Alcoholism is a fatal disease that can be put into remission. Treatment of alcoholism has evolved over the past 50 years into a sophisticated behavioral science. Treating alcoholism is both a science and an art.
Here we are talking about treatment for alcohol abuse. Treatment programs and facilities do not differentiate the methods used for alcoholism versus drug abuse. Alcohol is a drug, a depressant.
The first step in the process of alcoholism treatment is a thorough and comprehensive assessment and evaluation. It should be conducted by a certified counselor to determine what level of care is necessary.
Detox safely monitors the body's withdrawing from alcohol. This is the most basic form of treatment for alcoholism. It should always be followed up with one of the following levels of treatment care.
Outpatient alcoholism treatment generally consists of attending group counseling sessions several times per week for some period of months.
Partial programs are usually hospital based programs. Clients attend the program for a half a day at a time, either in the mornings or the afternoon.
Residential programs are the only level where the client stays on a full time basis.
Note: There is a wide range of financial variables, levels of care and philosophical differences among the alcoholism treatment community. Partial programs are also known as partial hospitalization or PHP. Partial programs consist of half days of rehab; either AM or PM. Short term can be anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks, full time, while living in a free standing facility. Long-term programs can last from 1 to 3 months, or more. Outpatient includes a wide variety of programs for patients attending rehab for a few hours several times per week. Most residential programs are based on the "Minnesota Model" of treatment. These programs involve a 2 to 6 weeks of full-time inpatient rehab followed by extended outpatient therapy and participation in a 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
Detox is the first step in the alcoholism treatment process. Detoxing from alcohol should always be done under medical supervision. The medically monitoring of the withdrawal symptoms is necessary to insure no complications occur.
There is a lot to learn about the disease of alcoholism and the process of recovery from it.
Every client in an alcoholism treatment program is subjected to therapy designed toaddress both their alcoholism as well as their personal issues.
More and more programs are incorporating issue specific treatment to address co-occurring disorders, such as depression, or other individual concerns such as PTSD.
The length of stay in alcohol rehab varies based upon a variety of factors. It can be anywhere from a few days to 90 days. In general, the more time spent in alcoholism treatment, the better the chances the client will be successful.
Alcohol is a drug. And since the disease of drug addiction is virtually the same as alcoholism, treatment for alcohol is virtually the same as rehab for drug abuse or any other chemical dependency.
Perhaps the biggest difference might be the difference between Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Many addicts feel more comfortable at a NA meeting than an AA meeting. In general, people who suffer from addiction and not alcoholism are welcome at most AA meetings. But alcoholics, who are not addicts, would not feel very comfortable at a NA meeting. Also, alcoholics are dealing with a legal substance which is readily available and considered socially acceptable. Drug addicts need to learn how to avoid contacting other people who use drugs and, of course, the drug pushers.
The success rate of alcoholism treatment is a difficult thing to measure for a variety of reasons. It is somewhat of a mystery why some people "make it" and others do not. Outcome studies seem to indicate an individual's success will be determined primarily by their willingness to incorporate new concepts and ideas into their lifestyles and change their reaction patterns and way of thinking. Many clients relapse at least once before they manage to find long lasting recovery. Research seems to confirm, people who attend alcoholism treatment, are more likely to succeed because the most difficult part of recovery is the first 30, 60 and 90 days. Once someone stays sober for some period of time, they see the benefits of not drinking and gradually it becomes easier to maintain sobriety.
