Top Options for Alcohol Addiction Treatments
If you’re suffering from alcohol addiction, no matter how severe your situation, there’s always a form of alcohol addiction treatment that could help you with your problem. A study shows that almost one-third of the people who have alcohol addiction recover fully after being treated. So here are different options to treat alcohol addiction that you can explore.
Alcohol Detox Treatment
The primary step of alcohol addiction treatment is to detoxify your body from alcohol. It’s also one of the most challenging steps for the patient. If you’re addicted to drinking alcohol, the first few days after you stop drinking would be extremely difficult. You may feel very uncomfortable, and some of the withdrawal symptoms will slowly appear.
For these reasons, the stage of alcohol detox treatment should be under professional medical care. Most people who experience withdrawal symptoms go to a treatment center or a hospital to seek medical attention. Most of these people experience uncontrollable tremors, hallucinations, and seizures around the body.
If you experience withdrawal symptoms, it’s better to seek medical attention as soon as possible. The experts or doctors can keep an eye on your treatment and progress. They will be able to provide you with the medication you need to help ease the impulse to drink and pain from withdrawal. You can then focus on getting better. The next step after detox depends on what you need for the treatment.
Related article: How to Deal with Alcohol Addiction Successfully
Behaviour Modification Treatments
People who have alcohol addiction drink as much as they could to their satisfaction. For that reason, you may need to learn a few skills and coping mechanisms to help you with your urges. Even if you just come out from a treatment center, you’re still vulnerable to temptations. The urge to drink becomes stronger once you’re out in familiar environments.
Your doctor may need to refer you to a counselor to help you with your situation. You can also enter an alcohol addiction treatment program for you to learn the skills and strategies you needed for your alcohol addiction recovery.
Various Types of Behavioral Treatments
Brief Interventions
Brief intervention is a type of treatment that is short and time-limited. It can be a small group counseling session or a one-on-one talk with your counselor. In this treatment, the counselor provides various information about the potential risks of alcohol addiction.
You will talk about your drinking pattern and other problems with the counselor. The counselor will then create goals with you and work on helping you with your alcohol problem. You will also exchange ideas about what you should do to avoid drinking again.
Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment
This type of alcohol addiction treatment can also be in small groups or one-on-one sessions with your therapist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the primary reasons that led to alcohol addiction. Such cues can be feelings or situations that were too much for you to handle.
The goal of this therapy is to change the thoughts that led you to heavy drinking. Also, you will have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to confront your everyday situations. It is in this way that you can avoid consuming alcohol.
Marital and Family Counselling
This type of therapy focuses on the family of the patient. It allows the counselor to involve family members in the therapy sessions to serve as an essential role in helping the patient. It also encourages the patient to improve their relationship with the family. A study shows that strong family support increases the chances of maintaining drinking abstinence.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
This type of therapy is only for a short period. The goal of motivational enhancement therapy is to build and strengthen the motivation of the patient. The patient can make changes to his or her drinking patterns and build confidence to develop the skills needed to stop their alcohol addiction.
Pharmaceutical Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
Although there are no specific pills that could cure alcohol addiction, there are medicines that can help with the treatment. These pills can help people who want to stop drinking alcohol or those who just got out of a treatment facility. Here’s a list of the three approved medications for alcohol addiction treatment.
Acamprosate (Campral)
If you already stopped drinking alcohol and just got out of a treatment center, there will still be an impulse that you can’t entirely control. Therefore, if you still experience discomfort, uneasiness, or distress, this type of tablet can help relieve those feelings.
Naltrexone (Revia)
Taking this pill blocks the effects of alcohol on the brain. In addition to that, if you still have cravings, taking medicine could help lessen the urge to drink alcohol. This medication can definitely help you when you’re trying to recover from alcohol addiction.
Antabuse (Disulfiram)
This tablet works as a deterrent to prevent you from drinking alcohol. Also, it has side effects in the body if the person consumes any alcohol. This type of alcohol addiction treatment works best when the person who has alcohol addiction has the desire to quit drinking alcohol. For people who genuinely want to remain sober and avoid drinking alcohol, this medication can give them extra help to prevent relapse.
Related article: What’s Stopping People from Seeking Addiction Treatment?
Takeaway
Alcohol addiction isn’t one of those problems you can turn a blind eye on. Recovery is a long and painful process. Some may need ongoing alcohol addiction treatment until they’re able to control their impulses. Some people, also in the recovery process, relapse and drink again.
But, if you’re sincere enough to stop drinking, you can always find the help you need for your problem. So give yourself time and commit to alcohol addiction treatment. If you think you’ve failed, you can always start again, and the recovery gets easier by that time.
Here at Addiction Rehab Centers, we are committed to helping everyone that struggles with alcoholism. We can get you the right place and people to help you with alcohol addiction treatment. Contact us today to learn more.
