3 Methods to Treat Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are complex problems that can be both difficult to spot and difficult to treat. Drinking has become so normalized in society that people may at first have trouble recognizing they have a problem at all. In fact, only one in seven people suffering from issues with alcohol ever seek treatment. But, once they acknowledge the problem and agree to get help, there are several options available to help them. They fall into three main categories:

1. Behavioral Treatments: Many problems with alcohol are due to an underlying issue that hasn't been dealt with. Identifying that cause and undergoing counseling for it can help fix the root of the problem rather than its symptoms. Working one-on-one with a medical professional, a sufferer may discover certain triggers that tend to lead to heavy drinking, learn about various coping mechanisms to deal these underlying conflicts or develop methods to ignore those triggers to avoid relapsing. 
2. Mutual Support Groups: Feeling the support of other people like them who have managed to successfully manage their relationship with drinking provides encouragement, accountability and positive examples to follow. 
3. Medication: If people do not seek help until  they have fully developed a dependence on alcohol, the first step would be a medically supervised detoxification. Medications can help ease this process and reduce its risks. Other medications may be useful for assisting with reducing  their drinking and preventing relapse.

At Fairwinds Treatment Center, we believe the best approach is a well-rounded one that incorporates all three of these types of treatments. Our unique dual-diagnosis approach cuts to the root of what's leading to the abuse of alcohol so that we can help build a better foundation for recovery and reduce the risk of relapse later on. Mental conditions, chemical dependencies, and dangerous states of mind can combine to develop a problem with alcohol. For the past 26 years, we have been one of the few individually licensed addiction treatment centers in the country that has earned accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which empowers us to most effectively guide our patients through varied approaches.

Besides full-time care by our staff, we also emphasize the importance of a communal effort with a family-based approach that ensures every patient has a support network beyond our walls alone. We know that if our patients have loved ones continuing to help them with their recovery, once they leave our center, the chances of relapse are even lower.