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Treatment Options |
Q: When is an alcoholic ready to stop?
A: When the pain associated with drinking is worse than the pain of stopping.
Usually the alcoholic is ready for treatment when the consequences of his or her drinking have become so unpleasant that they outweigh the pleasure of drinking.
In Alcoholics Anonymous this is referred to as “rock bottom”. Family and concerned others, can however, learn effective ways to intervene before the alcoholic reaches rock bottom and this sometimes produces results. (You can read about Intervention in the section "Help for the Family")
There are a variety of treatments options available to the alcoholic such as:
- Self help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous,
- Out-patient which is counseling with a counselor trained in addiction treatment or part of a programme which allows the patient daily programme attendance, or i
- In-patient treatment. These are residential programmes,. These vary from relatively humble NGO's such as SANCA organisations, and some that are very expensive. All, however, should advocate complete abstinence. The alcoholic has to stop drinking and stay stopped.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A TREATMENT PROVIDER:
It is critical to find organisations of professionals that:
- Are experienced in treating addictions. There are many sad tales of people who have sought help and have been in therapy for years with no change, or who have ended up addicted to prescribed medications.
- Properly accredited by the appropriate Health Departments and by the major medical aid schemes.
- Subscribe to the ideal of a multi-disciplinary team, which should include a psychiatrist, general practitioner, nursing sister, social worker, psychologist and occupational therapist.
- Provide 24 hr medical supervision 7 days a week.
- Where recovering addicts are involved in the programme they have at least 5 years recovery and are properly trained, accredited and supervised .
- Provide a family programme that offers support and counseling to family members.
- Provide a post-treatment or aftercare programme, and that
- Have a collaborative and supportive relationship with 12-Step fellowships.
Having chosen a good service provider, work with them. Programmes are often blamed for failure. Very often the programme works, it's the addict that hasn't!
Cross addiction or substitution of one substance of abuse for another is a very real possibility. Recovery from addiction entails being free of all mood-altering substances. If the alcoholic uses any other mood-altering substance, there is a risk that they activate the addictive process and will soon resume using their drug of choice, alcohol. This is called a relapse and means that the alcoholic will very soon be back in full-time addiction.
Recovery is a journey that requires a lifetime of change and growth, all done “one day at a time”. Most who have undertaken the journey have achieved more than they ever dreamed. It does take time, but the person in recovery learns to socialize, to deal with problems and difficulties without alcohol. They let go of their shame and guilt and become confident and well-rounded individuals.
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