Alcohol addiction treatment is the management of one’s drinking problems. It can include psychotherapy, medical detox, as well as the use of medications. One needs to undergo it if the drinking problem has gone out of hand.
It is important to know about alcohol rehabilitation before proceeding with it. In this article, we would be talking about the goals of an alcohol addiction treatment program and the process involved in it.
What is Alcohol Rehabilitation?
Alcohol rehabilitation can be understood as a process of combining psychotherapeutic and medical treatments for addressing an individual’s dependency on alcohol. The main goal of this process is that the patient should remain permanently refrain from alcohol and gain effective psychological tools that are required for long-term sobriety.
It is recommended for anyone who’s health, life, relationships, or work are affected by alcohol or drugs. It enables a patient to become successful and avoid any drastic consequences of alcohol abuse.
Goals of Alcohol Rehabilitation
There are certain defined goals that a rehabilitation center seeks to achieve. These are as follows:
1. End alcohol abuse
One of the most important goals of rehabilitation is to completely stop drinking. This serves as a starting point for other goals during the treatment of alcohol addiction.
2. Create a positive support system
Another important rehabilitation goal of a rehabilitation center for alcohol is to create a positive support system as it ensures success even after the program is over.
3. Improve general health
Improved health allows for a better and healthier lifestyle. It is also important to maintain long-term sobriety. Improvement in general health can often be achieved in inpatient alcohol rehabilitation programs. In some cases, extreme alcohol abuse might need a longer time to see better health conditions.
4. Improve personal circumstances
An alcohol rehabilitation center for alcoholics also aims at giving a successful future to the patient outside the program.
5. Meet educational and employment needs
The goal of rehabilitation is also to set up the patient for becoming successful outside the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation program.
6. Resolve legal problems and reduce criminal behavior
The centers also aim at removing the negative aspects of a patient’s life for facilitating success in the future.
7. Treat psychological problems and psychiatric disorders
Alcohol rehabilitation centers also aim at providing treatment or treatment facilities for some particular psychological problems or disorders.
Process of an Alcohol Rehabilitation Program
Most of the rehabilitation programs have some common processes for detoxification from alcohol. These are as follows:
1. Assessment: When an addict enters a rehabilitation center, the medical in the center would screen him or her and assess the personal situation of the individual. They would then create a program that is unique to the individual.
This mostly includes a physical examination, a psychological screening, a urinalysis drug test, and an assessment of the individual’s circumstances. The main aim of this step is to understand the extent of alcohol abuse as well as to create a program that allows one to succeed in the program.
2. Alcohol detoxification: Alcohol withdrawal begins 3 to 5 hours after your last drink and might not need anything other than medical supervision. During this detox period, the addict is monitored all the time by the staff for making sure that the alcohol withdrawal is not dangerous or complicated.
In extreme cases, medication might be required for preventing or treating seizures. However, in most of the cases, one only needs to be monitored for ensuring safety.
3. Psychotherapy and behavioral treatments: These treatments are the heart of the rehabilitation program and give the addict a base for the future sobriety.
In this phase, the addict works with an alcohol counselor for addressing the current mental as well as the emotional condition that enhanced alcohol addiction. Further, one starts making attitudinal and changes for remaining sober and preventing relapse.
4. Prescription medications: Pharmacotherapy for alcohol addiction is a valuable and emerging tool for alcohol addiction treatment. Examples of medications used in the treatment of alcohol addiction are acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone, antidepressants, and antianxiety medications.
However, such treatments need to be assessed on an individual basis and should be given along with psychosocial treatment. Medications work best in combination with behavioral and psychological treatments.
5. Alcoholism education: It is important to be educated about alcohol abuse during rehabilitation as it engages one’s rational mind and makes one very self-aware. Such education also helps you in breaking down the urge to drink and understanding the origin of your cravings. This helps in avoiding triggers in the future.
6. Supportive social services: In this final step, rehabilitation staff helps to empower an addict by connecting him or her with the services outside the treatment facility. This helps in creating a network of supportive people in a patient’s life.
Conclusion
The above were the basics of alcohol addiction treatment and the process that is followed in most rehabilitation programs across the globe.
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