The present review is a thematic summary of the research evidence base for the effectiveness and main influential factors of contemporary drug abuse treatment. The review is designed to be a companion resource to the section on effective treatment and rehabilitation services in the publication "Drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation: a practical planning and implementation guide" and to the document entitled "Investing in drug abuse treatment: a discussion paper for policy makers".

The review consists of three sections. Parts 1 and 2 present research evidence for the effectiveness of the detoxification- stabilization phase and the rehabilitation-relapse prevention phase, respectively. Those phases contain treatments that have distinct goals, objectives and methods and are delivered in residential and community settings. Part 3 presents a discussion on a set of patient-related and treatment-related factors that are linked to treatment outcome. Patient-related factors include the severity of substance abuse, psychiatric symptoms, treatment readiness and motivation, employment and family and social support. Treatment-related factors include the setting of treatment, treatment completion and retention, pharmaco-therapies, counselling, counsellor and therapist effects, participation in self-help groups and issues concerning matching patients to treatment.