An estimated 15 million people in the U.S. have mild to severe Alcohol Use Disorder. While that has resulted in an average of 88,000 U.S. deaths each year due to alcohol abuse, less than 20% of people with AUD have sought any form of treatment or alcohol rehab. With a rise in high-functioning alcoholics and alcohol abuse in the workplace, access to high-quality treatment is essential.
For help finding the right treatment option for your addiction, call our addiction specialists today.
As Alcoholics Anonymous has grown in familiarity, some think it the only option for those struggling with alcohol abuse. However, there are many types of treatment options available that range from FDA-approved medications to alcohol rehab.
When looking for treatment for alcohol abuse, you can generally breakdown your options into two different categories: inpatient and outpatient rehab.
Inpatient rehab asks patients to move into a residential or hospital setting facility to receive treatment. They stay for a predetermined amount of time before transitioning to an aftercare program. Insurance coverage can greatly impact how long a patient is approved to stay.
Outpatient rehab allows patients to live at home while attending treatment. This includes individual and group recovery programs in a clinical setting, such as a doctor’s office or treatment center. Patients return home at the end of each session and return for regularly scheduled appointments. Many patients choose to live in a sober living house, rather than their primary residence, to facilitate better recovery.
The length of stay will vary greatly depending on the type of treatment program and amount you are willing/able to pay, but you can usually anticipate approximately 1 week for detox followed by 28 days for inpatient rehab. Following rehab clients may transition to a sober living home or outpatient treatment for a number of months.
Inpatient rehab can be broken down into four distinct categories. While the quality of care varies with each type, understanding what treatments you need creates a solid foundation for researching alcohol rehab options.
Summary: Detoxification is the first step in the recovery process and generally always begins in an inpatient setting. During detox, patients will be assessed, medically supervised, and stabilized as they deal with the dangerous symptoms and effects of withdrawal.
Time Commitment: 24 hours a day
Length of Stay: Varies, generally 4 to 10 days
Summary: An intensive form of treatment conducted in a residential or hospital setting characterized by numerous forms of evidence-based treatment modalities, including behavioral therapy programs and medication-assisted treatment (to those who qualify).
Time Commitment: 24 hours a day
Length of Stay: 3 to 6 weeks
Summary: A longer form of inpatient treatment typically done in a residential, community setting as opposed to a hospital. Patients have access to extensive forms of therapy and medication-assisted treatment (to those who qualify).
Time Commitment: 24 hours a day
Length of Stay: 6 – 12 months
Summary: While patients don’t stay overnight it is still considered a form of intensive inpatient treatment as it takes place in a hospital setting with medical supervision. PHP requires a near full-time commitment and offers numerous treatment options and medication-assisted treatment (for those who qualify).
Time Commitment: 6 – 8 hours a day / 5 days a week
Length of Stay: 14 – 30 days
Outpatient rehab can be broken down into three distinct categories and provide the best results when used following inpatient treatment.
Summary: Patients receive many of the same benefits as many alcohol rehabilitation inpatient programs, including behavioral therapies and medication-assisted treatment, but will not have 24/7 supervision or routine access to treatment options. Additionally, patients return home at the end of the day.
Time Commitment: 2- 4 hours a day / 3 days a week
Length of Stay: 3 – 4 months
Summary: Self-help support groups, such as AA, can help patients work with others who are in a similar position cope with urges to use again. There is limited access to advanced treatment options or medication-assisted treatment. People who attend support groups are not supervised and can come and go as desired.
Time Commitment: 1-2 hours a day / 1 day a week
Length of Stay: Varies by patient, as long as desired
Summary: Can include both one-on-one and group therapy sessions. Many counseling sessions will deal with learning to cope with addiction and relapse prevention strategies to help support long-lasting sobriety. Generally, therapy offered is limited and MAT is not available in these sessions.
Time Commitment: 1-2 hour a day/ 1-3 days a week
Length of Stay: Varies by patient, as long as desired
Whether you choose inpatient or outpatient alcohol rehab, it is most important to find a comprehensive program that treats the individual, not the addiction.
Often, addiction is simply the symptom of a deeper issue within a person. In many cases, that “issue” can be related to mental health. SAMHSA data shows that there are roughly 19 million Americans with a substance use disorder – 43% of those people also have a mental illness.
When it comes to alcohol addiction specifically, lifetime AUD problems have been closely linked to mental health. Some of these problems include persistent depression, panic disorders, specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some rehabs offer specific dual diagnosis programs to treat both diagnoses simultaneously.
After completing detox, patients may opt for FDA-approved medication to help them curb their addiction moving forward. Disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone are the three most common forms of medication used to treat addiction in alcohol rehab.
Used to treat chronic alcoholism by preventing the proper digestion of alcohol. Just 10 minutes after taking a drink of alcohol while on disulfiram will cause negative physical side effects in the patient. Disulfiram is taken in a pill form.
Acamprosate helps patients avoid the urges to use alcohol by restoring chemical balance in the brain and limiting the euphoric effects of intoxication. There are conflicting reports on acamprosate’s success.
Naltrexone comes in pill and injection forms and works by blocking the euphoric effects associated with alcohol use and the feelings of intoxication. This allows people to remain in treatment longer and avoid relapse. Naltrexone has proven most effective after taking it for at least 3 months.
Alcohol addiction medication is not something that is available over the counter. You need to be prescribed and administered addiction medication by a trained medical professional. Your primary care physician or specifically licensed physicians can likely prescribe medications as needed.
Medication alone does not provide the most effective results for an alcohol addiction. Physicians strongly recommend that medications be paired with ongoing therapy to solve the physical and mental causes of addiction. This practice of using medication and therapy together is called medication-assisted therapy (MAT).
There are numerous evidence-based and holistic therapies that can be found at almost every inpatient and outpatient facility. While these therapies are beneficial to patients, they solely treat the addiction, rather than confronting the underlying cause of addiction.
Other common therapies include: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and many more. You can read about all the therapies used for alcohol abuse on our site.
CBT is one of the most used forms of therapy in the addiction space and alcohol rehab. Treatment can take place in a one-on-one or small group settings. CBT focuses on identifying real-world triggers that cause a patient to relapse. The therapy attempts to “rewire” a patient’s thought process when experiencing those triggers.
This motivational approach to therapy hinges on the idea of building up confidence in a patient so that they can stick to a recovery plan and know when and how to say “no”.
Addiction doesn’t just affect the individual; it is a disease that affects everyone in the family system. By including the family in the recovery process, patients can learn just how far-reaching their problem was and work to establish a personal support group who will help them with their journey.
While these can prove to be functional skills for battling addiction it is important to look at the underlying problems causing addiction. There are specific therapies that treat the root cause of addiction – such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and chronic pain. Confronting these issues in conjunction with optimizing behavioral skills ultimately leads to longer sobriety.
Biomedical feedback is a noninvasive therapy that monitors a person’s physical response and ultimately aims to teach a patient how to control involuntary bodily functions. It’s sometimes described as CBT for the body.
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to overcoming trauma. Whether that trauma be divorce, abuse, or ongoing stressors, this method can help. It allows patients to confront trauma rooted in their bodies and work to deal with it in a healthier manner.
CES is a noninvasive therapy that uses a handheld device and electrodes to deliver various frequencies to the brain. It is a proven treatment for anxiety, depression, and pain, and can help automatically put the brain in a meditative state. Typically, this therapy is coupled with meditation training to achieve the desired meditative state manually.
ART is a combination of techniques used in traditional psychotherapies. The therapy works to reprogram how the brain stores distressing or traumatic memories at an accelerated pace. Patients typically achieve the benefits of ART within 1 to 5 sessions.
Alcohol detox is the first step in treatment but will vary on a patient-to-patient basis. Alcohol detox programs are in place to help those who are dealing with alcohol withdrawal symptoms safely overcome these problems. Many, like delirium tremens, can be life threatening without medical intervention.
While general assessments are done at the start of detox to understand potential health risks, another assessment is conducted at the end of detox to determine the best treatment plan moving forward. During the assessment phase, patients will be asked a number of questions related to:
Therapy and counseling are the bulk of the recovery process in a rehab facility. During this time, clients will be exposed to evidence-based care programs like:
These types of programs are in place to help patients better understand the root of their addiction, learn to cope with their disease, and learn strategies to help them commit to long-term sobriety and avoid relapse.
Following a stay at a rehab center, patients will continue with their treatment in an outpatient setting. There are a few different options for those looking for outpatient care:
It should be noted that some of these programs may not allow patients access to medication-assisted treatment. However, The Hope House partners with many organizations, helping our patients get the best possible aftercare program for them.
In short, yes. Addiction is a chronic illness that will affect everyone differently. There is no one-size-fits-all cure that will instantly stop your alcohol addiction. However, when we look around the country, 1 in 3 people who receive treatment for alcoholism no longer abuse alcohol a year after treatment.
Working with a facility dedicated to your sobriety is key to finding the right mix of treatment to help you confront addiction at the source and achieve long-term sobriety.
With so many options available for treatment, it can seem difficult to figure out which one is right for you. Below are key considerations that you should consider before determining your alcohol treatment method.
If you’ve determined inpatient rehab is the best treatment for, but don’t like the idea of giving up your job or being crammed into a house with a bunch of patients, there are other options. Luxury alcohol rehab may be the perfect solution for you.
For options in the Valley, learn about the best alcohol rehab centers in Arizona by calling The Hope House’s admissions team today.
Many luxury rehabs offer executive treatment programs that allow business professionals to receive treatment while maintaining their professional lives.
At The Hope House, this includes access to electronics, single occupancy rooms, and more.
Luxury rehab is one of the few facilities to offer truly personalized care due to few patients in a single home.
At The Hope House, a personalized approach is at our core. Many of our therapy options are 1:1 and we admit just 10 clients at a time — whereas most other facilities provide beds to 30 or more people at once.
For those who need to deal with legal issues, a luxury facility may be right. At The Hope House, for instance, we provide dedicated case managers to ensure you are able to focus on treatment. Whether you need to get your vehicle out of impound from a DUI or have court proceedings — case managers are there to assist.
If you’d prefer to stay close to home for alcohol rehab and live in Arizona, The Hope House has two high-end rehab facilities in Scottsdale. Our recovery centers are staffed with masters-level clinicians and addiction experts. They are dedicated to providing our patients with the tools they need to commit to long-term sobriety.
We also accept many insurances including: Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, GEHA, and more.
However, if you are looking for treatment elsewhere, SAMHSA has a tool available to find one closer to home.
