of reasons why this can be the case. First, most drugs and substances of abuse can have a neurological impact on the person’s brain and how it functions. A neurologist might discover signs of neurological disorder caused by addiction, in which case they’d make referrals to Addiction Medicine specialists or other support networks and work closely with other experts to ensure proper treatment takes place. Another reason is that medications frequently used to treat neurological problems have the potential for abuse. A neurologist might realize that one of their patients has begun abusing or misusing their medications, and at that point, addiction treatment becomes necessary.
How Do Doctors Treat Drug Addicts?
Doctors who treat drug addiction most often use a variety of methods and treatment options as they work with patients who have a substance use disorder. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says addiction is a chronic disease, which means addiction treatment isn’t a cure; instead, it’s a way to manage this chronic condition. However, it’s important to keep in mind that addiction is treatable, and some evidence-based practices and options are even to be effective in doing so.
So, how do doctors treat addiction? Most often with a variety of treatment programs, including:
Medication: Medication can serve multiple purposes in addiction treatment. Often, people who are beginning drug or alcohol rehab will first start with a short period of medical detoxification, and medications can help them get through withdrawal symptoms and cravings in a safer and more comfortable manner. In addition, medications are available for longer-term use for people who are dealing with an opioid or alcohol addiction.
Therapy: Addiction is a mental and physical disease, and that’s why a treatment program needs to address both sides of the problem with therapy programs. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a standard treatment option to help patients identify and change flawed or unhealthy ways of thinking about or responding to the world. Other treatment options can include motivational enhancement therapy, family therapy, contingency management, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and much more, in addition to group therapy sessions.
Get Help From Doctors Who Treat Drug Addiction at Muse Treatment
If you’re looking for doctors who treat drug addiction to help yourself or someone you love, Muse Treatment can help. Our drug and alcohol rehab facility in Los Angeles is staffed by experts who know how to offer compassionate, effective treatment delivered by addiction specialists, experienced therapists, and doctors who are board-certified in Addiction Medicine. Our team can help you understand when to seek medical drug detox, how to verify insurance coverage for treatment, and whether an inpatient or outpatient drug or alcohol rehab program is best for you. Don’t wait – a better future without addiction can start today. Get started by calling us at 800-426-1818 today.
Several medical specialties focus on addiction treatment. Addiction Medicine Physicians are specifically trained to diagnose and treat substance use disorders and related health conditions, and can also support affected family members. Addiction Psychiatrists have a subspecialty board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and are particularly valuable for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Primary care physicians, internists, and emergency medicine physicians also frequently encounter and treat patients with substance use disorders, though their training in addiction medicine varies considerably.
Addiction Medicine Physicians are doctors who have completed specialized training in diagnosing and treating substance use disorders, including alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and other substances. They can evaluate the medical complications of addiction, prescribe medication-assisted treatments such as buprenorphine or naltrexone, and coordinate with mental health and behavioral health providers to create comprehensive care plans. The Muse Treatment page notes that board-certified doctors specializing in Addiction Medicine keep up to date with the latest research and treatment options. Having a physician with specific addiction expertise on your care team significantly improves outcomes.
Yes — Addiction Psychiatrists are physicians with dual expertise in psychiatry and addiction medicine, making them particularly well-suited to treating people with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder. Their psychiatric training allows them to assess and manage complex neurobiological presentations, prescribe psychiatric medications where appropriate, and provide therapy or supervise psychotherapeutic treatment. The National Institute on Drug Abuse identifies addiction psychiatry as critically important given that substance abuse and addiction are America's biggest preventable health problems. Only about 10% of people who need addiction treatment actually receive it.
Primary care physicians are often the first medical professionals to identify signs of alcohol or drug addiction during routine appointments. They can conduct brief motivational interventions, provide referrals to addiction specialists, prescribe certain medications for alcohol or opioid use disorder (such as naltrexone or buprenorphine), and coordinate ongoing care between specialists. Building an honest, trusting relationship with your primary care physician makes it easier to address substance use concerns early, before they progress to crisis. If you are concerned about your own substance use, your primary care doctor is an accessible first point of contact.
When seeking medical care for addiction, look for physicians who are board-certified in Addiction Medicine (by the American Board of Preventive Medicine or American Board of Addiction Medicine) or who hold the Addiction Psychiatry subspecialty certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Experience treating your specific type of addiction, familiarity with medication-assisted treatment where appropriate, and a patient-centered approach that respects your dignity and autonomy are also important considerations. At Muse Treatment, our board-certified doctors specialize in addiction medicine and stay current with the latest evidence-based treatment options.
In most cases, you do not need a physician's referral to contact an addiction treatment center and begin the admissions process. Treatment centers like Muse Treatment have their own clinical intake teams who conduct assessments and help determine the appropriate level of care. However, your primary care physician can be a valuable resource in the process — they can provide medical history, coordinate any necessary medications, and facilitate continuity of care between treatment and ongoing primary care. If you have urgent medical needs related to withdrawal or complications from substance use, seeking emergency medical care before beginning outpatient or residential treatment may be necessary.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) involves the use of FDA-approved medications — such as buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, acamprosate, or disulfiram — combined with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders. Buprenorphine can be prescribed in office-based settings by physicians with appropriate DEA authorization. Methadone for opioid use disorder is dispensed through licensed opioid treatment programs. Naltrexone is available without special certification and is prescribed by a wide range of physicians. Muse Treatment's medical team includes addiction medicine specialists who are qualified to prescribe and monitor MAT as part of a comprehensive recovery plan.
Doctors treating addiction must often address numerous medical complications simultaneously, including liver disease (from alcohol abuse), cardiovascular problems, respiratory illness, infectious diseases contracted through injection drug use (such as HIV and hepatitis C), malnutrition, dental problems, and neurological damage. Withdrawal from certain substances — especially alcohol and benzodiazepines — carries potentially life-threatening risks including seizures and delirium tremens that require immediate medical management. This is why medically supervised detox is so important: it ensures that the physical complications of addiction and withdrawal are managed safely alongside the beginning of addiction treatment.
Detox is the medically supervised process of safely removing substances from the body and managing withdrawal symptoms — it addresses the physical dependence component of addiction. Addiction treatment, which follows detox, addresses the psychological, behavioral, and social drivers of addiction through therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, group counseling, and family therapy. The Muse Treatment page emphasizes that detox is not enough to manage addiction on its own — it must be followed by comprehensive rehabilitation. Completing detox without subsequent treatment is associated with high relapse rates, as the underlying causes of addiction remain unaddressed.
Finding the right addiction doctor or treatment center in Los Angeles begins with identifying your specific needs: the type of substance, any co-occurring mental health conditions, your insurance coverage, and your preferred level of care (inpatient, outpatient, or intensive outpatient). Muse Treatment is a full-service addiction treatment center in Los Angeles (Culver City) with board-certified addiction medicine specialists, comprehensive levels of care from medical detox through aftercare, and dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions. You can reach Muse Treatment at 800-426-1818, where admissions staff are available 24/7 to answer questions and begin the intake process.
David Rofofsky After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Muse Treatment. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.
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