Treatment for Alcoholism
Treatment for Alcoholism – Drug Addiction
Alcoholism treatment can be done in various ways. group therapy and support from family and friends is also very essential
It has been established that alcohol is one of the most addictive and abused substance the world over and the most surprising point is that despite its known dangers to human life, it is not listed among the illegal drugs thereby allowing its consumption freely. All the efforts the authorities are putting in place to put control to the usage of alcohol has not yielded much because today alcohol still remains the number one abused drug globally. Because of the magnitude of health complications associated with alcohol consumption, we will be discussing in our subsequent articles about various effects of alcohol to human life but for the purpose of this article we will look at the possible treatment available to those who have been considered to be alcoholics. There are many medical options for treating alcohol use disorders which generally depends partly on the intensity and the duration of the patient has been drinking. The treatment options may include:
- Behavioral therapy like individual sessions with a health professional and support groups
- Medications
In administering treatment for alcoholism your doctor will do a brief intervention to help the patient to reduce or stop their drinking. During this process your doctor will give you an action plan for working on your drinking. The action plan may include:
- Keeping a daily diary of how much alcohol you consume
- Setting targeted goals for your drinking
- If you’ve reached alcoholism stage then anti-craving or aversion medication may be recommended.
Treatment for Alcoholism – Overall Treatment Goals
The ultimate goal for goal for alcoholism treatment is to secure patients total abstinence. When this is achieved it offers a better survival rates, mental health and sound marriages. Patients who attain this often become good and responsible parents, employees or employers compared to those who keeps relapsing. Achieving this may not be an easy task and therefore the patient will need to avoid high-risk situations and interchange the addictive patterns with much more useful and satisfying activities and behaviors. Many professionals may choose to treat alcoholism as chronic disease where patients will be expected to accept relapse even as they purpose for a long remission period as possible. Every step taken is an achievement because even very small reduction of alcohol intake is significant enough to lower the risk for alcohol-related medical problems.
It is highly regarded that achieving total abstinence and a voiding high risk situations are the optimal goals for alcoholics. This should also be supplemented by involving family members and friends by way of educating them on how to offer social support to the addicts. When it is approached from different directions like that then some level of success will be achieved.
Treatment for Alcoholism – Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment
Inpatient Treatment – this is usually a reserved for patients whose conditions of alcoholism places them in danger normally this is done in a general or psychiatric hospital or in any other facility dedicated to treatment of alcohol and other substance abuse. Factors that indicate a need for this type of treatment include:
- Coexisting medical or psychiatric disorder
- Delirium tremens (a neurological condition associated with withdrawal that involves uncontrollable trembling, sweating, anxiety, and hallucinations or other symptoms of psychosis)
- Potential harm to self or others
- Failure to respond to conservative treatments
- Disruptive home environment
A typical inpatient regimen may include the following stages:
- A physical and psychiatric work-up for any physical or mental disorders
- Detoxification – this phase involves initiating abstinence, managing withdrawal symptoms and complications, and ensuring that the patient remains in treatment
- On-going treatment with medications in some cases
- Psychotherapy, usually cognitive behavioral therapy
- An introduction to AA
Some studies have established better success rates with inpatient treatment of patients with alcoholism. However resent studies strongly suggest that alcoholism can be effectively treated in outpatient settings as opposed to the inpatient.
Outpatient Treatment – People with mild-to-moderate withdrawal symptoms are usually treated as outpatients. Basically treatments methods are similar to those in inpatient situations and may include:
- Psychotherapy or counseling
- Medications that target brain chemicals involved in addiction
- Social support groups such as AA
- Cognitive therapies
- Involvement of family and other significant people in patient’s life
The current approach to outpatient treatment uses medical management a disease management approach that is used for chronic illnesses such as diabetes. With medical management, patients receive regular 20-minute sessions with a health care provider. The provider monitors the patient’s medical condition, medication, and alcohol consumption.
After-Care and Work Therapy – this kind of care uses services to help maintain sobriety. For example, in some cities, sober-living houses provide residences for people who are trying to stay sober. They do not offer formal treatment services, but the people living there offer each other support and maintain an abstinent environment.
The treatment of alcoholism is a process that involves many stages and serious commitment to the recovery process. When an addict makes the first and most important step of seeking for help the journey will be along one and a difficult one for that matter. Like indicated earlier treatment process may be complicated and fall back or relapsing may be the order of the day. But in all this you must take courage because you have chosen a worthy course for your life and that of people around you. Seeking for professional help along the way would be a good idea. For instance you may visit AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a medical facility established by doctor Dalal Akoury who is a medical doctor of over two decades of practice. Doctor Akoury has been helping many people overcome their addiction problems across the state and the world over in the most natural and efficient way. Your addiction condition will be professionally handled in her care while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will have your life back and live it to the fullest.
Treatment for Alcoholism – Drug Addiction
What is self-hypnosis?
The Entertainment Side Of Stage Hypnosis
