Alcohol Rehabilitation

Focus

Effective alcohol rehabilitation programs provide a variety of services aimed at meeting the treatment goals and needs of the people they serve. Your goals, or those of your loved one, should be the springboard for treatment. This means that you or your loved one determines the pace for alcohol rehabilitation according to your (or your loved one's) readiness to recover or change. Many people seek alcohol rehabilitation or enroll in alcohol rehabilitation centers as a result of problems caused by the addiction, but they may not believe that alcohol rehabilitation is necessary or even possible. When alcohol rehabilitation programs prematurely force recovery for the individual who is not ready, the likelihood for treatment dropout increases.

For these reasons, an individual with alcoholism may not be ready for an abstinence-based program but may benefit from less intensive services until that readiness occurs. Therefore, although alcohol rehabilitation programs promote abstinence, initial treatment goals for a person in early recovery might be to reduce use, improve the individual's ability to function day to day, or minimize complications that occur as a result of the alcoholism. This might best occur through education about alcoholism, alcohol rehabilitation, the effects of addiction, and the effectiveness of alcohol rehabilitation programs. As the individual progresses, alcohol rehabilitation should focus on helping the individual identify goals and gain confidence in his or her ability to change.

Later recovery stages for alcohol rehabilitation centers or inpatient alcohol rehabilitation programs should include:

• Development of relapse prevention skills


• Education about alcoholism, as well as information about other conditions that might be present


• Identification or relapse triggers


• Evaluation for medication treatments to control cravings or reduce withdrawal symptoms. If a mental health condition is also present, medications might also be necessary to treat that condition.


• Incorporation of 12-Step recovery groups and sponsorship

For a free confidential assessment to determine whether alcohol rehabilitation may be right for you or your loved one, click here.