Alcohol Rehab: How Rehab Centers Help Addiction Recovery
Alcohol dependence is a serious disease. Alcohol addiction can not only tear a family apart and lead to financial ruin, but it can also lead to the premature death of the alcoholic. Therefore, it is important for individuals suffering from this disease to seek help immediately. Without help, it is nearly impossible for a person addicted to alcohol to recover and return to a normal, healthy life.
Choosing the right alcohol rehab center.
An alcohol rehab facility is the best place to go for people seeking help in recovering from their addiction. Therefore, it is important to determine the type of rehab facility that is best suited for the person’s needs.
There are two forms of help that an alcohol-dependent person can receive from a rehab facility: inpatient and outpatient. With inpatient treatment, the patient stays on the premises of the alcohol detox center. In outpatient treatment, on the other hand, the individual can continue living his or her normal life and still report to the rehab facility to receive support and counselling. Most alcohol detox centers offer both forms of treatment.
The support is provided by an alcohol rehab center.
Regardless of the type of program the alcohol-dependent person goes through, the basics of alcohol withdrawal remain the same. In all cases, the patient’s addiction and other difficulties are kept confidential. In addition, the rehab center includes five main components: a medical evaluation, a psychological evaluation, therapy, detox, and extended care.
The medical assessment
The medical assessment at the alcohol addiction rehab center is designed to help staff identify any physical problems the individual may have. Often, these physical problems are actually caused by alcohol addiction. For example, problems with the liver may have developed as a result of the addiction. After the medical problems have been identified, the staff at the rehab center can work to get the patient physically healthy again.
Improving the patient’s physical health is an important part of addiction recovery. This is because it takes a holistic approach to get an addict back on the road to 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 addiction recovery process.
The psychological assessment
The psychological assessment also provides the rehab center staff with a wealth of important information about the patient. The psychological assessment helps the team better understand the patient. In addition, the team of specialists can determine if the alcohol-dependent person is also struggling with certain mental health issues. For example, it is common for a person suffering from alcohol dependence to also suffer from depression. If this is the case, the program that is developed to help the patient will also include a plan to treat this problem.
Therapy
Generally, an alcohol rehab center offers both group and individual therapy to its patients. Group therapy serves to give the alcoholic support from others who are struggling with the same difficulties. Being able to talk to others who can truly understand you often make it easier for the patient to deal with their problems.
Nonetheless, individual counselling is also crucial to addiction recovery. Being able to work one-on-one with a counsellor helps patients manage their individual conflicts. Individual therapy allows the patient to come to terms with their addiction and work out ways to resolve it by setting individual goals.
Detox
In addition to medical and physical exams, alcohol detox center patients usually undergo a 24-hour medically supervised detox and withdrawal period. During this time, the patient is forced to abstain from alcohol. For many patients coping with their alcohol addiction, this may be the longest they have gone without alcohol in many years.
The detox phase is difficult for the alcoholic because it is accompanied by extreme withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms stress the patient both physically and emotionally. For this reason, an alcohol detox center also provides close monitoring and care for patients during this time.
Extended rehab care
Extended care, sometimes referred to as aftercare, is critical to the success of addiction recovery. Through an extended care program, the patient continues to receive support and assistance from the alcohol detox center after discharge from the more intensive alcohol detox program.
