4 Major Types Of Alcoholism Treatment

Alcoholism treatments have become so diverse that an alcoholic (or his family) can choose from a wide variety of treatments when judging what will benefit him best. But before choosing a treatment program it should be realized that alcoholism is a chronic addiction that will not be resolved immediately or without concerted effort.

Some people shy away from the chronic alcoholism treatments available for fear that they will be labeled by society as weaklings or bums. On the contrary, alcoholism is nothing to be ashamed of because 40% of alcoholism addiction is caused by genetics and by other uncontrollable factors that are hard to understand. Often a person who becomes an alcoholic has no choice as he may have been predisposed by his genes. However, he has a choice to undergo treatment to resolve the condition.

There are a lot of reasons why an alcoholic should undergo treatment and among those are these glaring facts:

  • 95% of alcoholics who did not go for treatment die from this addiction
  • If you decide to quit on your own then you have a 4% success rate
  • 50% if you decide to seek treatment and stay sober
  • 70% if you go for treatment, stay sober and regularly attend Alcoholic Anonymous meetings
  • 90% if you do all that, and go for aftercare at least once every week.

Here are your best choices if you decide that alcoholism treatment is the route for you:

1. Join self-help groups - One example of this is Alcoholics Anonymous. Deciding to quit drinking and staying sober is good for you but there could be negative repercussion if you do this alone. Detoxifying yourself from alcohol addiction can result in serious withdrawal symptoms like seizures and nausea and it requires remedial attention.

2. Alcohol Treatment Centers -You can choose from an outpatient or inpatient alcohol treatment facility or center. If your alcoholism problem is not so serious or if you have been detoxified and you want to keep off the bottle then you can go for the outpatient alcohol treatment option. If your addiction is more serious and you need to detoxify then you ought to choose an inpatient treatment program so that your doctors can monitor your condition and can help alleviate your withdrawal symptoms.

3. Psychosocial Therapies - This can include motivational therapy (both patient and therapist will work closely to rid the former of his addiction, oftentimes discussing the benefits of quitting the addiction), couples therapy (this closely involves the participation of the non-alcoholic spouse) or brief interventions (which involves counseling sessions).

4. Pharmacotherapy - This is an attempt to cure alcoholism through the use of drugs like naltrexone (used to control opioid addiction), acamprosate (brings back chemical balance in the brain that has been destroyed by alcohol addiction), disulfiram (causes negative effects when a person takes in alcohol while under this medication), topiramate or even ondansetron (taken by cancer patients to fight nausea but is said to be effective in controlling alcohol craving).

No alcoholism treatment can provide an instant cure to an alcoholic. This is a long term process which will require patience and determination not only on the part of the alcoholic but most importantly on the part of friends and relatives who will be there to support him from start to finish.

Alcoholism Treatment