Hospital inpatient substance abuse treatment is carried out in a hospital setting and is overseen by doctors and other medical staff. Hospital inpatient treatment is sometimes necessary in the beginning stages of abstinence when the person may experience the onset of life threatening withdrawal symptoms, which is sometimes true when quitting alcohol as well as a category of prescription drugs known as benzodiazepines which must be supervised very carefully by medical professionals to minimize ant dangerous health complications. Hospital inpatient treatment is also administered to individuals who choose to undergo medication assisted withdrawal, as is the case with individuals who are addicted to opiates and wish to use this type of detoxification approach to manage the harsh withdrawal symptoms associated with heroin or other opiate withdrawal. This type of opiate detox is not treatment in itself however, and these individuals will need further counseling and therapy to completely recover from addiction.