The mainstream alcohol rehab methods are usually established on the 12-step protocol that was developed and put into practice by Alcoholics Anonymous.
Other non-traditional alcohol rehabilitation programs, nonetheless, began to surface and now take place in rehab hospitals, alcohol abuse treatment centers, and drug and alcohol rehab clinics and feature treatment that is not associated with the 12-step recovery methodology.
Counseling, Medications and Support
Most of the non-12-step alcohol treatment programs occur in drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics, alcohol abuse treatment centers, or rehab hospitals and are rooted in a treatment approach that provides doctor prescribed drugs in conjunction with staff support and broad-based education, counseling, and training.
What is more, several of these treatment protocols treat alcohol abuse from both a psychological and a physiological viewpoint.
Likewise, some of the more effective non-12-step alcohol rehab programs are more comprehensive than others and as a consequence concentrate on how the alcohol abuser will respond to and cope with relationship issues, financial situation, and employment opportunities after he or she completes rehab, attains sobriety, and returns home.
In addition, some of the more successful non-12-step alcohol rehab approaches function from a holistic perspective, an orientation that usually helps problem drinkers identify and process some of the fundamental issues that more likely than not had quite a bit to do with the individual engaging in excessive, unhealthy, and irresponsible drinking behavior in the first place.
Some of these basic issues include the following: poor interpersonal relationship skills, a sense of loss, pain, poor coping skills, career indecision, grief, poor anger management skills, unemployment, spirituality concerns, and poor financial management skills.
The Need For Outpatient Follow-Up Treatment
When an individual undergoes alcohol rehabilitation, it is vital to address what he or she will be doing after he or she completed rehab.
In other words, getting through detoxification is significant, but so is the “follow-up” treatment that successful rehabilitation programs typically initiate as soon as the residential part of the rehab process comes to an end.
Indeed, some of the more productive and better quality non-12-step alcohol abuse treatment centers, for instance, provide follow-up outpatient education, counseling, training for one year after inpatient treatment has been completed.
Stated in another manner, some of the broader-based and more success-oriented alcohol abuse treatment centers develop and implement rehabilitation methodologies that focus on long-range success rather than on short-term, band-aid therapeutic approaches.
The Significance of The Alcohol Rehab Environment
The treatment environment in which a problem drinker finds himself or herself is an essential component of the rehabilitation protocol.
To be sure, some of the more competent alcohol abuse treatment centers create a supportive, relaxing, safe environment that often leads to effective, long-term rehabilitation success.
It should come as no surprise that the majority of alcohol rehab programs are quite expensive, particularly those that feature residential, in-patient rehab.
The more successful and results-oriented non-12-step alcohol abuse treatment centers, however, often place financial gain low on their priority list and actually restrict the number of alcohol abusers that are accepted for treatment.
While this is obviously more of a “treatment” concern and less of a “profit” decision, this mentality allows staff to provide the resources, effort, time, and the compassion that first-rate, exceptional alcohol recovery requires.
Attributes of Successful Alcohol Abuse Treatment Centers
The following represents some of the more significant features of effective alcohol abuse treatment centers:
- Hotel or therapeutic suites for out-of-town patients and visitors
- Doctor prescribed medications to help alcohol abusers avoid alcohol relapse
- A caring, competent, and consequences-oriented staff
- Success rates that far exceed national averages
- Extensive night and day educational and counseling programs
- Private detox services
- Hospital and non-hospital rehab programs
- Medications to control the alcohol withdrawal symptoms of alcoholics
- Competitive pricing
- Outpatient protocols that are individualized to “fit” the financial capabilities, the personality, and the needs of each client
- Programs with varying time periods and length of rehab approaches that target the needs of each person
Our Final Thoughts on Alcohol Rehab Centers
Many of the more mainstream alcohol rehab methodologies are based on the 12-step recovery method that was initiated by Alcoholics Anonymous.
Other, non-12-step rehab approaches, however, have emerged and have become more accepted by the substance abuse and medical community.
These non-12-step programs usually focus less on factors such as the number of meetings an alcohol abuser attends, group support, and a “higher power” and more on scientifically grounded, empirically validated data such as the effectiveness of doctor-prescribed medications intermixed with staff support, intensive training, education, and counseling, and an effective and doable follow-up rehabilitation program.
Most of the non-12-step rehab programs take place in rehab hospitals, alcohol abuse treatment centers, and in alcohol and drug rehab clinics.
These rehab facilities more often than not are staffed with compassionate, supportive, and top-quality healthcare professionals who do everything in their power to help alcohol abuser learn more successful decision-making, coping, relationship, and “life” skills; help problem drinkers overcome their hazardous, unhealthy, and destructive drinking; and help clients learn how to recapture their lives and engage in long-term alcohol recovery.
Question. If you think that you have a drinking problem, why not talk to an alcohol abuse and alcoholism professional about getting alcohol rehab as soon as you can?
