Delivering Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Alcohol dependency is prevalent in Western society and around the world and has been a social issue that has been documented since the ancient Egyptians started brewing their version of beer. Alcohol misuse, particularly by lower social classes during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Britain, spurred prohibitionists and reformists to tackle the issue of alcohol misuse in response with the Gin Laws. It is only in the twentieth century that we see alcohol addiction treatment take root as the primary means of curbing the excesses caused by alcohol abuse.

Alcohol addiction treatment takes many forms, however the 12 Step Model as developed by Alcoholics Anonymous is used in over 90% of alcohol rehab centers in the country. This approach to alcohol addiction treatment follows the medical methodology that sees alcoholism as a lifelong disease as opposed to the lesser used social approach which regards misuse of alcohol as a matter of personal choice.

The wide availability of alcohol in our society has led to addiction and dependency for a wide range of individuals from all classes. Rich or poor, the numbers of Americans that have and are being treated for alcohol dependency come from all walks of life. The cost of alcoholism is enormous to our economy in productive time lost due to illness, criminal activity associated with the influence of alcohol and the social and personal cost to patients, their families and society as a whole. In this context, the cost of delivering alcohol addiction treatment should be viewed as an investment in the patient and by society as a whole.

Alcohol addiction treatment usually has the goal of complete abstinence which is subsequently maintained after an initial treatment phase by support efforts to prevent relapsing back into the use of alcohol. The accessibility of alcohol makes incidences of relapse extremely high and alcohol addiction treatment also must put in place strategies and contingency plans to deal with a return to alcohol use. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism delivered the results of recent research in February 2007 which demonstrated that at the one year anniversary of completing alcohol rehab, a third of alcoholics were sober, whereas 40% had adopted a pattern of moderate drinking though a substantial improvement over their chronic state, and sadly, 25% had relapsed totally back into alcohol dependency. These numbers provide the challenging reality that faces alcohol dependent patients and practitioners of alcohol addiction treatment.

What is detox in alcohol addiction treatment ?

Detoxification or “detox” is the process by which the alcoholic’s body has alcohol removed from it. Detox does not in itself address the underlying cause of alcoholism, but it is a necessary step in the treatment process. Medical supervision is required as the effects on the patient are severe in all except the mild alcoholic, so when assessing a rehab center it should also be checked to ensure that the detox program also provides medical cover.

Drugs are often administered during alcohol addiction treatment and Benzodiazepine is most often used to assist in the transition state of detoxification and mitigate the effect of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. There are different methods of administering the drug however it is most common that a baseline dose is administered to the patient sufficient to produce a state of sedation. Finding the baseline dosage usually takes approximately three days depending on the patient and the severity of alcohol addiction. Once the state of sedation has been reached, the dose administered is gradually reduced over a period of time, typically between three and ten days, again depending on the severity of alcohol dependency.

Following detox, treatment for the underlying cause of the disease can be started and this usually takes the form of intensive individual, family and group therapy. If treatment ceases after detox, then the patient will relapse back into alcohol use. The aim of this approach is to instill a sense of awareness in the patient so they recognize the damage that their alcohol dependency is creating. Improving self-esteem and sense of worth are coupled with life strategies for recognizing and dealing with the urge to return to alcohol use.

The use of therapy in alcohol addiction treatment

Following detox, the compulsion to use alcohol is treated and this requires approaches and strategies to deal with the cause of the disease in the first instance, any underlying social or mental problems, addiction to other substance (the so called dual diagnosis) and preparing the patient for life after discharge.

Therapy and psychotherapy have been found to extremely useful in helping patients uncover the reasons for their dependency which may be social and family pressures, caused by work, financial worries, or family break up. Dealing with the issues that have caused a patient to turn to alcohol is important if the long term objective of alcohol addiction treatment is to be met, that is abstinence and sobriety. A relapse is probable if a patient is treated and discharged only to be confronted unprepared with the same issues that caused alcohol dependency in the very first instance.

Family therapy is used for two fold reasons; first a patient may be seeking help because of the intervention from family and friends, or the threat of the loss of a marriage or children. Very often the familial bonds will have been badly damaged or broken depending on the severity of the alcohol dependency and the behavior of the patient. The actor David Hasselhof and the recent public demonstration of his behavior while under the influence of alcohol with his daughters demonstrate this very well. Family therapy will help to repair the damage that has been caused to the relationships with the patient and between other family members. This also leads on to the second reason for family therapy, and that is to prepare the patient with an immediate support network to help deal with alcohol dependency after discharge from treatment.

Individual and group therapy also are used extensively. Many people question why an alcoholic cannot just quit, and the answer goes to the very heart of the meaning of addiction. The compulsion to engage in a behavior that is destructive but which arouses denial in the patient of this compulsion even occurring. The ability for a patient to recognize the effect of their addiction is a crucial component of alcohol addiction treatment. From this degree of self awareness both individual and group therapy aims to provide tactics and strategies for the patient to deal with the urge to use alcohol which may be sparked by any one of a myriad occurrences such as meeting certain people, visiting certain places or being in a particular situation, even a smell may evoke the urge to return to alcohol us.