Alcohol addiction is a progressive illness that can destroy

the life of the alcoholic and those around him. When someone
abuses alcohol to the point of becoming an alcoholic, specific
treatment for alcohol addiction is often necessary. Alcoholics
can almost never get better without some form of directed
alcohol addiction treatment. Alcohol abuse treatment and
alcohol addiction treatment programs can take several forms
such as professional rehabilitation program, self-help alcohol
addiction treatment, and alcohol abuse therapy. No matter
which treatment for alcohol addiction is chosen, support from
those around the alcoholic is critical for successful treatment of
alcoholism.

Alcohol addiction treatment rehabilitation programs

(sometimes simply called rehab) are formal programs that can
be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Alcohol treatment
rehab is typically done in an addiction treatment centre or in a
hospital and the alcohol addiction treatment is generally done
by doctors, nurses and other certified individuals. Often many
of the people in rehab treatment for alcoholism are people in
recovery themselves. Alcoholism treatment rehabilitation
programs are available in these formats which includes
inpatient where the treatment is held in a hospital, outpatient
or partial hospitalization or sometimes called day treatment,
and residential where the alcoholic lives at the addiction
treatment centre.

No matter what kind of rehabilitation treatment program

for alcoholism is chosen, these steps are common. Firstly, an in-
depth assessment is conducted in order to fully understand the
alcoholic and the alcohol addiction treatment that would be
best for him. This assessment is done by a doctor or a
substance abuse counsellor and may include information given
by the family and friends of the alcoholic. Then, an alcoholism
treatment plan is created that outlines problems, treatment
goals and the ways to meet those goals. This may also include
treatment of health issues besides addiction such as a mental
illness. The next step may be medical care during the initial
alcohol withdrawal period, known as detoxification or simply
detox.

Alcohol detoxification is the abrupt cessation of drinking

alcohol combined with medications used to combat the
symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol detoxification is
always done under medical supervision, either as an inpatient
or outpatient. Alcohol detox may be handled at an alcohol
treatment centre or at a hospital. Alcohol detoxification is
typically five to seven days after the alcoholic has stopped
drinking. It is during this time that the most severe withdrawal
symptoms can occur and be medically dealt with. Alcohol
detoxification can be deadly if done outside of medical care.
Medical care during detoxification depends on the specific
alcoholic's drinking pattern and risk factors for adverse events
during detox.

Alcohol therapy, including group and individual

counselling, will also occur during the treatment for alcohol
addiction. Types of counselling vary by alcohol addiction
treatment program. In this therapy, education about alcohol
addiction and alcoholism treatment will be given, sometimes
including books to read, written assignments and behaviors to
initiate. Life skills are generally also taught during alcohol
abuse treatment to help put into place healthy ways of dealing
with issues that were previously dealt with by drinking.

The alcoholic may be tested for drug and alcohol use

during alcohol addiction treatment. Relapse prevention
techniques are often taught during rehabilitation to help
prevent future drinking. Family education and counselling
services are also provided or coordinated by the alcohol
addiction treatment program to help the family through the
problems and behavioral patterns caused by the problem
drinker. Finally, follow-up care may be provided by the
alcoholism treatment program or may be provided by
associated health systems.

Other than rehabilitation, self-help alcohol addiction

treatment may include a number of self-paced resources such
as websites, books and support groups. Common alcoholic
treatment and support groups include Alcoholics Anonymous
and SMART (self-management and recovery training) Recovery
and Secular Organizations for Sobriety. The alcohol addiction
treatment provided by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) places
importance on working through 12 predefined steps to achieve
and maintain recovery. Also central to AA is the concept of a
sponsor. The sponsor is a recovering alcoholic chosen by the
alcoholic seeking treatment to guide the alcoholic through the
12 steps, as well as provide support to keep the alcoholic from
drinking. Alcoholics Anonymous requires members to attend
meetings which are always free.
 The treatment for alcoholism provided by SMART Recovery
is a set of tools and skills used by the alcoholic to attain and
maintain recovery. SMART recovery offers free in-person and
online meetings. This alcohol abuse treatment focuses on these
four points which are motivation to abstain from drinking,
coping with the urge to drink, problem solving skills to manage
thoughts and behaviors, and lifestyle balance for short-term
and long-term pleasures.

The primary goal of alcoholism treatment, as in other

areas of medicine, is to help the patient to achieve and
maintain long-term remission of disease. For alcohol addicts,
remission means the continuous maintenance of sobriety. There
is continuing and growing concern among clinicians about the
high rate of relapse among their alcoholic patients, and the
increasingly adverse consequences of continuing disease. For
this reason, preventing relapse is, perhaps, the fundamental
issue in alcoholism treatment today.

Relapse is a progressive process of becoming so

dysfunctional in recovery that self-medication with alcohol
seems like a reasonable choice, and it is the challenge faced by
the alcoholic who are trying to overcome alcohol addiction.
Many people who relapse say that when they took the first
drinks, it seemed that they were on automatic pilot, as though
they were in a film and couldn't even seem to watch
themselves disinterestedly from outside as they walked in the
bar, opened the bottle.
 According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, it only takes one or two drinks to inevitably lead
back to massive drinking within a short period. Relapse is an
ever-present threat and part of the general recovery process for
the majority of alcohol addicts. Many alcoholics, 80-90 percent,
experience one or more relapses before achieving a lasting
sobriety. A minority manage to have none at all.

In order for an individual to prevent a drinking relapse,

they must make a decision to comply with the alcoholism
treatment regimen. "Research shows us that lack of treatment
for alcoholism or alcoholism rehab compliance is the main
cause for relapse among alcoholics," says Jonathan Huttner, of
Lakeview Health Systems, an addiction treatment, alcohol and
drug rehab center. Few recovering addicts or alcoholics fully
realize just how diligent they have to become in following
addiction treatment or rehab suggestions in order to maintain
long term recovery from alcoholism.

Modern science, both biological and behavioral, has

explored a number of different leads in the quest to prevent
relapse. These range from pharmacological agents, such as the
serotonin uptake blockers and disulfiram, to behavior
constructs, such as cue extinction and skills training. Although
these are promising leads that one day may improve
significantly the chances of alcohol dependent persons to
continue long-term sobriety, there are no definitive answers yet
to this troubling aspect of alcoholism treatment.
 For example, the interesting work on pharmacological
agents to help prevent relapse evolved from the study of brain
receptors, and suggests that serotonin may diminish an
alcoholic's desire or craving for alcohol. This research, however,
must be confirmed by properly conducted controlled clinical
trials before widespread application to treating alcohol
dependency. Similarly, behavioral approaches have been well
described by the talented scientists who undertook the initial
studies; however, evidence of the effectiveness of these
approaches in preventing relapse in dependent drinkers has not
been documented in adequate controlled trials.

Although we are not yet at the point where we can state

definitively what works best in preventing relapse, we can at
least rejoice because we are on the brink of a new period in
alcoholism treatment research that ultimately will help us to
develop this knowledge. For the present, therapists should
examine critically the evidence for new nonpharmacological
approaches before initiating them. Similarly, good clinical
wisdom should discourage the use of unproven
pharmacological agents to prevent alcoholism relapse until the
efficacy of using such agents in this regard is proven. It is very
important to seek help early as alcohol addiction is a disease
that can destroy our life entirely, and it shouldnt be taken
lightly.