Types of Alcohol Rehab

There are over 10,000 alcohol-rehab treatment centers in the United States, all offering help on the road to sobriety for any of the 12 million alcoholics who desire it. Because these facilities vary slightly in their method of treatment and who they are designed for, it is important to know the facts about the type of treatment that will work best for you.

History

• Alcoholics Anonymous, the first program to offer any type of compassionate rehabilitation for alcoholics, was founded in 1935 by Bob Smith and Bill Wilson. Both had been alcoholics themselves. Through their recovery, they joined together to help many other alcoholics know sobriety. Wilson and Smith were responsible for developing the 12-step program, a set of principles to assist a recovering alcoholic beat addiction. The first halfway house was developed by Bob Smith and his wife. They would allow alcoholics to reside in their home while attempting to recover from the disease. Their 12-step program and the ideals that Alcoholics Anonymous incorporates are still used in alcohol-rehab programs today.

Significance

• While once thought of as an incurable, immoral condition, alcoholism is now considered a health condition requiring treatment. It is a disease that can affect teens, younger adults and older adults. Alcoholism brings alcoholics to their knees, often destroying their careers, their families and themselves. It is also a condition that can be fatal, causing liver, brain and heart damage. By attending an alcohol-rehab treatment program, an alcoholic is given renewed hope for a life of sobriety through the compassion of health-care professionals, counselors and peers who have already come to know sobriety.

Function

• Treatment programs vary according to the level of addiction and the age of the alcoholic. At rehab centers, treatment plans are developed according to the individual alcoholic's specific needs. While some may only need outpatient treatment, some require a residential rehab center. There are also rehabs specifically designed for teens. Many rehab facilities incorporate the 12-step program at some point, while providing group and individualized counseling. They help treat withdrawal symptoms through the use of medications, allowing the alcoholic the ability to accept the therapeutic treatments that are the heart of the recovery.

Types

• The outpatient method is available for those whose addiction is not severe. During outpatient rehab, alcoholics spend approximately four hours a day in group and individual counseling, but reside in their own homes on nights and weekends.
  Sober-living homes, or half-way houses, provide a greater level of structure for the alcoholic, with conditions that must be met. These include having a curfew each night, paying rent, holding a job and attending support-group meetings every evening.
  Detoxification takes place in a hospital. Its goal is to eliminate every bit of alcohol from the patient's system.
  Residential-rehab centers provide residents with full-time therapy. This type of alcohol rehab is designed for those who suffer from severe addiction. The goal of these centers is to provide the alcoholic with the tools needed to obtain long-term sobriety.
  There are also alcohol-rehab centers designed specifically for teens. They differ in their treatment approach, understanding that teens deal with a different set of emotional issues causing their addiction than adults do. Teens also think differently, caring more about the opinions of their peers. In this type of alcohol rehab, peer counseling has a greater effect than one-on-one counseling with a psychologist.

Time Frame

• The process of detoxification lasts for a period of three days to two weeks, depending on the severity of the addiction. While some alcohol-rehab centers promise a quick fix to alcohol addiction, the rule of thumb is a stay of 30 or more days in residential centers. However, some alcoholics may stay for more than a year if their battle with addiction is proving difficult to overcome. The most important element and determining factor when it comes to the length of time spent in rehab is the level of commitment the alcoholic has to achieving lifelong sobriety.

Considerations

• Before choosing an alcohol-rehab center, it is important to tour the facility. This will ensure that you will feel comfortable in your living environment, which will allow you to focus all your attention on the psychological aspect of the disease and your recovery from it. Cost is also a factor. The most expensive centers cost around $40,000 for a 30-day stay. Some are more reasonably priced, and some are even free because they are funded by the county they are located in.
  Finally, in a study completed by Harvard Medical School, it has been found that those who remain sober for five years or longer increase their chances of remaining sober for life. While those who suffer from alcoholism may always be considered "alcoholics," they can become and remain "recovering alcoholics" with the assistance of an alcohol-rehab program.