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It provides both emotional and physical benefits including decreased depression and anxiety. Since it combines physical and emotional aspects, many people believe it is more effective for recovery than other forms of exercise or meditation. One theory is that it forces out the toxic waste that builds up in the body’s tissues from alcohol use.
For serious alcohol use disorder, you may need a stay at a residential treatment facility. Most residential treatment programs include individual and group therapy, support groups, educational lectures, family involvement, and activity therapy. While there is no silver bullet for alcohol use disorder, several medications have been approved to treat it, including pills like acamprosate and disulfiram, as well as oral and injectable forms of naltrexone.
Alcoholism Treatment & Management
In one RCT,3 ondansetron (Zofran) was shown to significantly reduce self-reported drinking. Patients who received ondansetron 4 mcg per kg twice per day had fewer drinks per day. They also had a greater percentage of days of abstinence (70 versus 50 percent with placebo) and a greater total number of days abstinent per study week (6.7 versus 5.9 with placebo) in patients with early-onset alcoholism. All patients also received weekly group cognitive behavior therapy.
In the U.S., 12-step programs based on abstinence seem to dominate treatment plans prescribed by doctors, and doctors do not like that the Sinclair Method encourages people with alcohol dependency problems to continue drinking. In the 1980s, animal studies discovered that naltrexone also reduced alcohol consumption. These showed that when combined with psychosocial therapy, naltrexone could reduce alcohol cravings and decrease relapse rates in alcoholics. In 1948, Danish sober house researchers trying to find treatments for parasitic stomach infections discovered the alcohol-related effects of disulfiram when they too became ill after drinking alcohol. The researchers began a new set of studies on using disulfiram to treat alcohol dependence. Many people with alcohol problems and their family members find that participating in support groups is an essential part of coping with the disease, preventing or dealing with relapses, and staying sober.
Treatment for alcoholism and substance use disorder
Acamprosate helps you fight the alcohol cravings once you have stopped drinking. But unlike disulfiram, acamprosate doesn’t make you feel sick if you have a drink. Tai Chi is a martial art that involves sequences of deep breathing and slow, controlled movements.
Detox is usually done in an inpatient detox center or a hospital. Holistic programs can be pivotal to successful recovery because it helps you transition into a healthier lifestyle. Holistic treatment does more than just help you detox or overcome alcohol cravings. Holistic treatment for alcoholism treats all elements of who you are as a person. The treatment of diabetes provides a helpful analogy to why most professional treatment of alcoholism has enjoyed only limited success.
Outpatient Treatment Programs
Just as some people with diabetes or asthma may have flare-ups of their disease, a relapse to drinking can be seen as a temporary setback to full recovery and not a complete failure. Seeking professional help can prevent relapse—behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking. Most people benefit from regular checkups with a treatment provider.
- While there is no medical cure for alcohol addiction, some FDA-approved medications can help people stop drinking.
- A BAC of 0.18% to 0.30% causes profound confusion, impaired speech (e.g. slurred speech), staggering, dizziness and vomiting.
- Since it combines physical and emotional aspects, many people believe it is more effective for recovery than other forms of exercise or meditation.
- An inpatient rehab program addresses the physical and emotional aspects of addiction in a therapeutic setting.
The detoxification stage is the first step in the recovery process. The most severe withdrawal symptoms generally surface within the first 24 to 48 hours after your last drink. Your treatment provider will be able to give you medications in order to help alleviate some of the pain. You may know or suspect that you’re an alcoholic, but making the decision to seek treatment for alcoholism requires you to admit to yourself and others that you have a drinking problem and commit to resolving it. If you’ve decided it’s time to get sober, you can take the first step right now to starting treatment by talking to a treatment provider about your options for rehab. One phone call can set you on the path to finally achieving sobriety and taking control of your life.
Take control of your life
As is the case with all treatments, holistic therapy might not work. Still, it isn’t necessary for the person to wholeheartedly believe the therapy will work. Holistic therapies work to restore balance by connecting mind and body. They remove some of the underlying causes of dependence by helping people become aware of and take responsibility for the way they feel, think, and act. The basic goal of many holistic therapies is to return the body to its naturally healthy state.
- The preparation stage is a thoughtful phase focused on making plans.
- The FDA lists the following possible side effects for medicines to treat alcohol dependence and alcohol use disorder.
- Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.
The COMBINE study found that combining another alcohol-deterrent drug Campral (acamprosate) with the medical management program did not improve outcomes. Campral did not perform better than the placebo or dummy pill. This finding stumped researchers since previous studies performed in Europe using Campral had yielded positive treatment outcomes.