Overcoming addiction requires consistent care, monitoring, and qualified treatment. Alcohol addiction is not something that can be treated overnight. There are numerous treatment options and the right one depends on the specific needs of the person with alcohol use disorder. You will have to contact a specialist who understands all the recovery options to get guidance on the best recovery option for yourself.
A qualified centre that provides good treatment options will address any co-occurring issues during the recovery process like triggers and underlying disorders. Rehabilitation centres step in to guide and help the person with alcohol use disorder in finding better ways to manage their triggers in society. The individual with alcohol problems learns how to be more assertive and have a successful recovery process.
If you decide to enrol in an alcohol rehabilitation centre, then you need to be prepared. This guide will help you know what to expect when you check into an alcohol rehabilitation centre.
1. Check-in:
This is the first step, and it helps the alcohol rehabilitation centre learn about your addiction and health history. It will seem like an interview. Do not panic. This step is important because it helps the facility customize the treatment for a more effective recovery process. Do not feel judged. This is a safe space that allows you to be open about your history of addiction and your physical and psychiatric needs.
2. Detox and withdrawal stage:
Just as the name suggests, this step is meant to make you comfortable with withdrawing from alcohol. It is the toughest step because it tackles the addiction head-on. It is considered uncomfortable and dangerous to some extent because most individuals with alcohol problems tend not to function normally without having some little alcohol in their system. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself because you will experience severe physical and psychological symptoms.
The physical symptoms you will experience include shakiness, headache, sweating, clamminess, seizures, nausea, fever, and an irregular or rapid heartbeat. The psychological symptoms that you are likely to experience are agitation, anxiety, nightmares, depression, mood swings, insomnia, and hallucinations. A person who suffers from extreme addiction is likely to experience more severe symptoms.
The alcohol rehabilitation centre will manage the symptoms using medication that will make it safer and easier to bear. This will be administered by medical professionals.
3. Therapy:
This is the next step after completing detox and flushing out the alcohol toxins from your body. Some programs begin therapy during detox while others wait for the individual with alcohol problems to complete the detox stage. Many therapy options run through the daily schedule at rehab. A typical alcohol rehab schedule has the following forms of therapy – individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy.
Therapy is meant to rebuild the relationships that have broken down because of alcohol addiction and recognize their triggers. Recognizing a trigger helps the individual suffering from substance abuse avoid it and makes their family and friends recognize their involvement in the person’s addiction. If an individual suffering from substance abuse knows what triggers them, they will learn how to cope with the same once the alcohol rehab process is completed. It is also meant to help the alcoholic manage their life after completing alcohol rehab. This means that some programs include workshops for skill-building.
A study conducted by Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology shows that combining behavioural therapy with medical treatment and motivational therapies increases the chances of managing alcoholism once the treatment is done. The types of therapy that you will be subjected to include:
- Interpersonal therapy – This therapy involves building your network socially, which regulates and reduces your chances of feeling lonely, experiencing depression, and other emotional issues that are linked to alcohol addiction behaviors. This helps the alcoholic build resistance and reduces the chances of the person relapsing once they are done with the treatment.
- Dialectical behavior therapy is also known as DBT – This therapy helps people who suffer from dual diagnoses. The term Dual diagnosis means that a person has been diagnosed with alcohol addiction and another disorder. This treatment helps the individual suffering from substance abuse manage both issues at the same time so that the disorder does not trigger a relapse. It involves motivational enhancement and the use of behavioral skills.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy also known as CBT – This therapy highlights the response and thought patterns of the person in addiction recovery. It helps the person in addiction recovery alter the thought pattern and behavioral responses. Some people look at alcohol as a solution to their problems and this drives them to relapse. Therefore, even if a person has undergone the therapy and treatment process to the end, they might still relapse because they consider alcohol as their only solution. This therapy helps them understand how to cope with life’s issues without resulting in alcohol consumption.
- Trauma-focused CBT – Just as the name suggests, this form of therapy is similar to CBT, but it focuses on the trauma experienced by the person in addiction recovery. It analyzes the effect that their trauma has on their behavior and thoughts. This helps them note that they have a problem and guides them to heal from the said trauma. This helps the person in addiction recovery break the link between their excessive consumption of alcohol and their trauma.
Family or couples therapy requires the presence of your family or significant other. This form of therapy highlights how your relationship with your loved ones acts as a trigger to your alcoholism. It highlights how you respond to various dynamics by turning to alcohol abuse rather than dealing with the issue. It helps family or significant others understand their contribution and guides them to be a channel of support rather than a trigger.
The behaviours of our loved ones can be triggers and can enable a person’s alcoholism. They will learn how to eliminate the triggers, change their response, and negative patterns, and become a reliable support system for the person struggling with addiction during the recovery process.
4. Aftercare:
This is the last step, and it prepares the person struggling with addiction to live after the recovery process. It prepares the person for the normal routine and helps them transition back to society. This stage allows the person to learn about the post-recovery resources that can help them cope and be more resilient. These include how to avoid triggers, managing cravings, developing a social network, sustaining strong and supportive relationships, and support groups in the community.