The National Institutes of Health reports that more than 17 million Americans abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. Alcohol addiction has four main features, including craving alcohol, the inability to stop drinking once you've begun, withdrawal symptoms when you are not drinking, and needing greater amounts of alcohol to achieve the same level of intoxication. In a 2001 government survey, nearly 2 million Americans received help for alcohol abuse.
What is Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient treatment has a variety of levels. Detoxification, for people with alcohol dependence, is a period of about five to seven days when you abstain from drinking. It's likely he will need to take medication to reduce and prevent possibly dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Some people can go straight to rehabilitation without experiencing moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms. In rehab, patients receive alcohol abuse counseling and education. In relapse prevention, patients are taught how to recognize stressors and triggers and avoid the people, places and things that cause cravings. Inpatient treatment can last anywhere from five days for detox, to several months or longer.
The First Step
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) explains that upon entering into inpatient treatment, a person will receive a clinical assessment by an addiction specialist. This information will determine her unique treatment plan, and, especially, if she qualifies for detox treatment. She will be asked how much she drinks, and how long she has been drinking. Other information the counselor will be interested in is what effect alcohol has on her personal and professional life and does she have other mental health problems or previous attempts at treatment.
Detoxification
Detoxification, also known as medically supervised withdrawal, according to SAMHSA, uses medication to help reduce and prevent withdrawal symptoms. AddictionsandRecovery.org reports that common withdrawal symptoms including sweating, heart palpitations, tremors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and possibly even coma or death.
Some of the medications used to help alcoholics during detox include sedatives like Ativan or Valium. These drugs, known as benzodiazepines, help calm nerves, relieve muscle spasms and help prevent seizures. HealthCentral, a website affiliated with Harvard Health Publications, reports that Librium may be used to help reduce anxiety levels.
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Also known as residential treatment, an inpatient rehabilitation facility offers a structured program where patients receive alcohol abuse counseling and education. This type of treatment, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse, works by influencing and changing patients' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors associated with alcohol abuse. During inpatient treatment, a person will have access to a drug-abuse counselor and have group therapy meetings with peers also in recovery. Some facilities have 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
AA is an organization that is free to join once a person is out of inpatient treatment. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Residential Programs
SAMHSA reports that residential alcohol treatment programs, also known as therapeutic communities, are a combination of a living environment with treatment services. These programs can last from one month to a year or longer. Residential programs are designed for people who do not have a stable living arrangement, lack employment or have little or no family support. People with serious addiction issues or have made repeated attempts at recovery are good candidates for a therapeutic community.
