The key to the successful and long-term recovery from your alcohol addiction is alcohol rehab. However, rehabilitation can only yield effective results if undertaken by an accredited and licensed center. There are many rehab facilities that broadcast their instant cures and high success rates, but you will often find that they lack sufficient services to ensure that alcoholics keep away from alcohol permanently.
Patient-Treatment Matching
The first service that a noteworthy center will provide is patient-treatment matching. In this process, clinicians prescribe a mode of treatment based on the results of your assessment, as opposed to applying a general therapy for all patients. These centers acknowledge that individuals with alcohol problems cannot be classified under a homogeneous group that has identical reasons for drinking. Therefore, they provide a range of treatments that work best for different individuals based on the characteristics of their risky behaviors.
Some of the attributes that influence the choice of alcohol treatment approach include: gender, severity of alcohol involvement, conceptual level, psychiatric severity, and presence of social support, among others. At times, the client can be provided with the available options for treatments to determine the one that they want to receive. This is based on the assumption that a patient will more likely to participate in the treatment process whole heartedly, as opposed to using an intervention that is uncomfortable. Some of the treatment options that you are likely to find in an alcohol treatment center include in-patient programs, outpatient programs, faith-based programs, and long-term rehabilitation programs, among others.
Outpatient Alcohol Rehab Programs
This approach is recommended to alcoholics who are still in the initial stages of alcohol dependency, and are only beginning to be aware of the looming problem. If you notice that drinking everyday is starting to feel normal, then this program will help you to stop before the problem gets out of hand. The length of the program varies from several weeks to a few months. Within this period, you will be assisted to attain and maintain abstinence or reduced harmful alcohol consumption, in addition to making personal adjustments to reduce the risk of a relapse. The process involves daily sessions of treatments such as medication management, individual, family or group therapy, and other additional services depending on your conditions. Outpatient rehab programs are suited for you if you have a stable mental and medical condition, show willingness to take part in the treatment, and present no risk of withdrawal complications.
Inpatient Alcohol Rehab Programs
These programs are ideal for people who are in advanced stages of alcohol addiction. This is the right program for you if you have recently realized that you have persistent issues regarding your alcohol dependency, and that the situation is rapidly changing for the worst. This program can also work for you if you have tried to quit several times before in vain. As such, you will be provided with intensive detox sessions, and 24-hour supervision that can be either hospital-based or residential. Some of these programs are generic, in that they require you to meet specific criteria to be admitted, while others cater for specific people based on family status, gender, ethnicity, or severity of addiction. There are different categories of inpatient programs:
Short- vs. Long-term Programs
Short-term addiction rehab programs have a variable length of stay and are provided to individuals who were unable to stay sober through other less intensive treatments such as intensive outpatient and partial hospital treatments, or for severe addictions with high risk of relapse.
Long-term addiction programs include halfway houses, therapeutic communities and specialized programs that will help you overcome a severe pattern of addiction or critical life impairment that deprives you of social support or vocational skills.
Detoxification
With detoxification, clinicians will give you medicine to suppress withdrawal symptoms. The program can be undertaken within a medical hospital, psychiatric hospital or an addiction rehabilitation facility. You are suited for detox if you have serious withdrawal complications like seizures, or exhibit suicidal feelings. For instance, detox will help you if you are unable to stop using alcohol without risking your health. Detoxification may take 1-2 weeks, but it’s usually not be enough for you to completely stop using. That is why it’s recommended that you join a rehabilitation facility for 30-90 days for follow-up treatment, which may include individual therapy, group therapy, relapse prevention, etc.
Partial Alcohol Rehab Treatment
This program will require you to attend sessions for a few hours every day, for five days a week. The sessions comprise support and therapy that will assist you to acquire the necessary skills that will enable you to remain sober without requiring 24 hour supervision. This program allows you to live in your own residence as long as you attend all your sessions.
Final Note:
These are the common alcohol treatment programs, though you can find more like faith-based treatment, therapeutic communities, and adolescent treatment. Each program has its own curriculum that is uniquely designed to meet your rehabilitation needs based on the severity of your addiction and need for particular support structure or system. Some programs are harsh, but the common objective for alcohol rehab facilities is to help you and other alcoholics manage their alcoholism and maintain sobriety for good.