Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is rampant in the US, and there are 14 million Americans ages 18 and older who have this behavioral disorder. You have it when you cannot control your thirst for liquor in a day. Also, it seems like you cannot function well when you can’t sip alcohol in your mouth.
Are you suffering from alcoholism, and you want to find a proven treatment to overcome it? You are in the right spot since we are going to talk about effective therapies and medications for AUD.
Does Alcohol Treatment Really Work?
Not everyone is willing to undergo rehab for alcoholism because of the stigma they get from society. However, the more you stay away from treatment, the more you will drown out this unhealthy behavior. Your best solution to get back to your normal life is to undergo an alcohol rehab program that fits your needs.
Based on medical reports, it has been found out that alcoholism treatment helps 33.33 percent of patients recover from AUD, and this is for a year of recovery. Also, there is a higher chance of preventing relapse when you enroll in continuous counseling.
What are your Alcohol Treatment Options?
Oftentimes, people think about the 12-step program or the 30-day inpatient recovery process when they think about treating alcoholism. That is partly correct, yet no all-in-one solution applies to all patients when it comes to alcoholism recovery. It must be tailored-fit to your needs and conditions, so you need to consult a doctor first.
Medications for Alcoholism
Generally, treating alcoholism involves a combination of medicine, detox, and therapy. The mind, body, and behavior of the patient must be addressed to holistically help them recover. For medications, there are three approved medicines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
- Naltrexone: This prohibits the body from feeling high, or sensing the pleasurable effects of alcohol.
- Disulfiram: This is an antagonist which makes you feel sick when you drink alcoholic beverages.
- Acamprosate: This medicine helps the patient stop his cravings for alcohol.
Remember to consult your doctor for any of these medicines to avoid complications, especially if you are taking other medications for conditions other than AUD.
Psychotherapy
For this program, you will talk to a psychologist and share with him or her about your life experiences, challenges, and triggers that made you engage in this unhealthy behavior.
The psychologist will then use psychoanalysis to diagnose your mental health, and find ways to help you understand your cravings, and how you will be motivated to pursue treatment.
12-Step Program
Alcoholics Anonymous is a famous 12-step program you can enroll in for treating alcoholism. This method is proven to supplement other medications and therapies you have taken to recover from AUD. The psychologist will facilitate the 12-step program and the materials to be used in the process.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is another proven behavioral therapy used to help you and other patients recover from AUD. The main goal of CBT is to help you identify those triggers or negative thinking that pushes you to drink, or do unhealthy behaviors. Once these negative thoughts are identified, your psychologist will help you train your mind to create positive thoughts to counter them.
CBT is geared towards creating positive solutions with less diagnosis. Your psychologist will help you construct strategies on how you can positively overcome any trigger or cravings along the way. Also, most patients see a significant result from CBT after their fifth session.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
When you are addicted to alcohol or any substance, you feel weak towards your cravings, right? That can be resolved through motivational interviewing. In this program, your psychologist will help you set goals and develop self-motivation to recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Because it is client-centered, your therapist will focus on yourself and how you can develop an undying motivation to recover from alcoholism. In general, most patients feel a significant change in their life after their fourth session.
Most therapists use four principles in applying this method:
- Formulating discrepancies
- Showing empathy
- Working around resistance
- Promoting self-efficacy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
For this therapy, you will be trained to forget all your past traumas and negative experiences which lead you to drink alcohol, or abuse substances. Your therapist will help you find ways on how to live presently and focus on what matters to you and for your recovery.
DBT operates on the following principles:
- Everything in life is interrelated
- The world is dynamic and constantly changing
- Opposite things can be combined to create something better
Here are the four main strategies being taught to patients with DBT:Post
- Tolerance to distress
- Stimulating mindfulness
- Effective interpersonal communication
- Balancing emotions
Music Therapy
Undergoing an alcohol rehab program is not just about medications and counseling since that can make it boring. Many rehab centers already use art and music to help patients recover from alcoholism. These two things help patients express their stress and emotions so that they don’t resort to consuming alcohol or other substances.
Additionally, many records are showing that music and art, effectively help boost the patient’s self-motivation and positivism in getting better. A therapist can also look at the outputs to understand more about their patients.
Meditation
This method significantly helps you or any patient in calming themselves when triggers strike. Yoga and meditation are already adopted in several rehab centers because of their effectiveness to train the minds of the patients. When you are relaxed, you don’t have any triggers that push you to drink just to feel better.
Look for a trusted Alcohol Treatment Center Today!
There are many rehab centers in the US, yet it will be challenging to find a reliable one that can help you or your loved ones recover from alcoholism. You can either get a referral from your reliable friend or doctor for a trusted rehab center that helps you recover from alcohol use disorder.
Don’t hesitate to consult a doctor or therapist to get sound advice to help you recover from this behavioral disorder.