Give Me 10 Minutes: I’ll Give You the Truth About Alcohol Addiction Treatment
You lead a busy life and you don’t have time to become an addiction specialist. If you are suffering from an alcohol addiction, you need information and you need it fast.
The following discussion quickly and efficiently lays down some truths about alcohol addiction treatment. If you need more information, stop searching the web and go straight to an expert. Call 888-646-0635Who Answers? to speak to someone who can answer all of your questions in clear, straightforward terms.
It Works
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is a body of research that tracks the long-term outcomes of people who have had addiction treatment. It demonstrates that people who enter and remain in treatment:
- Stop using substances
- Lessen criminal activity
- Better their psychological functioning
- Better their social functioning
- Better their occupational functioning
There Isn’t a Single Alcohol Addiction Treatment That Works for Every Single Person
Relapsing during or after treatment is normal and doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Because there are so many people with alcohol addictions (over 16 million in 2014), there are a lot of different addiction scenarios, and there isn’t a single treatment equipped to address all of them. Treatment must be matched to a patient’s needs and the needs of their addiction. This is why alcohol rehab centers work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan.
You Have to Remain in Treatment for an Adequate Period of Time in Order for it to Work
Obviously, each individual treatment plan will indicate the length of time needed to successfully complete alcohol addiction treatment. However, the success of all plans depends upon your remaining in treatment for the full length indicated. The National Institute on Drug Abuse references research that indicates most patients need at least three months of treatment to stop their drug use or significantly reduce it. They argue that the best outcomes are the result of lengthier treatment durations.
It didn’t take you a day or a week to develop your addiction and it won’t be treated swiftly either. Treatment is a complicated process that needs long-term development and may actually require multiple episodes, as relapse is common.
Relapse Is Not Failure
Treatment can successfully manage your alcohol addiction as medical intervention would help to manage any other chronic disease. And, like other chronic diseases, alcohol addiction is a relapsing issue. The National Institute on Drug Abuse considers it “not only possible but also likely.”
However, it is important that you know symptom recurrence rates of alcohol addiction are on par with those of other chronic diseases, like asthma, hypertension, and diabetes. These disease, like addiction, have both behavioral and physiological components and their treatment works to counteract the disease’s effects on both brain and behavior.
Sadly, many people see relapse as failure. That isn’t the case. If you were having your asthma treated and you showed a decrease in symptoms, the treatment would be deemed a success, even if the symptoms grew once you discontinued treatment. These lapses are natural. They simply mean you need to reinstate or adjust your current treatment or consider a new one.
Medications Are an Important Part of Treating Alcohol Addiction
You might think that using medication to treat alcohol addiction simply replaces one addiction with another, but that isn’t the case. When used as directed, these medications help patients make it through withdrawal and decrease their chance of relapse.
Withdrawal sets in during a period called detoxification. This is the process by which the alcohol rehab center uses interventions to ease a patient from a state of active intoxication to a drug and alcohol free state. Alcohol addiction can make this transition incredibly painful and even dangerous. The use of medications eases and even alleviates these symptoms, allowing a patient to remain healthy and safe.
Alcohol addiction causes changes in your brain and medication is one way of reversing some of these changes. In addition, it can decrease cravings. Both of these outcomes works to prevent relapse.
The three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in treating alcohol addiction are:
- Naltrexone: This medication reduces relapse by blocking cravings and eliminating the rewarding effects of alcohol.
- Acamprosate: This medication reduces symptoms of withdrawal that linger long-term, like anxiety and dysphoria.
- Disulfiram: This medication interrupts the breakdown of alcohol and causes a series of unpleasant reactions when a user drinks. These include nausea and intense flushing.
To learn more about the ways that alcohol addiction is treated in alcohol rehab, call 888-646-0635Who Answers?. There’s no reason to wait.
