Introduction to Alcohol Addiction Treatment
India, a nation of diverse cultures, is now moving forward in the intoxicating web of this global crisis of alcohol addiction. India has more than 60 crore alcohol users and has acquired the third place in the largest market of alcoholic drinks. The increasing dependency on alcohol is getting worse and affecting the mental health of alcoholics and their family members.
Somorpon Foundation is trying to help by providing the best treatment for alcohol addiction, which involves all the essential stages, counselling, therapies, etc. Alcohol addiction treatment costs are affordable at Somorpon Foundation with all the convenient services.
Causes and Risk Factors
There are various factors that initiate the causes of alcohol addiction, which can be genetic or environmental. Regular consumption of alcohol imbalances the neurotransmitters present in your brain. Moreover, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate act as calming agents that can control your behavior and impulsive pattern.
Alcohol in its initial stages makes the individual feel stress-free and relaxed by increasing GABA levels but causes long-term anxiety, irritability, and even seizures when alcohol use stops. Alcohol also disturbs the dopamine levels, which are responsible for happy feelings, so the person feels pleasurable while ingesting alcohol. All this can result in significant changes in the levels of various neurotransmitters, including GABA, glutamate, and dopamine.
Diagnosis of Alcohol Addiction Treatment
To understand your current situation, doctors have to look for the symptoms regarding alcohol addiction in the following ways:
- The doctors will ask a few questions from you and your family members regarding your alcohol addiction. Moreover, confidentiality will be taken care of while proceeding with treatment.
- They will also look for a few physical symptoms for the diagnosis of alcohol addiction treatment. However, physical signs and symptoms are significant indications of alcohol abuse.
- Then you can consider an evaluation based on your psychological conditions, which involves questions regarding your behavior pattern, feelings, intrusive thoughts, etc. These questions will help the expert understand your psychological condition to begin your alcohol addiction treatment.
- There are no specific tests for alcohol addiction, but experts will suggest some tests to check other aspects of health that could be affected by alcohol abuse.
Types of Treatment
The alcohol addiction treatment may involve different criteria for different individuals due to their diverse health conditions. Below are the different types of treatments:
- Detoxification: This is the first step in alcohol addiction treatment, which is designed to manage withdrawal symptoms associated with substance abuse. During this process, sedating medications may be administered to prevent and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. The duration of detox generally ranges from 2 to 7 days.
- Treatment plan: A health specialist will analyze the patient’s overall condition and offer a treatment plan. This plan may include your health goals, self-help, and self-growth techniques, along with other essentials.
- Counselling sessions: Alcohol addiction treatment involves counselling sessions by psychological experts so that patients can discuss their problems confidentially. These therapy sessions play an important role in the recovery process and teach life lessons.
- Oral medication: There is no medication that can remove the desire for alcohol from the patient’s mind. However, disulfiram can be used to make a person avoid alcohol. However, it is advised to not drink alcohol after consuming the medicine, as it will lead to nausea and vomiting.
- Residential treatment: In various cases of severe alcohol addiction, you have to reside in the rehab centre for the treatment. These centres involve medical experts and doctors, nurses, and other social workers. Additionally, these residential treatments may involve counselling sessions, support group discussions, group therapies, and other activity therapies.
Best Treatment For Alcohol Addiction
There are various types of alcohol addiction treatment programs and approaches. Some of these treatment options are given below:
- Residential treatment in an alcohol addiction treatment centre
- Remote detox under the guidance of experts
- Behavioral therapies to reduce impulsiveness
- 12-step sober program
- Group discussions
- Post-care plan
Any one method cannot be categorized as the best treatment for alcohol addiction because it’s not necessary that one method that is best for one individual will work the same for the other. Every individual has some unique characteristics and must have unique requirements.
Steps of Alcohol Addiction Treatment Process
- Registration/Enrolment: The initial step in alcohol addiction treatment is enrolment for the treatment in an appropriate centre.
- Admission: There are some rules and regulations that need to be followed when a patient visits the centre and fulfils the administration criteria.
- Assessment: In this stage, medical experts try to understand the patient’s current state and health conditions.
- Detox process: This detox process is done to make the patient clean, which means to remove all the drug content from the patient’s body.
- Inpatient care: The support and care given to the patient in the alcohol addiction treatment centre by the staff and medical experts.
- Outpatient Care: In this stage, patients move from the centre and stay with other fellow members in a group to test themselves.
- Post Plan: Patients have learned all the essential aspects of alcohol addiction treatment along with new skills and values.
- Release: A final assessment is done to finalize that the patient is ready to go back in his/her life with a new mindset.
- Aftercare: This step is used by most of the patients who want to maintain their sobriety under expert guidance.
Medically-Assisted Treatment for Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Medication works as a catalyst in your alcohol addiction treatment journey. Here are some common medications that your doctor may prescribe:
- Acamprosate: This medicine has approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medicine balances the chemicals, which get affected by too much consumption of alcohol.
- Disulfiram: A medicine that creates a feeling of nausea and vomiting if a person drinks alcohol after consuming it.
- Naltrexone: Reduces the chemicals that are responsible for pleasant feelings after drinking alcohol.
- Topiramate: Used to treat health issues caused by alcohol addiction, such as migraines, seizures, etc.
Rehabilitation Programs for Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Alcohol addiction is known as one of the chronic diseases which has affected a lot of the population and has led to severe physical, emotional and social problems.
Below are the key programs offered at Somorpon Foundation:
- Detoxification: Aims at eliminating alcohol from the body of the patient and making them ready for the next steps of treatment.
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Program: Allows the patient to live at the facility of Somorpon Foundation with 24/7 support.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps individuals to identify their negative thoughts and modify addictive behavior.
- Family Therapy: One-on-one family therapy sessions to help rebuild relationships with loved ones.
- Relapse Prevention: Experts at Somorpon provide a relapse prevention plan for ongoing support.
Success Rates and Effectiveness of Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Research indicates that 75% of individuals who undergo treatment for addiction experience long-term recovery after receiving proper support. Relapse should not be viewed as a failure but as a signal that the treatment needs adjustment. Long-term residential programs such as those offered by Somorpon Foundation provide better results when compared to community-based treatments.
