Finding the Right Treatment Program When Alcohol Takes Control

Everyone has that moment when they realize their drinking has gotten out of hand. It may be waking up with yet another hangover you swore last night would be your last. It may be the look on your partner’s face when you go to pour your third drink before dinner. Or it may simply be the quiet acknowledgment that you can’t remember the last day you didn’t consume alcohol.

Whatever that moment may be, everyone has it – and unfortunately, it is often followed by a more challenging question: now what?

The treatment world inundates many options. Inpatient programs. Outpatient therapy. 12-step meetings. Medication-assisted treatment. Holistic approaches. Some cost a price tag as high as your average new vehicle. Some are covered by insurance. Some, to be quite honest, seem more effective than others, and when you’re down on your luck, figuring out the best route becomes an overwhelming process.

What Actually Works When It Comes to Treatment

Here’s the thing: if you’re reliant on alcohol, it’s not just about willpower to change and fix things. Your brain has literally changed when exposed to the addictive substance. Alcohol impacts the brain’s dopamine pathway, GABA receptors, and other neurotransmitters and pathways that sound complicated because they are. Yet, the reality is that you have a physical condition, not a moral deficiency.

Good programs realize this. They don’t just give you some pamphlets and send you on your way with a talking-to. They understand the physical withdrawal (which can be deadly without medical intervention), the psychological habits that have formed during years of action, and the deep-rooted issues that may foster dependency in the first place.

Most effective programs consist of medical detox, individual therapy, group therapy, and aftercare planning in varying degrees, depending on other factors.

When Is Medical Detox Necessary?

If you’ve been drinking over a significant period of time – many months or years – your body cannot simply stop drinking without potentially killing you. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures, extreme delusions, and hallucinations; delirium tremens operates at a mortality rate of 15% without formal treatment.

Medical detox is available for such circumstances. Medical professionals monitor you around the clock with access to emergency intervention if something goes wrong. In addition, they can medicate symptoms of withdrawal when necessary (i.e., severe anxiety) and provide supplemental fluids and electrolytes via IV for those too nauseous to keep anything down.

It’s not a pretty process. But it’s a safe process – and living through these symptoms without help renders people forgetting how critical this intervention can be.

Medical detox lasts anywhere from five days to seven days but can extend longer based on how much and how long you’ve been drinking. Some people walk through symptoms relatively easy with slight regret and remorse. Others find it more complicated and difficult. The bottom line is that there is no way to truly know how someone will respond – making having medical professionals present make a world of a difference.

Inpatient or Outpatient Treatment?

Once you’re through detox, the real work begins – it helps change your mindset about why you were drinking in the first place and how you’ll live life differently without alcohol.

Inpatient (residential) treatment programs last 30/60/90 days where patients stay at the facility away from people, places and environments that perpetuate drinking. For many people who have high levels of dependency or those who’ve tried to quit with external courses of treatment before and still can’t do it on their own or if you’re looking for comprehensive care, this alcohol rehab in Reno facility offer scheduled day-to-day programming options to assist with the medical and psychological realities of recovery.

Inpatient treatment is structured. You wake up, go to group treatment, meet with your individual therapist, have medications prescribed (if necessary), engage in a creative group session and have closing group before bed – all without access to alcohol in between. It takes away daily temptation.

Outpatient treatment lets people live at home while going into treatment several times a week – for example, going in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to meet with professionals and attend group therapy. This option is good for those not as dependent, who have good support systems at home and who can successfully stay away from alcohol without 24 hour need for supervision.

It’s also more cost-efficient while allowing people to keep jobs or care for family responsibilities.

However, the downside is that outpatient treatment requires more reliance on integrity. You go home to the same stresses – that may include access to alcohol – after every treatment meeting; for some people, that’s feasible; but for others, it’s setting oneself up for failure.

The Unknown Component of Treatment: Therapy

Detox gets you safely situated on your feet again – but it’s the therapy component that’s life-changing long-term.

Most programs utilize cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first step – and accountability – tools help create new thoughts instead of naturally defaulting to old ones (habits). A good program helps teach patients insights where they didn’t consider views before; stressors or people who trigger previous urges should be avoided. Thus, it’s essential that those addressing their treatment understand healthy coping mechanisms that don’t rely upon substances.

It’s also great to sit in group therapy sessions with others who understand exactly what you’re going through – as much as family and friends want to try and sympathize, sometimes it’s best to engage with strangers who’ve gone through similar experiences but for different reasons along the same lines.

In addition, individual therapy explores deeper-rooted issues: traumas, anxiety/depression and relationship problems – all things patients may have previously self-medicated but now need help addressing – and unless proper programs meet these concerns head-on day to day – even regularly – sobriety will only present itself as temporary if its roots aren’t immediately explored.

Cost Implications

Treatment costs money – there’s no denying it – and inpatient treatment usually costs $10K-$30K for a 30 day stay in a standard facility; luxury rehab (more like spas) cost substantially more though it’s still undetermined whether added amenities help increase success rates.

What many don’t realize is that thanks to the Affordable Care Act as an essential health benefit, most insurance companies will cover addiction treatment; while it may not cover it all – high out-of-pocket fees/expensive copays/deductibles – it will cover at least part of it.

Many treatment centers come equipped with financial counselors who can help assess financial needs based on insurance possibilities; more specifically, they can set up payment plans or find programs feasible for people. Non-profit facilities often cater to sliding-scale payments and state-funded programs offer no-cost options – but usually come with waiting lists.

The important factor is that finances shouldn’t determine whether you secure recovery; although various solutions may take time to become apparent – even if they’re available.

The Transition Post Treatment

Discharge from treatment is scary; after living in a safe environment for almost two months (or more), suddenly you’re released back into the world where alcohol exists everywhere – and nobody’s watching what you’re doing anymore.

That’s why aftercare is part of comprehensive quality programming – the best places don’t just pat you on the back after discharge and hand out lists of AA meetings; they help set people up with additional therapists/on-going support groups/recovery planning/prevention planning even sober living housing beforehand until one can return back to work/family life without temptations expected day-to-day.

Just because you’ve completed treatment doesn’t mean you’re always recovered – it’s an ongoing process that includes effort, support even adjustments after relapse (which is normal). When comparing relapse rates among addiction vs other chronic diseases like diabetes or hypertension – if you relapse it doesn’t mean you’re unsuccessful; it just means your game plan changes.

The right treatment program provides you with a plethora of tools/resources/expertise once alcohol has taken control of your life. It operates as necessary for physical dependency/habitual psychology/deeper manifestations all at once. While it’s not easy – it’s worth it – all forms of recovery report those re-engaged into society find success daily – and so can you!