Welcome to my site on treatments for alcoholism. Sober recovery is a process that each alcoholic must start on his or her own. But help is available. There are counselors, recovery specialists and support groups out there to help. You will never be alone.
Identifying Suitable Treatments For Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol addiction should not be taken lightly as alcoholism itself should be treated as serious as a life threatening disease.
The longer one has been suffering, due to the addiction, the more rooted the disease will become and the more powerful of a need for proper alcohol treatment options. Suitable alcoholism addiction treatment increases the chances of maintaining successful continuous recovery from the addiction to this substance.
Finding suitable alcohol treatment options for alcoholism is not exactly an easy task as not every individuals’ needs are the same.
Alcoholism addiction treatment centers need to utilize proven and capable techniques for favorable rehabilitation results. A well known program in the treatment world is the twelve step program from the organization alcoholics anonymous. The main goal of any residential treatment clinic is enduring sobriety and that is why the need to be able to study and evaluate the potency of their program over the course of time needs to be thoroughly studied. The data collected from such evaluations will be enormously helpful to all other twelve step rehabilitation treatment centers since they will be able to address any flaws discovered in their treatment programs as they implement them.
Another example of a popular treatment for alcohol addiction is alcoholism detoxification.
Alcoholism detoxification centers, or better known as detox centers, for alcohol addicted individuals’ are only effective if the alcoholic is prepared to stop the drinking once and for all. Detoxification centers will often prescribe drugs or medicines that will create similar experiences to drinking alcohol and aid in minimising or preventing withdrawal symptoms. This technique can be a very successful method in the initial stages of the treatment procedure. Alcoholic detoxification centers are usually private or state run organizations depending on the area that you reside in. To make sure you can easily check with your family doctor who should contain the most current information on these matters.
The sheer variety of treatment centers for alcoholism is as assorted as there are different methods for the treatment of alcoholism. Some clinics identify alcohol abuse as an actual disease and suggest a different treatment than for those who arrive at alcoholism as a social complication or personal choice.
Alcohol treatment options in a rehab center require a stern commitment for an entire change in lifestyle from the patient. Unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases alcohol addicted abusers will cease from drinking and stay sober for short bursts of time only to have the uncontrollable urges return once the stresses or pressures of daily life become too overbearing. For those individuals’ that carry on working within the confines of the twelve step program continue to receive a support system that helps them better deal with such daily anguishes as they come into being.
A final suitable alcoholism treatment option to consider is alcohol clinics.
Tending to alcoholism in the safe confines of alcohol clinics provides a great benefit as the alcoholic cannot renounce the identification from others suffering from alcohol abuse who are also in desperate need of proper treatment. Being able to identify that there is a problem without question is a monumental move forward into a continuous recovery from alcohol abuse or binge drinking and will absolutely provide reinforcement with the treatment already being received.
Keep in mind that the majority of facilities of treatment for alcohol addiction concentrate on being totally abstinent from alcohol. They also offer other alcohol treatment options such as life skills and social support as well as stimulating active participation in local twelve step support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, in their never ending quest for suitable alcoholism addiction treatments.
Visit Christian Alcohol Rehabilitation for more information.
I would like to share important information about treatments for alcoholism with this great article.
Tips for Resisting Drinking Alcohol
If you’ve managed to quit drinking or you are trying to stop, there will be a number of times when you feel tempted to have a drink.
Use these tips to help you resist the temptation.
Health
Think about your health and how much better you undoubtedly feel when you’re not drinking. Consider too the illness and sickness you have probably been through because of alcohol – vomiting, headaches, sleeplessness and more – do you want to repeat that?
If you’ve successfully undergone your own supervised alcohol detox you may also have experienced some unpleasant side effects which you’re unlikely to want to repeat. Although with supervised alcohol detox, you’re often given drugs to help you avoid the most severe and dangerous side effects, you may still experience symptoms such as shaking, nausea, sweating and hallucinations. Focus on how bad you felt and remind yourself that you don’t want it all to have been for nothing.
Hangovers
Relive in your mind the alcohol hangovers you’ve suffered in the past, waking up feeling tired, ill and regretful. What’s the point? Hungover days are often wasted or clouded with depression about the wasted time and money you have caused yourself.
Weight gain
Don’t forget that alcohol can lead to significant weight gain with its empty calories and negative influence. It’s not just the sugar that you’re drinking that can lead to weight gain either. Many people find that they eat the wrong foods when they’ve been drinking, either during the session or the next day. Common foods of choice are fatty, carbohydrate-heavy foods or sugary drinks and snacks.
In addition, heavy drinkers rarely feel like exercising much because they’re drunk, tired or hungover. Think about how good exercise makes you feel and the negatives of lethargy and inactivity.
Waste
Drinking too much too can often result in you wasting a lot of time and money. Focus on that when you’re tempted to drink and think about what else you could do with that time and money. Sometimes drinking can lead to hours, days and even whole weekends being wasted and can also result in a lack of motivation to do anything constructive when you’re not drinking. Time is precious.
If you’re drinking heavily you could be wasting hundreds of pounds each month on alcohol. Count your spending in the hours it would take you to earn it at work if it helps to focus your mind.
Working towards something specific – a qualification or a sporting event, for example, could help you focus, as could saving up for something that you really want, like a holiday, a house or a gadget.
Relationships
Reflect on the problems which alcohol has caused in your relationships – unnecessary arguments, lies and resentment are common. Relationships and trust take time to build so don’t risk losing them by drinking heavily again.
Wellington Lodge is an established not-for-profit specialist alcohol rehab provider. We offer triage, screening and rehabilitation at our comfortable in-patient facility at Wellington Lodge in North London. We also offer out-patient facilities at specialist clinics in Harley Street, London or at Queens Square in Bath, Somerset.
More information all about treatments for alcoholism in the succeeding posts. These are to highlight the success rates when there is determination to stay sober.
Is There a Drug Treatment for Alcoholism?
The FDA has approved drug treatment for alcoholism and alcohol cravings. They are Disulfiram (Antabuse), Naltrexone (Revia and Depade), and Acamprosate (Campral). These drug treatments are by prescription only, and are only prescribed to those who have stopped drinking and are trying to maintain their abstinence.
These drugs either eliminate the satisfaction someone derives from drinking, or cause a severe reaction to imbibing. While drug treatments have been available for some time in the United States, they have never been as popular as they are in Europe. Long-term use and follow-up testing have shown high abstinence rates among chronic alcoholics.
None of these drugs is effective if the alcoholic won’t quit drinking, though. Alcoholism, like any other serious disease, generally requires a network of recovery aids that can include prescribed medication. Alcoholism can cause pancreatitis or various liver diseases. These can be treated with drugs as well, although with different ones.
For the alcoholic who has decided to quit drinking and wants medication as part of a support system, a trip to a physician is in order. Vitamins may be prescribed as well as drugs. Heavy drinking robs the body of nutrients and the patient will feel better once these deficiencies are resolved.
The first drug to be approved for treatment of alcoholism was Disulfiram. More commonly known as Antabuse, it is more of the “stick” approach to abstinence than the “carrot” approach. Antabuse, taken daily in pill form, acts as a deterrent to continued drinking.
Someone taking Antabuse who drinks alcohol may experience sweating, nausea, vomiting, or vertigo. More severe reactions can include depressed respiration, heart failure, or even death. Antabuse is not to be taken lightly.
Another medication, Naltrexone, is sold under the brand names Revia and Depade. An extended-release form of the drug is also sold as Vivitrol. This drug works by reducing the cravings that alcoholics often experience when they stop drinking. Naltrexone is generally taken in pill form, though there is an approved form via injection, and an implant form which has not yet been approved.
The third drug, Acamprosate, was just approved by the FDA in 2004. It’s known by the trade name Campral. It alleviates the physical symptoms that many people feel when they stop drinking. Sweating, loss of sleep and anxiety are all common side effects of sudden abstinence.
Campral is generally taken three times a day, so it requires a little more of a patient commitment than the other two drugs. However, it has the fewest and lightest side effects. Diarrhea, sweating, nausea and dry mouth have been reported. In more severe reactions, chest pains, anxiety or suicidal thoughts have occurred. Obviously, any of these would need to be reported to your physician.
The drug treatment for alcoholism today can alleviate a much broader range of symptoms than in the past. Medication, medical attention and support groups can all help the alcoholic who has had enough of being sick and is ready to move toward recovery and health.
Treatments for alcoholism involve having a good support system to help during the difficult days. These may be family, friends, church or meetings.
Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Treatments for Alcoholism
