Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Everymans Guide To The Alcohol Treatment Center

By Carl Abrams

Do you have a loved one that is an alcoholic? If so, you need to read this article. You have probably already tried to get your loved one to seek alcohol addiction treatment.....and you have failed. That is not surprising because it often takes an arrest for DWI or some violent crime for an alcoholic to agree to seek treatment.

But, if you can get him into treatment, he can get the alcohol out. Then he can get good food into his body and counseling into his mind. It really does not matter how he gets there, does it? After all, the right drug treatment center will take the responsibility off of you and put it on him....and that is where it belongs.

You often have to force an alcoholic to get treatment. In fact, it takes some sort of criminal arrest or other trouble in order to get an alcoholic to seek help. Whether it be an arrest for DUI, domestic violence or job loss, the alcoholic will only seek treatment when he has run out of options.

But, when he is ready, he needs to find an alcohol treatment facility that will offer a vigorous detox, counseling and aftercare program.

The standard alcohol treatment program involves an initial thirty day inpatient program. However, if the circumstances require, the patient can stay for a much longer period of time. Usually, the first seven days are devoted to detox, a process by which the alcohol is purged from the alcoholic's system.

Afterward, the patient begins eating right and participates in intensive individual and group therapy. After thirty days, if all goes as planned, the patient can begin the integration ( or aftercare) portion of the program. However, if the patient needs additional inpatient treatment, such treatment can be arranged.

Aftercare, also called "reintegration" is the most important phase of the recovery process because it is the phase where relapse is most likely. As a result, most alcohol treatment centers continue out patient counseling and require that the patient join an addiction recovery group.

The combination of intense counseling and group accountability creates a positive environment to stay sober.

Understand how an alcohol treatment center works now? Good. Then you will put to rest these notions that you can somehow heal your loved one's alcohol addiction without professional help. Look, if you do not get him help, he is going to hurt someone.

On the other hand, once in treatment, your family member will be able to get rid of the booze and learn to live and eat right. He will get the mental health services that he needs both in the center and during the aftercare process. Why would you wait until your loved one hurts or kills someone? Now is the right time to contact an alcohol treatment center and get the help your loved one needs.

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