Important Aspects of an Alcohol Rehab Program
1. No single alcohol treatment program is appropriate for all individuals. Matching alcohol treatment settings, interventions, and alcohol rehab services to each individual’s particular problems and needs is critical to his or her ultimate success.
2. Alcohol rehab programs need to be readily available. Individuals who are suffering from alcohol addiction may be uncertain about entering alcoholism treatment. Taking advantage of opportunities when a person is ready for alcohol addiction treatment is crucial.
3. Effective alcohol rehab programs attend to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her alcohol/drug use. To be effective, alcohol treatment programs must address the individual’s alcohol use and any associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems.
4. An individual’s GLBT alcohol addiction treatment and alcohol rehab treatment plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that the treatment plan meets the person’s changing needs. A patient may require varying combinations of alcohol rehab services and alcohol treatment components during the course of treatment and recovery. In addition to counseling or psychotherapy, a patient at times may require medication, other medical services, family therapy, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and social and legal services. It is critical that the treatment approach be appropriate to the individual’s age, gender, ethnicity, and culture.
5. Remaining in alcohol rehab for an adequate period of time is critical for alcohol addiction treatment effectiveness. The appropriate duration for an individual depends on his or her problems and needs. Because people often leave alcoholism treatment prematurely, alcohol rehab programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.
6. Counseling and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective alcoholism treatment. In therapy, patients address issues of motivation, build skills to resist alcohol use, replace alcohol-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, and improve problem-solving abilities.
7. Medications are an important element of alcoholism treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
8. Alcohol addicted individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way. Because addictive disorders and mental disorders often occur in the same individual, patients presenting for either condition should be assessed and treated for the co-occurrence of the other type of disorder. These types of disorders are referred to as a dual diagnosis.
9. Medical detoxification, alcohol detox, is only the first stage of alcohol addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term alcohol use. Medical detoxification, alcohol detox, safely manages the acute physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. While detoxification, alcohol detox, alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective alcohol addiction treatment.
10. Alcohol rehab treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective. Strong motivation can facilitate the alcohol treatment process. Sanctions or enticements in the family, employment setting, or criminal justice system can increase significantly both treatment entry and retention rates and the success of alcohol treatment interventions.
11. Alcohol rehab programs should provide assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, and counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place themselves or others at risk of infection. Counseling can help patients avoid high-risk behavior, as well as, help people who are already infected manage their illness.
12. Recovery from alcoholism can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of alcoholism treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapse can occur during or after successful alcohol treatment episodes. Addicted individuals may require prolonged alcoholism treatment and multiple episodes of treatment to achieve long-term sobriety and fully restored functioning. Participation in self-help support programs during and following treatment often is helpful in maintaining abstinence
