Alcoholism is a form of substance abuse that can wreak havoc on a person's health and quality of life. Patients who suffer from alcohol abuse often benefit from live-in treatment programs, as they are better able to regulate the patient's environment to ensure compliance. These programs help deal with myriad factors that can contribute to problems with alcohol.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient treatment facilities are live-in programs in special sections of medical facilities or hospitals, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. These programs help patients with the detoxification from the effects of alcohol and with rehabilitation to help prevent future problems. Inpatient treatment programs might not be covered by some insurance companies and their use has declined, although they can be very effective for patients with other psychological issues or severe substance abuse problems. The structure of these programs also can be beneficial to adolescents.
Residential Programs
Residential programs require patient to live in a facility for a period of a week to a month. These facilities often have different phases of treatment and might restrict the patient's social interactions at some points to help eliminate social pressures that can interfere with recovery. Residential treatment centers for alcoholism typically use a combination of social and pharmacological approaches.
Psychological Therapy
Psychology is often an integral part of live-in treatment for alcoholism, the American Psychological Association says. Psychologists can help treat some of the issues that lead to problem drinking. Cognitive-behavioral therapy aims to identify the thought processes and motivations that cause alcohol abuse and to teach patients different ways of interpreting and responding to situations. Psychologists also can help treat underlying mental health disorders such as depression, which can contribute to and exacerbate alcoholism. After the live-in treatment has ended, a psychologist can refer patients to self-help groups for continuing therapy.
Pharmacological Treatment
There are a number of drugs that can be prescribed to help patients with alcoholism, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes. Some of these can help patients with the withdrawal symptoms that can accompany the removal of alcohol. Other medications can help patient develop and maintain abstinence from alcohol use. These include disulfiram, naltrexone and acamprosate. Disulfiram makes patients very ill if they consume alcohol, whereas the other two medications help reduce the sense of pleasure that patients get from alcohol consumption.
Locating Facilities
The consumer brochure from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration lists a number of ways to find a live-in treatment facility for alcoholism. Patients can call 800-662-4357 to find out what treatment facilities are near them. Privately-owned treatment facilities also can be found in the yellow pages under "Drug Abuse." Many states have facilities run by the state health department, which can be found in the blue pages.
