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It’s not uncommon to slip in and out of sobriety on your recovery journey. If you want to take steps to get treatment for your AUD, make an appointment with your doctor. They’ll likely ask you a series of questions to determine the severity of your dependency. These questions can also help them determine the best treatment option for your needs.
Some people recover from AUD the first time they seek treatment, while others may require several treatment attempts. The road to recovering from AUD can be a long process that requires various treatments or therapies. People who have AUD may continue to use alcohol even though they know it is causing social, health, economic, and possibly even legal problems in their life.
The challenge of this stage is to essentially develop and maintain healthy life skills that will serve you for a lifetime. An exciting part of this period is that it can lead you to a happier life full of welcomed change and constant improvement. During the recovery stage, it’s not uncommon to feel temporarily worse. For some people, AUD has hurt their relationships, careers, health, finances, self-esteem, and other aspects of their lives. Support groups can be especially helpful when you’re going through treatment for AUD. A support group can help you connect with other people who’re facing similar challenges.
It is intended as a resource to understand what treatment choices are available and what to consider when selecting among them. For more information, please visit the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator®, an online tool that helps individuals find the right treatment for them—and near them. The Navigator offers a step-by-step process to finding a highly qualified professional treatment provider. Medications can make detoxification safe while avoiding the worst symptoms of withdrawal. And medications and behavioral therapies can help people with AUD reduce alcohol intake or abstain from alcohol altogether.
As with treatment for other mental health conditions, such as depression, if a patient does not respond well to one medication, it is often worthwhile to try another. Once an individual commits to stop drinking, the physician will watch out for and treat withdrawal symptoms. During the withdrawal process, the doctor may prescribe a class of antianxiety drugs called benzodiazepines for a short period in order to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Types of Treatment
They may start drinking to cope with stressful events like losing a job, going through a divorce, or dealing with a death in their family or a close friend. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re under stress and think you may be at risk for relapse. Your provider may also be able to suggest an online self-guided program. Such e-health tools have been shown to help people overcome alcohol problems. Your health care provider can help you evaluate the pros and cons of each treatment setting.
Starting with a Primary Care Provider
- But friends and family may feel unsure about how best to provide the support needed.
- Now there are a variety of evidence-based treatments, including psychotherapy and medication, to treat alcohol use disorders.
- Previous research had shown that some regions may recover when someone stops drinking, but it was unclear much or how quickly recovery occurs.
- Some of these are inpatient or residential programs, where you stay at a treatment center for a while.
These medications are prescribed by a primary care provider or other health care provider and may be used alone or in combination with counseling. Yale Medicine’s approach to alcohol use disorder is evidence-based, integrated, and individualized. Our specialists utilize a range of medication and behavioral methods with demonstrated efficacy for helping individuals change their drinking habits and maintain these changes long-term. Care is integrated with patients’ other health care to improve treatment access, reduce costs, and promote better physical and mental health outcomes. However, just as those with chronic conditions such as asthma or rheumatoid arthritis may have flare-ups of the disease throughout their life, for some alcoholics, relapse is part of the process.
Professional Associations of Medical and Nonmedical Addiction Specialists
The counselor provides information about the individual’s drinking pattern and potential risks. After the individual receives personalized feedback, the counselor will work with them to set goals and provide ideas for helping to make a change. Recovery can take a long time, so you may need ongoing treatment. The one that’s right for you depends on your situation and your goals.
After detoxification, many people with alcohol disorders need some form of long-term support or counseling to remain sober. Recovery programs focus on teaching a person with alcoholism about the disease, its risks, and ways to cope with life’s usual stresses without turning to alcohol. Psychotherapy may help a person understand the influences that trigger drinking.
The myth of the addictive personality
Recognizing that you or a loved one has a problem with alcohol can be jarring. If you’re concerned that someone you know may be struggling with alcoholism and don’t know where to turn, Nexus is here to help. Our trusted and compassionate recovery advisors will provide a free, confidential consultation so you can decide on a course of action for treatment. Setbacks can be common, so you will want to know how they are addressed. For more information on a return to drinking, see An Ongoing Process. Overall, gather examples of powerlessness over alcohol as much information as you can about a program or provider before making a decision on treatment.