Alcohol Rehab Centers: What to Know When Choosing

These are signs of alcohol use disorder (AUD), an addiction to alcohol commonly called alcoholism. If you worry about how much you drink, feeling like you cannot stop, or you have a loved one who exhibits signs of alcohol use disorder, you may consider finding a rehabilitation program to overcome these compulsive behaviors.

Diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder

It may be tempting to quit alcohol cold turkey, or all of a sudden, but without help to manage withdrawal symptoms and social support to stay away from alcohol after detoxing, it will be difficult for you to avoid relapse. Instead, consider the first step to be an appointment with a physician for a diagnosis. A doctor or therapist will use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) to determine if you have AUD, based on 11 criteria:

If you experience two or three of these criteria for at least one year, you have an alcohol use disorder. Two or three symptoms is considered mild, four to five is considered moderate, and six or more is deemed severe. Your clinician can recommend a course of treatment, starting with detox, based on how severe your AUD is.

Rehabilitation is the main focus of the long-term recovery process. This starts with detox, but rehabilitation also involves behavioral therapy to change your thoughts and behaviors around alcohol. It is crucial to have medical support during detox and to find an evidence-based rehabilitation program. There are many options available to personalize your alcohol rehab experience.

What Should You Look for in an Alcohol Rehab Center?

In many cases, the same organization or facility offers detox and rehabilitation, so you have continued care in a familiar environment or location. It is important to choose an alcohol rehab center that is comfortable for you, which means you should feel financially secure, emotionally supported, and physically stable.

There are some criteria you should look for in treatment programs geared toward your needs.

• If there is a waiting list, the average wait time is not extensive.
• Their policy about communicating with the outside world fits your needs. If you’d like to communicate regularly with your loved ones, they allow for this.
• They offer complementary treatments that appeal to you, such as art therapy, nutritional support, exercise classes, music therapy, spiritual guidance, religious services, or therapy for co-occurring disorders.
• They feature peer support meetings on their premises or easy access to 12-step or similar meetings.
• The program offers cognitive-behavioral approaches that appeal to you.
• Social workers, case managers, or therapists are on staff to help create an aftercare plan.
• Follow-up care is provided once the program is complete.

Approaches to Therapy Focused on Alcohol Abuse

The main focus of alcohol rehab programs is therapy. There are a few therapeutic approaches for groups and individuals that have been found to work well to change behaviors related to alcohol.

Make a list of your personal needs for a rehabilitation program, including things like a flexible schedule, family visitation hours, and amenities. You can then ask any rehabilitation program you are looking at if they can meet these needs at the same time you ask the questions listed above about accreditation, therapy approaches, medical staff and prescription access, and more.

START RECOVERY TODAY

Addiction is a serious chronic disease that has reached epidemic levels in the U.S. Whether you have become dependent on legitimately acquired prescriptions of illicit street drugs, it’s important to seek help immediately. Even though addiction is chronic and difficult to overcome, it is treatable. Through treatment options tailored to your needs and a variety of therapies, you can become addiction-free and start on your road to recovery.

Though there are thousands of people struggling with addiction, countless people achieve long-lasting sobriety and go on to live productive lives.