"Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously."

Lapses to drug use can occur during treatment. The objective monitoring of a patient's drug and alcohol use during treatment, such as through urinalysis or other tests, can help the patient withstand urges to use drugs.

If you think everyone who goes to treatment stays clean while there, think again).

What motivates a client to remain abstinent during treatment?

Some are motivated by the potential negative consequences of a relapse: jail time; expulsion from the facility; the possibility of disappointing a treatment professional with whom they have built a strong relationship...

Some are motivated by positive reinforcement: collecting a 30-day chip; additional freedoms that continued abstinence will provide; sometimes, a good old-fashioned "attaboy" will do the trick.

The truth is that addiction treatment can provide all of these and more, but only if the client understands that he or she will be tested for the presence of prohibited substances.

At Sober Champion, we believe in the "whatever works" model in early recovery. Some of our providers had huge jail sentences hanging over their heads when they got clean, and some had nothing more than an intense desire to (finally) please their families and loved ones.

In any case, whether with positive or negative reinforcement, regular and random testing allows a clear, easily understood language for both the treatment provider and the client.

Such monitoring also can provide early evidence of drug use so that the individual's treatment plan can be adjusted.

We may discover that a particular approach toward treatment is not working for a client, and sometimes the only way we learn that is when the client relapses.

Feedback to patients who test positive for illicit drug use is an important element of monitoring, and should be used by all professionals in our field.