Alcohol Addiction Treatment

The very first step in any alcohol addiction treatment is the realisation that a problem exists.

If you are trying to help another person to kick their alcohol addiction, you will not get anywhere at all unless the person admits they have a problem and want help. When a person is ready to stop drinking, the next step is getting sober.

Getting sober will not be as easy as you might think. Some individuals will need medical help during the withdrawal stage, and should not stop “cold turkey” without consulting a medical professional.

During the detox stage, as it is known, a variety of symptoms may be experienced, including withdrawal symptoms which include irritability, insomnia, agitation, nausea, vomiting, headache, loss of appetite, hand tremors, increased blood pressure, rapid pulse, low grade fever, heart palpitations, delusions, hallucinations, and seizures.

Alcohol Addiction Treatments available:

There are different alcohol addiction treatment programs available, with the majority using the same factors such as learning to live life without alcohol and counselling to help the individual to learn how to cope.

Residential treatment involves the person living at a treatment facility in which the patient must be drug and alcohol free.

In the majority of cases, the person will live at the facility for a period of 30 days to 90 days. During this time, they will be living a dorm type building with others that are either addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Each day will be structured including the time to wake up and the time for bed. During the time spent at the Residential treatment center, all individuals will be required to attend self-help classes, counselling sessions (both individually and in a group), and do chores such as keeping their area clean, working in the kitchen, or other areas around the facility.

Partial hospitalisation is a relapse prevention program that normally meets between three and five times per week for around four to six hours each session. In the majority of cases, the individuals are required to receive medical monitoring as an outpatient.

Intensive outpatient programs are also relapse prevention programs but are normally scheduled around a persons work, school, or family schedule. Patients meet three days per week for between two and four hours.

Twelve step programs are programs in which individuals meet normally once or twice per week.

During these meetings, each person has a chance to speak about how they are coping being alcohol free as well as learning how others are coping. These programs often use a buddy system, so the person will always have a person to call if they are having problems with their cravings.

Counselling is often included in each of the above treatments.

If the counselling is not included with the treatment, it is often used after a person has gone through treatment to help them to learn to cope with the problems of every day life.

The counselling can be individual, group, couple, or family sessions.

Once counselling has begun, the person often learns the causes of their alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and can learn how to cope with these issues without feeling as though they need to turn to alcohol.

The success of any alcohol addiction treatment program has more to do with the person than the program.

One person can attend a 12-step program and never drink again, while another person can graduate from a 90-day residential treatment program and start drinking within a week of leaving the facility. If a person truly wants to stop drinking then any alcohol treatment program will be successful.

All alcohol treatment programs help a person become sober, learn to live their lives without alcohol, and even work with each individual to help them cope.

Once the body has detoxed and the withdrawal symptoms are gone, living a life without alcohol can be achieved once a person learns how to carry on their day-to-day lives without drinking.

Residential treatment programs often have a better success rate as they work on the whole body, not just the addiction to alcohol. During the time in the residential treatment program, a person will learn a schedule and will learn that they can cope with alcohol free life again.

Living in the treatment center, doing every day chores, and counselling sessions will help the person be prepared to begin their life anew, alcohol free.

Learn more about alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, & alcohol rehab.