Substance abuse programs provide treatment for a range of addictions including various types of drug addiction and addiction to alcohol. Substance abuse can refer to drugs, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and an range of other substances that an individual can abuse but overall most substance abuse programs are aimed at helping individuals overcome addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Typically, substance abuse programs are broken down into one of two categories: inpatient substance abuse and outpatient substance abuse. Each of these programs differs in the level of monitoring that is provided as well as the types of care that are offered during the treatment program. Depending on the level of substance abuse and the severity of the addiction, an inpatient substance abuse program may be more suitable than an outpatient substance abuse program for some addicts.