Civil commitment is criticized by many individuals because its meaning and proper placement as a treatment technique are widely misunderstood. The patient movement model has emerged as an alternative to civil commitment. In this model, institutionalization is followed by aftercare. Patient movement data indicate, however, that the aftercare model is too simple and has unrealistic expectations and that a uniform or single approach to drug abuse does not make sense in light of the heterogeneous composition of the drug-using population. Different goals need to be established for different types of drug addicts, and civil commitment is viewed as a procedure for involving drug addicts in various treatment approaches and not as a treatment in itself. Criticisms of civil commitment procedures are examined, and the authors attempt to overcome stereotypical thinking about civil commitment. 42 references