The art of building abstinence into aftercare has long been a debate among addiction therapists. Alcoholics have an especially difficult time eliminating the temptation due to the widespread available of beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Sold legally, and socially acceptable, alcohol is one of the most challenging addictions to break. It is under these circumstances that professional alcoholism treatment centers work to toward building a viable strategy for client rehabilitation.
The wide range of treatment plan options has expanded since the introduction of the popular 12-step self-help program strategy. Interventions and therapies appropriated from interdisciplinary models, such as couples-therapy and motivational enhancement therapy add value to the rubric of traditional alcoholism treatment center strategies employed in the clinical setting.
Advances in evidence based practice research that refer to generalizable findings in clinical research on alcoholism, suggest that there has been significant progress made toward combined therapies, including integration of targeted, individual treatment and pharmacological intervention in conjunction with 12-step group therapy.
How to design and implement an alcoholism treatment plan focused on the self-volition and improved chance of lifelong recovery of the client is outlined in the following treatment options:
1. 12-Step Group Programs – the model most used by alcohol treatment centers and in aftercare of patients, the 12-step group approach to alcohol-related problems guided by the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) framework outlines a program for living based on steps to abstinence and recovery.
2. Psychosocial Therapy – psychosocial approaches to treatment of alcohol-related problems include: Motivational Enhancement Therapy; Couples Therapy; and Brief Interventions.
3. Combined Alcohol and Nicotine Addiction Treatment – the imbalance caused by nicotine and alcohol interacting in the brain can be a basis for coinciding addictions, and simultaneous recovery.
4. Pharmacotherapy – clinically prescribed medication to promote abstinence from alcohol such as Naltrexone (ReViaTM) can be used as an aid for preventing relapse.
Going the Distance: the Road to Recovery
It can be said that the road to recovery from alcoholism is lifelong. The circumstances leading to an alcoholic’s addiction to alcohol are often unique. Research supporting combined therapies has proven that identification of a patient’s individual need is the best approach to determining an appropriate treatment strategy. Alcoholism treatment centers responsible for the development and implementation of interventions look to the individual needs of patients in the creation of a treatment plan.
If you or a loved one requires alcoholism intervention, request a consultation and a list of treatment options. Successful treatment begins with communication. Ask about how you can recover from alcohol addiction from a specialist. Seek the path to freedom from the temptations of alcohol. Alcoholism treatment centers offer treatment from clinical and therapeutic experts in a comfortable setting.
