Is Rehab Effective For Alcoholics?
Enrolling in an alcohol rehab center is an option that you need to weigh properly since it entails commitment and persistence. It is never everyone’s desire to go into rehab, yet if you feel it’s important to achieve sobriety, then reach out to an addiction specialist.
In this article, we are going to uncover the effectiveness of alcohol rehab and its relevant details, so you can have a holistic understanding of it. Let’s start.
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
It is a mental disorder where a person is unable to control one’s drinking pattern, which leads to adverse health effects. The intensity of your alcoholism depends on how long you have been excessively drinking alcohol.
What Are The Principles of An Effective Rehab Treatment
Here are 13 working principles that will create an effective treatment program for alcoholism and addiction.
Addiction is a disease that can be treated, and it alters your normal body and brain functions. Due to the changes in your behavior, you will also have the risk of a relapse.- There’s no such thing as an all-in-one treatment for addiction. Every person is unique in all aspects, so each patient will need a tailored-fit treatment program for their condition. With that, you need the expertise of an addiction specialist because they have the experience and expertise to do it.
- Standard treatment programs must be readily available. Time is of critical essence when a patient needs urgent treatment, so all rehab centers have their standard recovery programs available on the spot. With that, there will be no time delays for treatment.
- A good treatment program will holistically treat the patient. Substance abuse and alcoholism will not just affect your body, but also other aspects such as your mind, social skills, emotion, behavior, learning, and skills. Also, the rehab center must provide appropriate recovery plans that suit your age, gender, and condition.
- It is highly recommended that the patient finish the prescribed duration of the treatment plan. All rehab centers or addiction specialists will provide a specific duration for the treatment program prescribed to patients. Typically, a good medication time frame is one to three months, but a longer duration is better.
- Incorporating Behavioral Therapies. Medication and detoxification alone will never be sufficient to ensure long-term sobriety for any patient. With that, behavioral therapies are included because they will inject moral and emotional support for the patient. Also, it will motivate them to finish their complete and avoid any relapse.
- Medication must be paired with counseling and therapies. Taking prescription medicines is inevitable when undergoing rehab treatment. The patient must religiously abide by the right dosage and time of taking it. Also, pairing that with counseling and therapies is essential to make the program holistic.
- Treatment programs must be periodically assessed and then changed to adapt to the current condition of the patient. Along the process of the program, the patient will have changes with his condition, so the medical personnel will modify the treatment based on that. Also, comprehensive rehab treatment is composed of both medication and therapy to make it holistic.
- Separate treatment for co-occurring mental disorders. Addiction and alcoholism will give rise to co-occurring behavioral problems, which require a separate treatment process.
- Detoxification is just the first step, and the patient needs to undergo a complete rehab treatment after it. The assisted detoxification process is the first step towards sobriety and any treatment programs. Once the patient completes his detox, he needs to proceed with the program properly to avoid relapse.
- Involuntary treatment does work. Not all patients undergoing rehab come in voluntarily, because some of them were forced to take it due to sanctions or legal obligation. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of rehab is never bound if one has done it voluntarily or not.
- Monitored medication is a must to avoid lapses. The prescribed medications given to patients must be religiously monitored because it helps them abstain from craving those abused substances. With that, relapses are also avoided since the person’s cravings are suppressed.
- Detection of Infectious Disease among patients and incorporating counseling for treatment. Addicts are exposed to a higher risk of getting infectious diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and C due to their unhealthy behaviors. With that, the rehab center must implement ways of detecting it and measures to reduce its risk of infecting other patients.
How Effective Is Rehab Treatment? – Highlight Statistics
Here are some highlighted statistics showing the effectiveness of orange county drug rehab programs for the recovery of addicts and alcoholics.
Around 25% of the patients successfully resisted substance abuse after one year of treatment, then 10% have gained dependence from alcoholism.- After a year of treatment, patients were able to reduce their alcohol drinking by 87%
- Treatment programs significantly decreased alcoholism by 20%
- Alcohol-related deaths reduced by 2%
- Out of the four days, patients who received treatment were able to abstain from alcohol consumption for three days.
General Steps for Alcohol Treatment Programs
- Consultation with a doctor or addiction specialist
Before receiving any treatment, you need to have a consultation and check-up from a doctor or seasoned addiction specialist. With that, you will get a customized rehab treatment program that suits your gender, age, and condition.
- Detoxification
It is the first step for any rehab recovery process since it aims to eliminate all toxins left in your system due to alcoholism or substance abuse. Alongside this, you will feel alcohol withdrawal symptoms like nausea, slight tremors, vomiting, headaches, and anxiety. Nonetheless, the doctor can prescribe you medications to alleviate these discomforts while detoxifying.
- Combined Medications and Behavioral Therapies
An intensive and holistic alcohol rehab treatment needs to address all aspects affected – physical, mental, emotional, behavior, and social communication elements. Medication will only cure the physical damages brought by alcoholism, yet correcting this unhealthy habit means modifying your behavior through counseling and support groups.
- Aftercare service
Despite completing your alcohol rehab treatment, you need to ensure you are never going to have a relapse, considering you will be exposed again to risk factors. With that, rehab centers offer aftercare treatment services that will help you monitor and maintain sobriety.
Takeaways
Enrolling yourself in an alcohol rehab center is a wise choice since you will receive sufficient guidance and monitoring for the entire recovery process. Before enrolling yourself, it’s also best to have a one-on-one session with a doctor or addiction specialist; so that you’ll understand better its importance and benefits.
Also, this medical personnel can give you a tailored-fit treatment to gain lifetime sobriety from alcoholism.