The Riggs Difference: Where Understanding Leads to Recovery
Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Care - A Comprehensive Perspective
Although we don’t offer treatment to people whose substance use disorder (SUD) is active or primary, many of those struggling with mental disorders have co-occurring SUDs. If you have a co-occurring SUD, we do provide support to help you maintain abstinence while in treatment at Riggs.
What is a Substance Use Disorder?
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) — formerly called “substance abuse disorders” — are diagnosed when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or other drugs leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. This may take the form of serious problems with health, relationships, work or other roles in life, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
At Austen Riggs, we recognize that nearly half of our admitted patients have had past difficulties related to alcohol and/or other drug use. However, we only consider candidates for admission when SUD is co-occurring (rather than the primary disorder) and when the individual has achieved substance abstinence.
Because the use of alcohol and/or other drugs can exacerbate other mental disorders — depressive, bipolar, psychotic, post-traumatic‐stress, personality disorders — and make their treatment more difficult, addressing SUDs in a comprehensive manner is critical.
Our Comprehensive Approach
At Austen Riggs, we approach SUDs not just as clinical/medical problems, but as part of the whole person’s life story. We combine rigorous clinical expertise with a relational, dynamic perspective.
Clinical expertise with co-occurring SUDs
- Our team includes certified substance use counselors and group work dedicated to SUD support.
- We integrate SUD treatment into the broader treatment plan whenever indicated.
- If a patient relapses into active substance use and cannot quickly return to abstinence, we may recommend discharge and a period of dedicated SUD treatment before returning to our program.
Psychodynamic treatment and therapeutic community
- Our intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy (four times weekly) helps patients explore lived experiences, identify patterns of behavior, and understand the meaning behind their choices.
- We view symptoms (including substance use) as meaningful indicators of deeper emotional or relational issues.
- In our open-setting therapeutic community, patients learn not only from clinicians but from one another — discovering what they cannot see in themselves, but others can help reveal.
Who We Treat
We serve adults who are seeking treatment for mental health disorders and have a co-occurring SUD. We provide support for sustaining abstinence while in treatment.
Please note: Our program is not designed for individuals whose SUD is currently the active or primary disorder. Those individuals will often benefit from a higher-structure SUD-specific program first.
Why Choose This Model?
Because addiction (and SUD) affects far more than just brain chemistry. It touches emotions, relationships, identity, meaning — and recovery thrives when we address all those dimensions. We believe in:
- treating the whole person, not just discrete symptoms
- offering an open, trust-based environment rather than locked units or strictly controlled settings
- supporting those who have begun to develop some preliminary control and are ready for deeper therapeutic work
Former Patient Stories
Hear first-hand from Austen Riggs Center Alumni about their experiences before, during, and after treatment at Riggs.
Getting Started
If you or a loved one are dealing with mental health concerns and a co-occurring SUD, please reach out to Admissions to explore whether our program is a good fit.
Learn More About Admissions
Speak with Admissions
Our admissions team will help clarify the requirements, evaluate readiness, and determine the most appropriate path.
Patient Outcomes & Results
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What does “co-occurring SUD” mean?
A: It means the individual has both a substance use disorder and one or more mental health disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, personality disorder, PTSD, etc.) at the same time. Our program focuses on patients whose SUD is secondary to the mental health disorder rather than primary.
A: It means the individual has both a substance use disorder and one or more mental health disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, personality disorder, PTSD, etc.) at the same time. Our program focuses on patients whose SUD is secondary to the mental health disorder rather than primary.
Q: Can someone who is actively using substances enter your program?
A: No. We require that substance use be under control (abstinence) before admission, because our environment emphasizes trust, self-regulation, and the ability to engage in intensive psychotherapy.
A: No. We require that substance use be under control (abstinence) before admission, because our environment emphasizes trust, self-regulation, and the ability to engage in intensive psychotherapy.
Q: What happens if a patient relapses while in treatment?
A: If someone returns to active substance use and cannot quickly restore abstinence, we may recommend discharge and referral to a program designed specifically for SUD treatment. Then, once stable, the patient may re-apply to our program.
A: If someone returns to active substance use and cannot quickly restore abstinence, we may recommend discharge and referral to a program designed specifically for SUD treatment. Then, once stable, the patient may re-apply to our program.
Q: What kinds of therapies are used in treatment?
A: Our core treatment is intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy (4x per week) aimed at exploring one’s emotional life and relational patterns. In addition, we may use medications as appropriate and operate a therapeutic community model for peer-learning and social growth.
A: Our core treatment is intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy (4x per week) aimed at exploring one’s emotional life and relational patterns. In addition, we may use medications as appropriate and operate a therapeutic community model for peer-learning and social growth.
Q: How do you support abstinence from substances within treatment?
A: Substance use concerns are addressed through the work of certified substance use counselors and group interventions that attend to the effects of use on the individual, family, and community. Psychiatric services are available to assess and prescribe medications indicated for substance use disorders when appropriate. Consistent with the program’s treatment philosophy, this work is integrated into the overall therapeutic framework as opposed to being treated as a separate and discrete.
A: Substance use concerns are addressed through the work of certified substance use counselors and group interventions that attend to the effects of use on the individual, family, and community. Psychiatric services are available to assess and prescribe medications indicated for substance use disorders when appropriate. Consistent with the program’s treatment philosophy, this work is integrated into the overall therapeutic framework as opposed to being treated as a separate and discrete.
Q: Is your program for younger patients or adolescents?
A: We only work with adults (18+). For SUD treatment in adolescents or younger populations, other specialized services may be more appropriate.
A: We only work with adults (18+). For SUD treatment in adolescents or younger populations, other specialized services may be more appropriate.
Q: What is meant by the “open-setting” therapeutic community?
A: Unlike locked units or highly restricted environments, our setting emphasizes trust, peer interaction, social learning, and responsibility. The belief is that healing happens in community and relational contexts, not through isolation or surveillance.
A: Unlike locked units or highly restricted environments, our setting emphasizes trust, peer interaction, social learning, and responsibility. The belief is that healing happens in community and relational contexts, not through isolation or surveillance.
Q: How can I determine if this program is right for me or a loved one?
A: The best first step is to contact our admissions team for an initial consultation. They will work with you to understand your history, current substance use, mental health concerns, and prior treatment, and to explore whether this environment is a good fit for your needs.
A: The best first step is to contact our admissions team for an initial consultation. They will work with you to understand your history, current substance use, mental health concerns, and prior treatment, and to explore whether this environment is a good fit for your needs.
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The medical model helps us understand the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of addiction but do not fully capture the experience of addiction, most particularly around the human struggle around control that defines many individuals’ experiences with substances.
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