Inpatient Treatment
Few people ever even consider going to inpatient treatment unless or until they have suffered some significant consequences as a result of their alcohol abuse. Consequences usually include legal, martial, emotional, job, financial and/or physical.
Drug Alcohol Inpatient Treatment
Traditionally and technically, inpatient treatment or rehab is an industry term meaningstaying inside a medical facility strictly for the purpose of detoxing and being treated for drug or alcohol abuse. It has come to mean staying full-time at any level of treatment or rehab care. So, the term inpatient treatment can have several meanings. In either case, whether residing in full time care for just detoxing off alcohol or drugs, or it means full time residency for treatment of alcoholism or addiction.
The length of stay in an inpatient drug alcohol treatment program varies. There are short and long term facilities. Short term could be 5 to 7 days of detox and physical stabilization. Long term would generally mean between 60 to 90 days.
The average length of stay in an inpatient treatment center is 28 days
The First Step
Assessment and Evaluation
Today, most inpatient treatment does extensive evaluation and assessments to help determine medical history, the personality of the client as well as any mental health problems that might exist. The ultimate objective of inpatient drug and or alcohol rehab is to help the client see the changes they will need to make in their lives in order to be successful in abstaining from drug and or alcohol use.
The Second Step - Detox
All inpatient treatment centers should be very aware that no real rehab can take places unless or until the client is physically stable. Therefore, once a new client has been assessed and properly evaluated, they undergo any and all medically monitored detoxification. The detox process can take anywhere from 3 to 14 days depending the kind and amount of drugs and or alcohol the client has been taking.
What to Expect at Inpatient Treatment
No two inpatient treatment programs are quite the same. Most are based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are rules and regulations to make sure everyone is safe and cooperative. Days include some or all of the following activities:
- group and individual therapy
- lectures
- exercise, yoga, tai chi
- going to AA or NA meetings
- special therapies for psychiatric issues
- personal homework assignments
- music therapy, art therapy
- duties, task & responsibilities
The goals of Inpatient Treatment
One of the goals is to educate the alcohol user to the facts about addiction and or alcoholism. Another is to teach the person about the changes needed to live a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. A variety of therapy is included in a given inpatient treatment setting. Much of what happens in inpatient treatment is to make the client aware of their drug alcohol using behavior and the effect and impact it has on their lives.
Most alcoholics and drug addicts are in some stage of denial. Denying the amount of drugs and or alcohol they are consuming and the effect it is having on themselves and others. The next goal of inpatient alcohol treatment is getting the client to see they have suffered consequences as a direct result of their drug and or alcohol use.
Overcoming the disease of alcoholism or drug addiction is not easy. Most people cannot do it without help. The best way to obtain and maintain recovery from alcoholism is to start with inpatient treatment. There is no question the process of learning about staying sober and the disease of alcoholism or addiction improves one's chances of long term recovery. By going to inpatient treatment, a person gains the knowledge, tools and assistance to help them be successful.
The Different Types of Inpatient Treatment Centers
- Gender Specific
- Adult or Adolescent
- Faith Based12-Step vs. Non 12 Step
- Long Term Extended Care
- Wilderness
- Hospital Based
(alcohol '07)
2.5 Million Inpatient Treatment Admissions
The number of persons who reported that the most recent treatment they received in the past year was 2,462,000
Alcohol Inpatient Treatment Admissions
Of the 2.4 million people aged 12 or older who received rehab in 2007, 952,000 received treatment for alcohol only.
Alcohol Inpatient Treatment
In 2007, the number of persons aged 12 or older needing treatment for an alcohol use problem was 19.3 million (7.8 percent of the population aged 12 or older). Of these, 1.6 million (0.6 percent of the total population and 8.1 percent of the people who needed treatment for an alcohol use problem) received alcohol use treatment at a specialty facility.
Thus, there were 17.7 million people who needed treatment but did not receive treatment at a specialty facility for an alcohol use problem. None of these estimates changed significantly between 2006 and 2007 and between 2002 and 2007.
Wanted inpatient treatment - couldn't get inpatient treatment
Among the 17.7 million people aged 12 or older who needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol use problem in 2007, there were 859,000 (4.8 percent) who felt they needed treatment for their alcohol use problem. The number and the percentage were higher than those reported in 2006 (541,000 persons and 3.0 percent, respectively), but were similar to those reported in 2002 (761,000 persons and 4.5 percent, respectively). Of these, 619,000 (72.1 percent) did not make an effort to get treatment, and 240,000 (27.9 percent) made an effort but were unable to get treatment in 2007.
Adolescent Inpatient Treatment Numbers
In 2007, there were 1.4 million youths (5.5 percent) aged 12 to 17 who needed treatment for an alcohol use problem. Of this group, only 82,000 received treatment at a specialty facility.
