The Road to Successful Alcohol Addiction Recovery

Basics of Alcohol Addiction Recovery

Alcohol addiction recovery is similar to recovery from other kinds of drugs. It entails a comprehensive list of treatments that begins with medical detox and is then followed by rehabilitative therapies and aftercare. Recovery from alcohol is not something that happens overnight; it generally takes from 3 to 12 weeks to complete a formal treatment programme and then many months of aftercare.

Recovery also has physical, psychological, and social components. Private rehab clinics treating patients based on a holistic model address all three components out of a desire to treat the whole patient rather than just one aspect of addiction. The holistic model has proven successful as a means of both treating immediate problems and helping recovering alcoholics go on to lifelong abstinence.

What Is the Psychological Component of Recovery?

All drugs have some kind of effect on the body. Some drugs, alcohol included, affect the brain in such a way as to create physical dependence. What is physical dependence? It is a condition in which the user’s body becomes accustomed to having drugs in the system. The body relies on those drugs in order to function. A person who is physically dependent on alcohol experiences withdrawal symptoms if he or she goes too long without drinking.

What Is the Psychological Component of Recovery?

The psychological component of recovery is multi-faceted. First, sustained alcohol use has an effect on the way a person thinks. For example, it is not uncommon for alcoholics to be unable to think clearly about their drinking habits because the haze of alcohol prevents them from seeing things as they are. Psychotherapeutic treatments aim to address the patient’s thought patterns in order to refocus them in a positive direction.

The second facet of the psychological component is one of actually getting to the root of addictive behaviour. It uses various therapies to help patients understand who they are as people, why they think and feel the way they do, and why they tend to rely on alcohol is much as they do. Getting to the root of addictive behaviour then makes it possible to come up with strategies for addressing that behaviour long-term.

What Is the Social Component of Recovery?

Alcohol addiction is a very isolating condition that separates people from social interaction. That’s why alcohol addicts tend to gradually become withdrawn to the point of drinking alone. The social component of alcohol addiction recovery is designed to reverse that social isolation. It is designed to help recovering alcoholics reintegrate into society and culture with the knowledge that there is a whole life waiting to be lived free from alcohol consumption.

At times the social component to recovery includes working with patients to develop life skills that will help them cope with future temptations to relapse. Job training can be offered along with placement assistance in some cases. The idea is to help return the recovering alcoholic to that place of being a productive participant in the local community.

Are All Three Components Required for Alcohol Addiction Recovery?

There are some short-term alcohol addiction recovery programmes that focus mainly on physical addiction by way of medical detox. The short-term programmes are intended to provide alcohol abusers with a speedy treatment programme that can be completed rather quickly, with the understanding that the individual will seek additional help through counselling and support group membership.

It would be inappropriate for us to say that it is impossible to fully recover from alcohol addiction through a programme that treats only the physical, as there have been cases when such treatments proved successful. But we can say that not addressing all three components of alcohol addiction makes permanent recovery more difficult.

Residential treatment clinics address all three components in order to treat the whole person. In so doing they are addressing alcohol addiction from every angle. This more comprehensive way of treating addiction offers the greatest chances of long-term success for most people.

What to Expect from Alcohol Addiction Recovery?

Assuming you are visiting our website today because you are concerned about your own alcohol use or that of someone you love, we want you to know what to expect from alcohol addiction recovery. First, figuring out what kinds of treatments would be most beneficial to you requires a comprehensive assessment of your situation. We can provide that assessment if you will reach out to us and speak with one of our counsellors. Your GP can provide the assessment as well.

After choosing a treatment option, you will then be attending a clinic on either an outpatient or inpatient basis. Medically supervised detox is the first phase of treatment. Detox takes between five and ten days and is conducted under the supervision of trained medical professionals. It is followed by rehab therapies that can last from three to 12 weeks.

Following formal treatment at an outpatient clinic or residential rehab centre, recovering alcoholics participate in aftercare that can last up to a year. Aftercare includes things such as counselling and 12-step support group participation.

We Help You Defeat Alcohol Addiction

Rest assured that all treatment providers and caregivers are genuinely concerned about the health and welfare of patients. All of us in the addiction recovery community only want the best for you and your family. We want to help you recover from alcohol addiction so that you can go on to lead the kind of life you want for yourself and your family.

EATA counsellors are standing by with free advice and referrals. If you are ready to begin the journey of alcohol addiction recovery, contact us on our 24-hour helpline or through our website. Your journey to wellness can begin right away.