What is Alcohol Rehab?

What is Alcohol Rehab?

Alcohol rehab is the process of helping individuals overcome their physical and psychological addiction to alcohol. During this process, the individual will go through three different stages of treatment: alcohol detox, counseling and aftercare. Each one of the processes is designed to treat a different component of addiction – be it physical, psychological or social aspects of the condition.

The Primary Elements of Alcohol Rehab

Alcohol Detox. This is the initial part of the recovery process. Detox involves stopping the consumption of alcohol and giving the body the time it needs to cleanse itself of the harmful toxins associated with wine, liquor or beer. During this process, the individual may experience a series of withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms during alcohol detox, include:

• Depression and anxiety
• Sharp mood swings
• Sweats or chills
• Relapse into alcohol use
• Irritability
• Seizures or blackouts (in severe cases only)

The alcohol detox process generally last several days to two weeks. The withdrawal symptoms above are known to reach their peak after the first few days into the process.

Counseling. The core of any alcohol rehabilitation programs is counseling. During sessions with a counselor or therapist, the individual learns relapse prevention skills, receives education about alcoholism, and discovers the triggers that cause their unwanted behavior. Counseling in alcohol rehab takes two forms: individual and group sessions.

• Individual counseling. During these regular sessions, the individual takes part in one-on-one private therapy with an addiction treatment counselor. These sessions are a chance to explore the issues in the individual's life that have brought about their alcoholism – and find some real solutions moving forward.
• Group counseling. These sessions involve meeting with other recovering addicts in the program. Group counseling is a wonderful opportunity to share stories with others, gain support from one another and break down the walls of isolation brought on by alcohol addiction.

Aftercare. When an individual "graduates" from alcohol rehab, they must then return to the outside world. This is not always as easy as it sounds, as individuals face a number of challenges when they return home after treatment, including:

• Temptation. Seeing old friends or acquaintances can quickly lead to old behaviors concerning alcohol abuse.
• Stress and distraction. Work or school can get stressful, as the individual tries to play catch up after missing time because of their condition. This can easily trigger relapse behavior.
• A lack of understanding. Those who have never been through drug rehab or alcohol rehab don't know what these intense processes are really like. Therefore, they may have trouble communicating with the individual who has been there and back.

To help address these situations, aftercare features things such as 12-step programs and additional counseling give the individual a place to talk through what they are experiencing - while developing solutions and getting much needed support in their efforts.

Alcohol Rehab and Mental Health Issues

Many alcohol rehab programs have historically strictly provided alcohol rehab without attention to other mental issues. However, given the impact of addiction on other life issues, it is no surprise that mental health complications are very common among those who participate in alcohol rehab programs. In fact, more than 44% of alcoholics have mental health complications prior to the onset of alcohol dependence and many others develop mood-related complications, such as depression and dysthymia, after the onset of the addiction. The finest alcohol rehab centers incorporate mental health treatments in addition to alcohol rehab services in an effort to treat these co-occurring disorders.

Different Types of Alcohol Rehab

Alcohol rehab programs come in two basic types: outpatient and residential. While both offer similar programs (detox, counseling, aftercare, etc.) there are some significant differences in the way that they deliver these treatments.

Outpatient Alcohol Rehab

• Individuals attend treatment during the day and return home (or to a sober living facility) in the evening.
• Better suited for individuals who are the head of household or have work and school that need to be attended.
• A good choice for individuals who have a non-life threatening form of alcohol addiction.

Residential Alcohol Rehab

• The individual moves into a dorm-like setting and receives round-the-clock care.
• A great choice for those who need a place to focus solely on the alcohol addiction and the recovery process.