Detoxification is often the starting point to getting an alcoholic on the road to recovery. Detoxification treats primarily the physical effects on the body of consuming alcohol over a prolonged period of time. However it does not technically treat the disease of alcoholism. Once detoxification is over with it is very likely that a person will relapse if no other from of treatment is put into play. Often rehabilitation (or “rehab”) can occur in either an inpatient setting or by way of an outpatient setting of a hospital or clinic. The need for detox varies from person to person and ifs often dependent on a variety of factors such as a person’s age, their history of alcohol consumption and their medical status.
The American Medical Association defines the term Alcoholism as: “alcoholism is an illness characterized by significant impairment that is directly associated with persistent and excessive use of alcohol. Impairment may involve physiological, psychological or social dysfunction.” The treatment for alcoholism must therefore address all of these issues: the physical needs of the body, the psychological issues and the social dysfunction.
The physical issues revolve around how the person’s body is processing and coping with the drug – alcohol.
The psychological issues revolve around how the person is responding cognitively and emotionally while under the influence of alcohol and in-between periods of drinking.
Alcoholism is the fourth leading cause of disability in the world. Alcoholism is increasingly viewed as a chronic disease and is the cause of approximately 100,000 preventable deaths in the United States each year. There are many treatment options such as Alcoholics Anonymous, addiction counseling, behavioral counseling, and medications. As with all chronic diseases, long-term comprehensive management is necessary to sustain the desired result, which in this case is sobriety. The view of alcoholism as a chronic disease has led to the development of many new medications and in particular, a medication called Naltrexone.
Alcoholism affects many different people of all shapes, size, ages, races, and circumstances. Likewise, the various treatment modalities for alcoholism also come in different shapes and sizes. There are treatment centers in every state and within them are programs for people from all walks of life. One of the most popular treatment centers is the Betty Ford Center that was organized by the former First Lady of the United States, Betty Ford, after her own journey with alcoholism and recovery. Treatment centers also tend to combine several treatment modalities in an effort to assist the alcoholic in the recovery process. The different treatments can include behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, hypnosis, twelve step programs, nutritional therapy, detoxification, group therapy, and medications.
