What are your options for alcohol treatment?

It’s possible that you might be exposed to any or all of the ideas listed below in your journey to recovery.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common options:

1) Residential Treatment – this is the traditional 28 day program where you go and stay in a facility, attend groups and lectures and meetings, learn about alcoholism and different recovery strategies, and so on. Usually there will be a full medical detox involved at the beginning of your stay to actually get you safely off the sauce. Residential treatment can be rather expensive but at the same time it is generally a good baseline for anyone who is looking to get sober and change their life. In other words, it provides a good way to dry out and at least get a few weeks of sobriety under your belt. It is by no means a magic bullet, however, and the real test begins the day that you walk out of the facility. Luckily, most treatment centers will match you up with an aftercare plan so that you are not left hanging when you leave.

Pros: Very effective at producing short term results, good peer support and networking opportunities (meet others in recovery), usually have an aftercare plan.

Cons: Expensive, no guaranteed results, fairly disruptive to one’s life (for someone with a steady job, for example).

2) Therapeutic, one-on-one counseling – this would be where you go see a therapist or counselor once or twice a week in order to help guide you through your alcohol treatment. They can encourage you to take certain actions to help overcome your addiction, work through certain issues with you that might lead you to drinking, and provide support for any progress you might make towards your goal of sobriety. This can be particularly helpful if the counselor has experience with recovery themselves.

Pros: Convenient, not life-disruptive.

Cons: A supplemental strategy in most cases, not drastic enough to produce major life changes on its own.

3) 12 step meetings (AA) - Most people are familiar with the idea of going to AA meetings as means to recovery. Those who do generally recommend going to a meeting every day, especially in the beginning. There is obviously a lot of support to be had from doing so.

Pros: Instant support, therapeutic, routine daily support.

Cons: Low rate of success, danger of limiting growth potential, risk of complacency.

4) Long term treatment – This is where you would go and live somewhere in treatment for several months or even years. It sounds like it is hugely disruptive because it is. The amount of support you have at your disposal is tremendous, however. For some people, long term treatment works when other options have failed.

Pros: Highest level of support, greatest chances for success in most cases.

Cons: Extremely disruptive to life routine.

There are other strategies as well but these are the basic ones. For example, anti-craving medication might be a tactic to consider as well.

And of course you can combine and use all of these approaches together. At different times in my recovery I have used all of them.

Notice too the “life disruption” factor. It is easy to squeeze in an hour of counseling each week, but is that really going to help the struggling alcoholic? Probably not, especially if they are still drinking. It might become a useful strategy later after they have established some sobriety.

Most people balk at the idea of long term treatment, but if your life is in shambles anyway, it might be your best option. For me, long term treatment provided the best level of support, and thus the best chance at achieving long term sobriety. It’s a major life disruption, but that is what I needed at the time. Out of all the alcohol treatment options I could have considered, I am lucky that I stumbled onto long term treatment. I am convinced that it saved my life.