Types of Alcohol Treatment

Alcohol treatment is the treatment received for dependence on alcohol. It is available in numerous forms and the types of treatment prescribed will depend on the individual, their circumstances and their level of dependency.

In many cases, a combination of alcohol treatment types will be prescribed. Types of treatment available include psychological, biological and social. At some clinics, though, treatment will be weighted in favour of certain types of treatment more than others so this is something that is well worth asking about.

Biological alcohol treatment

In biological alcohol treatment, medication is used to treat alcohol dependency. The most common form is alcohol detox. This is when medication is prescribed by a medical professional to help minimise and control the often-unpleasant side-effects of alcohol withdrawal. Many people don’t understand the side effects of withdrawal from alcohol and that in some cases they can be fatal.

Biological alcohol treatment also includes drugs being prescribed to prevent a relapse into alcohol dependency.

Psychological alcohol treatment

Counselling and therapy can be used to help individuals stop drinking and to then prevent them having a relapse into drinking again. Counselling can be done in individual sessions or as a group. Sometimes a client’s family or partner may also become involved in the counselling.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a particularly popular type of psychological alcohol treatment. 12-step alcohol treatment programmes are also a popular type of therapy. The most famous one is probably Alcoholics Anonymous. This type of treatment works for a lot of people and it is popular but others are put off by the ‘spiritual’ approach sometimes adopted.

Social alcohol treatment

Even after detox and a spell in an alcohol rehab clinic, it’s important that a person’s social circumstances are addressed if they are to make a long-term recovery from alcohol dependence. This is often vital in managing to re-adapt to everyday life without drinking alcohol. Through social alcohol treatment, individuals will work with professionals to address issues such as their social circle, work, money, personal relationships and more. Those who continue to work on these issues after rehab through aftercare have the greatest chance of staying sober.