Alcohol Rehab: How Rehab Centers Help Addiction Recovery
Alcohol addiction is a serious disease. Not only can it tear a
family apart and lead to financial ruin, it can also lead to the
premature death of the alcoholic. Therefore, it is vital for
person suffering from this disease to find help immediately.
Without help, it is nearly impossible for a person with an
alcohol addiction to recover and return to a normal, healthy
life.
* Choosing the Right Alcohol Rehab Center
An alcohol rehab center is the best source for a person looking
for assistance with addiction recovery. Therefore, it is
necessary to determine the type of rehab center best suited to
the individual's needs.
There are two forms of help a person with an alcohol addiction
can receive from a rehab center: inpatient and outpatient. With
inpatient treatment, the patient remains on the premises of the
alcohol rehab center. Outpatient treatment, on the other hand,
permits the individual to continue with his or her regular life
while still reporting to the rehab center for assistance and
guidance. The majority of alcohol rehab centers offer both forms
of treatment.
* The Support of an Alcohol Rehab Center
Regardless of the type of program the person with an alcohol
addiction follows, the basics of alcohol rehab remain the same.
In all cases, the addiction and other difficulties the patient
faces are kept confidential. In addition, the rehab center will
also include five primary components: a medical evaluation, a
psychological evaluation, therapy, detox, and extended care.
* The Medical Evaluation
The medical evaluation conducted by the alcohol rehab center is
meant to help the staff identify any physical problems the
person with an alcohol addiction may have. Often, these physical
problems are actually caused by the alcohol addiction. Problems
with the liver, for example, may have developed as a result of
the addiction. After medical problems have been identified, the
staff of the rehab center can work toward making the patient
physically healthy once more.
Improving the patient's physical health is an important
component of addiction recovery. This is because it takes a
holistic approach to get an addict back on the road toward
recovery. This includes taking care of the patient's physical,
mental, and emotional health. Without this three-pronged
approach, the patient is more likely to fail in the process of
addiction recovery.
* The Psychological Evaluation
The psychological evaluation also provides the staff of the
rehab center with volumes of important information about the
patient. The psychological evaluation helps the team better
understand the patient. In addition, the team of specialists can
determine whether the person suffering from alcohol addiction is
also struggling from certain psychological problems. For
example, it is common for a person suffering from alcohol
addiction to also suffer from depression. If this is the case,
the program developed to assist the patient will also include a
plan to address this issue.
* Therapy
Generally, an alcohol rehab center will provide both group and
individual therapy to its patients. The group therapy is
designed to give the person with an alcohol addiction support
from others who are experiencing the same difficulties. Being
able to share in the struggles with those who can truly
understand often makes the process easier for a patient to deal
with.
Nonetheless, individual counseling is also critical to addiction
recovery. Having the opportunity to work one-on-one with a
counselor helps the patient work through his or her own
individual conflicts. Through individual therapy, the patient
can come to terms with his or her addiction and work through
ways to resolve it by setting individual goals.
* Detoxification
In addition the medical and physical evaluations, patients of
alcohol rehab centers generally undergo a 24-hour medically
supervised detoxification and withdrawal period. During this
period, the patient is forced to go without alcohol. For many
patients coping with alcohol addiction, this may be the longest
time they have gone without alcohol in many years.
The detoxification period is difficult for the person suffering
from alcohol addiction because it is accompanied by extreme
withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms take their toll on the
patient both physically and mentally. For this reason, an
alcohol rehab center also provides close patient monitoring and
assistance during this period.
* Extended Care
Extended care, which is also sometimes referred to as aftercare,
is vital to the success of addiction recovery. Through an
extended care program, the patient continues to receive support
and assistance from the alcohol rehab center after being
released from the more intensive alcohol rehab program.
Extended care programs are designed to help monitor the
patient's success in alcohol addiction recovery. To do this
appropriately, the program staff watch over the patient to be
sure he or she is utilizing the new skills gained during rehab.
For instance, the extended care specialist may work with the
patient to be sure he or she is staying away from specific
crowds of people that encourage drinking. Or, the extended care
specialist may check to be sure the patient is utilizing
appropriate resistance skills. Without a strong extended care
program, it is easy for the patient to fall back into the cycle
of abuse.