Long-term Drug And Alcohol Treatment In Rehabs

By Author: Andy Gee
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Long-Term Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Rehabs
When you become addicted to alcohol and can't control your consumption, this is called alcohol use disorder. Some people are too confident that they can overcome the addiction through their willpower but end up seeking medical help. Do you know why? Because drugs or alcohol have worse effects on the mind and their excessive use leads to some mental disorders which you can't treat yourself.
Trying to overcome addiction without medical help is like trying to treat covid with willpower alone. The First thing to learn is to accept that you're an addict and you need medical help or rehab treatments because you can't overcome it on your own or with only willpower. Medications, therapies, counseling everything plays a major role in your journey.
What is Alcoholism?
This is a general term used by doctors for alcohol addiction. However, your doctor will run a few tests to find out if you're a beginner, at ...
... the mid-stage, or too addicted. If you always feel like you need a drink and you can't live without it, if you have no control over your consumption, if your mood gets irritated or you feel sick when not drinking alcohol, then my friend you're an alcohol addict, unfortunately.
When you visit the doctor, he'll ask you a few questions, check the alcohol level in your blood and then refer you to any rehabilitation clinic as per your condition.
Treatments
Well, the best treatment is the one that serves your purpose and helps you treat the symptoms/condition. The rehabilitation clinic offers a program, which is a combination of different treatments because multiple therapies and medication can help you combat your condition more easily. There are inpatient, and outpatient programs, and you can't switch to outpatient treatment if your inpatient treatment protocol hasn't been completed.
Further treatments include:
• Partial hospitalization
• Teletherapy
• Traditional programs for alcohol disorders
• A holistic approach to treatment
Detox Comes First
Before moving towards the details of inpatient outpatient treatments and other details, let me give some quick information about what's detox and how it works.
Detox itself isn't a cure but helps you control your cravings for alcohol. A detox program is for a week or month, where a patient has to stop drinking to flush out the alcohol from the system. In this program, experts help the patient to find out the reasons behind their addiction and how to live a normal life (alcohol-free).
During the detox stage, the patient goes through different therapies, counseling, medications, yoga art or music therapy for distraction, and multiple activities that'll keep your focus on things other than alcohol. Other than the workshops, exercises, and daily tasks, the rehabilitation clinic will also start CBT which helps in overcoming the addiction, plus the medications will help to treat withdrawal symptoms.
In-Patient Treatment
This is a secure and trustable treatment, where the patient is not exposed to the triggers and stays in one place for a month or year unless the addiction gets over. It is the best option for those who're highly addicted and can't control their desire. During this treatment, the patient stays in the rehabilitation clinic 24/7 and is supervised by the experts round the clock.
Outpatient Treatment
In this treatment, you visit the doctor or the rehab center for the required treatment during day time and go back home at night. Outpatient treatment is a good approach for the ones who have mild to moderate addiction.
Teletherapy
This is the type of treatment, where you get counseling or therapies through video chat. It is only suitable for those who've completed their inpatient outpatient treatment and need therapies from time to time to not get attracted to alcohol again. Moreover, if you've to travel anywhere or can't visit the clinic due to some issues, then teletherapy is the only way to connect to professionals for treatment.
Holistic Programs
This is the type of treatment where the expert will not only focus on your physical or psychological well-being but also help you to heal the body, mind, and spirit. Other than the main components of alcohol rehab, it includes behavioral therapies, counseling, meetings, group therapies, etc. The main goal of this treatment is to provide healing on each level so that the patient lives a stable life.
Medications
You might be surprised to know that there are medications available on the market that helps to treat alcoholism. However, medication is necessary to treat the withdrawal symptoms too. With non-addictive medications, you can easily reach your goal.
Types Of Behavioral Treatments
Alcohol counseling is a must because it helps in changing the behaviors and controlling the desire of drinking alcohol. With the help of behavioral treatments you can:
• Reach the goals you set
• Help in coping with the reasons for addiction or triggers
• Develop new skills to reduce the alcohol drinking habit
• To build a good social support system
• Help you to live a normal life
• Make you able to connect with everyone socially
Following are the types:
Motivational Enhancement TherapyThis therapy is used to give them strength and courage within a short period. With this therapy, you can make changes in the person's drinking habit and also help them to stick to the treatment plan.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
It takes place in a group and the patient has one to one conversation with the therapist. The main focus of this therapy is to find out the situations and feelings that make them an alcoholic. With the help of this therapy, you can find out the triggers and treat the patient accordingly. CBT helps the patient to fight the reasons that lead to alcoholism and help them develop new skills to combat the desire of drinking.
Bried Interventions
This is one on one counseling with a limited period where the counselor guides the risks related to drinking and helps to find their drinking patterns. In addition, the therapist will help you to set goals and then work accordingly.
Family Counseling
This plays a major role in the treatment of the patient. Incorporating the family members or spouse will help speed up the whole drug rehab treatment. Every person is emotionally attached to their family or spouse. If you assure the addict that their family is there for him/her and they understand their condition then this will have a positive effect on the addict's mind. By making a strong bond between the patient and their family, chances of positive recovery increase.
FDA Approved Medicines
Following are the FDA-approved medicines for drug rehabilitation.
• Acamprosate
• Naltrexone
• Disulfiram