Alcoholism - Treatment for Alcoholism

Outpatient Treatment Options. People with mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms are usually treated as outpatients. Treatments are similar to those in inpatient situations and include the following:

Psychotherapy or counseling
Medications that target brain chemicals involved in addiction
Social support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
Cognitive therapies
Quitting smoking

text continues below

After-Care and Work Therapy. After-care employs services that help alcoholics maintain sobriety. For example, in some cities, sober-living houses provide residences for people who are trying to stay sober. They do not offer formal treatment services, but the people living there offer each other support and maintain an abstinent environment. A 2002 study reported that work therapy improved the outcome for homeless veterans who were being treated for substance abuse.

Factors That Predict Success or Failure After Treatment

A 2001 analysis of studies reported that 25% of people were continuously abstinent following treatment, and another 10% used alcohol moderately and without problems. Even among the remaining group, alcohol consumption was reduced by an average of 87%. Most studies strongly suggest that intensive and prolonged treatment is important for successful recovery, whether the patient is treated within or outside a treatment center.

Certain factors play a role in success or failure. Patients from low-income groups tend to have worse results in general. Their difficulties are often intensified by lack of insurance, low self-esteem, and minimal social support.

Treating People Who Have Both Alcoholism and Health Problems

Severe alcoholism is often complicated by the presence of serious medical illnesses. People with alcoholism should try at least to maintain a healthy diet and take vitamin supplements. Such deficiencies are a major cause of health problems in people with alcoholism. Women are particularly endangered.

A program called integrated outpatient treatment (IOT) may be specifically helpful for medically ill alcoholics. The patient visits a clinic once a month and receives both intensive alcohol treatment and a physical check-up, which includes tracking factors, such as liver function, that are affected by drinking. One study showed that IOT significantly increased abstinence and the number of treatment visits. IOT may even improve survival rates. Interestingly, however, drinking also significantly decreased in a comparison group of patients who were treated only for their medical conditions.