Alcohol abuse occurs when someone drinks so much that it affects his ability to be successful at work and maintain healthy relationships with friends and family. You might have a drinking problem if you drink and drive, people in your life have told you that they're worried about how much you drink, if you've ever gotten in trouble with the law for drinking or if you drink in the morning.
Basics
An alcohol abuse treatment plan is something that someone who has a problem abusing alcohol would devise with a mental health professional who specializes in alcohol and drug abuse. Treatment plans are made in individual counseling, group counseling, rehabilitation centers and in family counseling. A treatment plan is used by all coordinating professionals. For example, the client's doctor, therapist and group counselor may all have access to the treatment plan.
Features
Usually, the client's diagnosis, symptoms and treatment goals are included in a treatment plan. If the client suffers from other mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, it would be included in the diagnosis. The symptoms can range from experiencing repeated legal problems to lying about drinking to friends and family members. The treatment goals revolve around the client's mental health issues and symptoms. For example, a treatment goal may be to work on family communication or to remain sober.
Considerations
Each individual has different treatment needs, so it's important that each client have an individualized treatment plan. One person may need intensive treatment, because he is dependent on alcohol. For instance, he may need detoxification for one week, one year of rehabilitation and then two years of weekly individual and family therapy sessions. Another person may be able to treat the alcohol abuse while staying at home by joining a support group and attending weekly individual therapy sessions for six months.
Harm Reduction
Some models of treatment follow a harm reduction model. If someone has lost his job, has been arrested for drinking and driving and has been evicted from her apartment due to drinking but is not ready to quit drinking permanently, a therapist might recommend a harm reduction program. In these programs, the goal is to reduce harm as much as possible. For instance, treatment goals might be to wait to drink until after work, to take a taxi home if drinking and to put away money each week to get a new apartment. The focus isn't on being sober.
Warning
Only the client can decide to follow the treatment plan. Family members and mental health professionals can encourage someone to get help, but ultimately, it's their decision. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the amount of time in treatment is critical to success. They recommend at least three months of treatment; however, each individual's needs will be different and the treatment plan will reflect how long treatment is needed.
