Introduction: The definitions of drug treatment developed by international organizations and implemented in the regulations of the countries were characterized, until the 2010s, by a significant lack of specificity. This enabled a great heterogeneity of institutions and treatments for drug abuse. There are works that analyze drug policies and others that address the actions of preventive and assistance institutions, but knowledge of the links between the regulatory and treatment levels is scarce.

Objective: To analyze the meanings of directors of two opposite types of institutions (religious therapeutic communities and governmental addiction prevention centers) who provide drug addiction care in Argentina, about the ways in which they define what is a treatment for drug abuse.

Method: Qualitative research with document analysis, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Results: In both groups of institutions, drug use is not considered a problem itself, but rather the expression of a situation that transcends it.

Conclusions: The treatments they implement are non-specific and the work to be carried out does not primarily revolve around drug use, but rather on what would explain its occurrence.