Alcohol Treatment Options

Alcohol addiction treatment is generally a multi-step process, and no single recovery path works best for everyone. Treatment must be tailored to the needs of the individual. 

With the right support, you can sustain long-term recovery. Talk to an addiction treatment professional about the best path forward for you.

What Is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is an imprecise but fairly common term that refers to the condition of struggling with alcohol abuse. While a useful term in everyday conversation, it is more accurate to talk about alcohol use disorder (AUD), a medical condition with a more precise definition. When most people say they struggle with alcoholism, they mean they fit the diagnostic criteria for AUD. 

AUD is an inability to stop drinking or control alcohol abuse. It generally involves both a physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. 

Key Facts About Alcohol Abuse

• Alcoholism is a colloquial term, not a medical one. Most people that we think of as having alcoholism struggle with alcohol dependence and addiction. These other terms have more value and meaning in a medical context.
• AUD is a brain disorder that is generally rated as mild, moderate, or severe, with the level of a person’s alcohol abuse and how it negatively impacts their health and quality of life guiding the level at which a person is diagnosed.
• An estimated 14.1 million American adults ages 18 and older struggled with AUD in 2019, which represents a fairly staggering 5.6 percent of this age group.
• Despite being legal for adults to purchase and use in most places in the United States, alcohol is a particularly dangerous drug even when compared to many illegal drugs. Alcohol has a high level of abuse and addiction potential. It can trigger withdrawal that can even be life-threatening without medical supervision.

What Treatment Options Are Available for Alcohol Addiction?

A person struggling with alcohol addiction has a few treatment options they should discuss with an addiction treatment professional to determine which best suits their needs. These are some of the levels of care for alcohol addiction treatment:

Outpatient Rehab

Outpatient drug addiction rehabilitation (rehab) is notable for the high level of autonomy it affords a client compared to other treatment options. A person in this type of rehab program receives treatment from a provider, often at a specialized care facility, and they can go about the rest of their day as they normally would.

This type of rehab allows a person to meet important obligations, such as going to school and work, much more easily. It also tends to be the cheapest rehab option, while still providing real help and allowing many people to start the road to recovery. 

Outpatient rehab requires more individual discipline since people will be subject to the temptations of everyday life when they leave the treatment facility. This option isn’t good for people who are suffering from especially severe addictions, as the autonomy provided by these programs makes it easier to relapse compared to other types of rehab.

Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab involves staying at an addiction treatment facility for at least several days, where addiction treatment professionals can help establish a treatment routine that works for you and start to equip you to better resist alcohol misuse when you leave. 

While more expensive and time-consuming, this type of rehab is good for people who may need to be more isolated from the draw of alcohol or other toxic influences in their life. Even many people who intend to go through an outpatient rehab program will temporarily stay at a facility for the detox portion of their treatment, especially because alcohol withdrawal can be fairly intense and even life-threatening without the oversight of medical professionals.

Residential Rehab

Residential rehab is often used interchangeably with inpatient rehab, and it is indeed a form of inpatient rehab. What makes a care option “residential” rehab is the length of time a patient stays at a care facility. If a patient stays at a facility for four weeks or more, the inpatient treatment option they’re using is usually considered residential rehab. 

Therapy Options

Behavioral therapies, often just called talk therapies, are an important part of managing alcohol addiction. These are some of the therapy and counseling options shown to be effective in treating AUD:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often considered the primary treatment for addictions of any kind, and for good reason. It focuses on helping a person identify what leads them to misuse alcohol. Then, it teaches coping skills to help channel those negative feelings in healthier ways. 

It also teaches you how to readjust how you think to better resist alcohol misuse.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

This is generally a short-term therapy, with a patient going to about four sessions over a short period of time. 

The therapist works with the client to identify the pros and cons of seeking addiction treatment. Then, the client works with their therapist to make a plan to change their drinking patterns and regain control over their drinking. The client works to build confidence in their ability to achieve their plan and practice the necessary skills to do so. 

Marital & Family Counseling

Addiction can often damage the bonds a person once had with their family members. And it’s been shown that a strong support network can help an individual in their addiction treatment, offering vital help to sustain recovery for the long term. 

Marital and family counseling can help a person reconnect with their family, make amends for any damage they’ve done, and help their family members understand the nature of their problems and how best to help.

Brief Interventions

These are a type of short counseling session (or sometimes a few sessions), where a counselor works to inform a person about the nature of their drinking, associated health risks, and what may help them change their behavior. It is essentially “gateway” counseling, meant to help equip a person to seek further help if they’re willing.

Medications Used in Treatment

A few different medications are commonly used in the treatment of AUD. These are some of them:

Disulfiram

Disulfiram is essentially an alcohol deterrent. When a person has it in their system, they experience a negative (but generally safe) reaction to alcohol, where they will feel nauseous and experience skin flushing if they drink. 

Importantly, it can also cause this reaction if a person consumes foods or beverages that we don’t typically consume for the purpose of getting drunk. For example, some sauces contain alcohol and can cause a negative reaction, even though it would be very difficult to eat enough of such sauces to become intoxicated.

Naltrexone

Naltrexone is a somewhat interesting treatment option in that it works by negating the euphoric effects of alcohol, which significantly reduces the reasons a person has to misuse alcohol. It can also help to reduce a person’s alcohol cravings.

Acamprosate

This drug works by reducing a person’s alcohol cravings. It is known to be especially effective for people who have just quit drinking and may be experiencing intense alcohol cravings. Studies show that acamprosate is effective in managing alcohol dependence.

Life After Rehabilitation

Recovering from alcohol addiction isn’t easy, and it’s common to experience multiple relapses on the journey to recovery. However, with consistent effort and viewing relapses as temporary setbacks rather than some moral failure, evidence-based treatments can help most people recover. In fact, most people recover from addiction, even if the journey toward recovery may be long and difficult.

Life after rehabilitation isn’t always the same as life before you struggled with alcohol misuse. For example, most people will still experience some pull toward alcohol abuse. However, successful treatment involves equipping you to deal with that pull, and resisting alcohol abuse even if cravings occur.

While not everyone needs to totally avoid alcohol to avoid a relapse, many people do. Many more people don’t risk trying alcohol even if they might be able to drink it without relapsing. 

Quitting alcohol will allow most people to live full, healthy lives. Heavy alcohol use isn’t good for the body, and you can see substantial improvements to the way you feel over time.

Resisting alcohol will also tend to get easier. Over time, you’ll learn more in therapy and counseling about resisting alcohol use. You may find medications that work to support your recovery, and your body will adjust to the absence of alcohol.

Alcohol Treatment Support Groups That May Help

Studies show that peer support groups can likely help in addiction recovery, although there are still some unknowns that make definitive conclusions hard to make. Anecdotally, many people find support groups helpful, as they can connect with people who have similar struggles to their own and who are also in recovery.

One of the most well-known support groups for alcohol addiction is Alcoholics Anonymous. This faith-based group has a somewhat mixed reputation. Many people find their 12-step program helpful in recovery, but others note that it isn’t very evidence-based, and it is clearly somewhat Christian-oriented, even if their program is theoretically nondenominational. 

You can often search for support groups in your area, which can let you see your options and consider which might best suit you and your needs. One option in the modern era is virtual support groups, which allow you to talk with people in recovery from home as long as you have an internet connection and some basic equipment.

Regardless of where you find it, some form of support is crucial in early recovery. You’ll need a plan in place of things you can do and people you can reach out to when cravings strike. That support may help you to avoid relapse.

Alcohol Recovery FAQs

What is considered the most effective treatment for alcoholism?

The most effective treatment for alcoholism is generally a mixed treatment approach that is customized to your needs. There is no “perfect” solution to alcohol addiction and no medication that can just cure addiction over a few days. 

The path many people take is first going through the detox process at a treatment center or hospital and then forming a treatment plan with an addiction professional. Alcohol addiction treatment plans often include various forms of therapy to address underlying triggers that led to alcohol abuse.

What is the ideal first step in getting treatment for alcohol addiction?

Once you can admit you have a problem with alcohol and want help, it’s a good idea to just talk to a licensed addiction treatment professional. Where addiction may seem confusing and even hopeless to you, an addiction treatment professional has studied addiction and how best to combat it. They can give you the information you need and help you form a solid recovery plan.

What can be done to stop alcoholism?

On a societal level, stopping alcoholism is a difficult goal. One thing we know is that trying to simply ban the sale and consumption of alcohol is both unpopular and ineffective. Instead, we can focus on what drives people to misuse alcohol and other drugs, correct those societal problems when possible, and improve access to effective treatments. 

As for stopping your own alcoholism, the first step is just admitting you have a problem and seeking help. While that’s easier to say than do, addiction treatment professionals want to help you. 

Alcohol addiction isn’t a moral failing. Alcohol is an addictive drug that can hijack the brain and rewire it, so it becomes very hard to stop drinking on your own.

References

Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder. (April 2021). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Differences Between Outpatient and Inpatient Treatment Programs. (May 2016). Psych Central.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Treatment. (September 2017). National Library of Medicine.

Disulfiram Safety in Alcohol Use Disorders: Experience from an Addiction Treatment Center in India. (March–April 2022). Indian Journal of Psychiatry.

Naltrexone for the Management of Alcohol Dependence. (August 2008). New England Journal of Medicine.

Acamprosate: A Prototypic Neuromodulator in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence. (March 2010). CNS & Neurological Disorders.

There is life after addiction. Most people recover. (January 2022). NPR.

Benefits of Peer Support Groups in the Treatment of Addiction. (September 2016). Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation. 

Alcohol Use Support Groups in New Jersey. Psychology Today.