• Problems
• How We Help
• Treatment
• Fast Help
• Family Intervention
• Secondary Care
• Accommodation
• Rehab Costs

Treatment for Alcoholism

Alcoholism is generally regarded as one of the least serious forms of drugs abuse amongst the UK’s population – the ingrained nature of alcohol as a necessary requirement for social interaction means the harmful effects are often overlooked or downplayed in debate on the subject. The enduring image of the ‘town drunk’ is regarded with hilarity rather than genuine concern. But the ongoing problems – particularly in the UK – with ‘binge drinking’ and its associated problems make a cause for concern. Treatment has always been tricky – alcohol is after all a physically addictive drug – but a variety of treatments exist.

In a contrast to treatments centred specifically around problems relating to Class A drugs – opiates, cocaine and the like – most treatments for alcoholism revolve around a ‘zero tolerance’ approach. That is, alcoholics are put into an environment where not a single drop of alcohol may pass their lips – rather, a certain combination of suitable drugs are used as a replacement therapy, in a process called ‘alcohol detoxification’. Whilst the short-term effects are generally a successful withdrawal from dependence on alcohol, without further therapy the addict often slips back into old patterns of addiction.

Group therapy is one such form of alcohol treatment. Widely publicise by groups like ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, the idea is that by the addict admitting to other users that they have a problem, the psychological dependency is broken. Talking through the addiction with other users like this has seen a marked improvement in the likelihood of not relapsing back into addiction.

Therapies used for more serious alcoholics include the Sinclair Method – in which opioid antagonists are used to cease the cravings for alcohol – have seen notable successes in Florida and Finland. Other treatments like nutritional therapy, where certain vitamins are included in the alcohol abuser’s diet to combat the years of physical harm they have been inflicting on their body – have also yielded good results in preventing abusers relapsing.

Taken collectively, the full range of treatments for alcohol abuse represent a formidable weapon in combating the dangers associated with dependency on the substance. Numerous ways exist to support and maintain sobriety post-treatment, and in the hands of a skilled practitioner, chances of success are high.