Alcoholism and alcohol use disorder is often described as a downward spiral. The alcoholism leaves a person miserable, who then seeks more alcohol to feel better, only getting worse instead. The vicious circle destroys health, careers, relationships, friendships and ultimately family bonds. No surprise, many clients literally feel like they can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel anymore. Fortunately, even the worst of alcohol addictions can be helped. A number of treatment approaches are available, and clients can get back to a healthy, normal life again.
Factors Contributing to Addiction
Many times, alcoholism and alcohol abuse don’t occur on their own. Multiple factors and elements can put a person in a vulnerable position to develop a drinking addiction. These include medical conditions, psychological factors, family issues, personal history, career pressures, stress, social issues and more. As a result, an effective alcohol addiction treatment program needs to approach a client’s treatment as a multi-factored approach versus just trying to treat the physical addiction alone.
The Difference in Professional Treatment
A professional approach to treatment will involve a well-trained medical specialist team that works best out of a rehabilitation program and facility. Even if the treatment will be outpatient, medical specialists are essential to identify the nature, scope, and extent of addiction and how to customize the treatment for the specific needs of the individual. And, when one commits to an inpatient program, the support provided by such a team is 24/7, day and night, through the detox phase and smoothly into the recovery and sustaining phase.
Real Recovery is Rooted in the Mind
However, even with the best help, people have to remember that recovery from alcoholism and alcohol abuse is very much a process, not a simple treatment reaction such as taking a pill for pain relief. Under half of the number of folks who try to achieve sobriety and recovery tend to relapse within a year of starting. Those who do succeed are able to do so because they engaged in ongoing counseling and group therapy for ongoing support.
Like any addiction, ultimately the recovery starts when the person realizes he or she needs to stop the condition and try to heal. This mental switch is essential for any physical recovery to begin as well as to continue. The recognition can happen in a number of ways. It can be self-induced. It can happen through family or friend intervention. Or many times it occurs through social response such as getting in trouble with the law or suffering negative career impacts due to alcoholism. Whichever the case, when the person begins to accept help is needed, the detox and recovery phases can begin.
Getting Treatment and Types
There is no bad time to start trying to get treatment. Ideally, as soon as an addiction is identified, treatment should be sought. However, many times folks have been addicted for a long time before it became a serious problem. And such conditions come with complicated relational problems such as financial problems, family disorder, marriage dissolution, legal problems, career problems and more. This can make a person feel like treatment needs to wait until the other problem is solved, but in reality, the treatment should come first. And that starts by reaching out to medical experts for help.
As mentioned earlier, there are multiple ways treatment can be applied. These include:
- Alcoholism Detoxification – Probably the most recognizable treatment, this phase involves the separation of the individual from the physical effects of alcohol so the client can break from the physical cravings. It involves separation, withdrawals, medical treatment for symptoms, and re-establishment of physical health. Many times clients suffer physical reactions to the detox process, which is why the close monitoring of medical experts is essential for success. Otherwise, clients frequently seek out their addiction for quick relief.
- Inpatient Rehabilitation – This type of treatment involves a combination of detox, medical treatment and recovery help all in one. The client is contained in a medical facility with expert medical staff on hand, and he or she goes through a full process that can take weeks or even months before an initial recovery condition is reached. The benefit is that the care provided is 24/7 and doesn’t allow the client to quickly seek relief through the addiction again. It tends to be the most successful method of physical “drying out” for clients.
- Alcoholism Counseling – Because the mental condition ultimately drives or loses recovery, alcohol counseling is a long-term followup treatment approach that keeps providing support for individuals to stay away from the physical sources of their addiction. To work out the problems that drove them to alcohol abuse, and to provide peer support. A therapist guides the counseling and group sessions often give clients a peer outlet for emotional and mental release. This, in turn, builds resilience and the confidence to stay away from relapse.
Quest 2 Recovery in Lancaster CA provides a Southern California comprehensive approach to alcohol abuse addiction treatment. It is designed as a holistic treatment that insures both short-term and long-term treatment are applied specifically to the individual needs of the client versus a cookie-cutter recipe. When you or a loved one realize it’s time for help, Quest 2 Recovery is ready to help. Contact us today for more information.
