It’s time to have a sobering discussion about alcoholism. Did you know alcohol use disorder affects roughly 14 million U.S. adults? That’s a staggering number, which means almost 6% of the population in the United States is struggling with this disease.
But sadly, the impact of alcoholism goes far beyond these statistics. This disease causes a split in families, a loss of careers, and for some, eventually death. But what is being done to combat this growing issue? Programmes like Richmond VA alcohol treatment are taking steps to provide alcoholism treatment.
Some of the treatment options available for alcoholism include:
Medical Options
Most people are often apprehensive about quitting alcohol because of the withdrawal symptoms. But to win the alcoholism battle, you must embrace the good and the bad. The good news is there are medical treatment options in place to help you deal with the withdrawal symptoms. The most common medical treatment option for alcoholism is medical detox.
What is medical detox? This is the process of getting rid of toxins in your body because of alcohol abuse and is done with medical professionals’ help. When you stop taking alcohol, your body has to go through a detoxification process. This process triggers withdrawal symptoms since your body is trying to adjust to having no alcohol.
Withdrawal symptoms are unpleasant and, in some cases, life-threatening. Medical detox helps your body eliminate the toxic alcohol influence while keeping you comfortable and safe. Every detox facility has its own set of specialized protocols and plans. But most plans may include emotional support, medications, stress management, nutrition, and other therapeutic approaches.
It’s important to note that, unlike other alcohol abuse treatments, medical detox is short-term. So, you may need to follow up your detox with other alcoholism treatments.
Supportive Resources and Aftercare
Some supportive resources for alcoholism include:
Residential Inpatient Treatment: Inpatient/ residential treatment centers offer patients 24-hour rehabilitation and care while providing access to psychiatric and on-call medical services during their stay. These facilities vary in services and amenities, but they all incorporate several recovery programs like coping skills education, group and individual counseling, and a relapse prevention class.
Most residential inpatient treatment facilities offer their programs for 30 to 90 days. This duration of time enables patients to focus on their recovery without distractions.
Partial Hospitalization Treatment: This is also often referred to as day programming. This form of treatment provides a relatively intensive care level that is slightly more flexible than a residential program. A partial hospitalization treatment allows patients to attend treatment during the day and head home afterward. But, you must check in five days a week and attend group therapy for four hours daily. This type of treatment is suitable for individuals living in a stable environment and with a strong support network.
Outpatient Program: This type of treatment focuses on providing alcoholism treatment for a few hours throughout the week. Outpatient treatments are limited to a few hours throughout the week. Attendants are often required to attend daily or three times per week depending on the program.
For aftercare treatment, there is Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and other 12-step programs. These programs provide peer support for individuals looking to cut back or quit alcohol. However, it’s important to note that aftercare treatments only provide additional support after completing the other treatments.
Behavioral and Psychotherapeutic Approaches
The last type of alcohol treatment is behavioral and psychotherapeutic approaches. These treatments help provide a roadmap for psychologists to understand the patient better. It helps them provide the patient with tools they can use to stay motivated and manage their cravings. These treatments include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This treatment method helps identify an individual’s negative behaviors and thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Its approach focuses less on diagnosis and more on an individual’s constructive actions, like confronting fears. Patients also develop strategies that can help them stop drinking alcohol.
Talk Therapy: This form of therapy allows the patient to open up about their problems and experiences to a trained psychologist. Patients can discuss daily challenges, past traumas, and long-standing issues with talk therapy. At the end of the treatment, you can receive guidance on how to develop solutions to deal with your alcoholism.
While all the above treatments work, it’s important to note that they don’t do so exclusively. It would help if you had a combination of different treatments to treat your alcoholism and stay sober. Finding the right alcoholism treatment is possible if you work with a suitable treatment center.
