Outpatient alcohol treatment centers provide patients with a flexible program that can fit into the lives they were leading and careers they were pursuing prior to--and during--an addiction. While this sort of treatment does not work for everybody, many advocate for this type of treatment after a patient has become stable in an inpatient treatment program.
Significance
Alcohol treatment programs are a bridge for the patient, a bride between hospitalization or serious inpatient treatment to a normal life beyond recovery.
A personal recovery plan is usually made upon commencing an outpatient alcohol treatment program. A plan to get and remain sober is created by the patient's primary therapist and the patient himself. Prior to embarking upon the program, the patient needs to honestly assess where his weaknesses are anticipated to be. By pinpointing the times when he was led to drink previously, he can get on the right path to start by avoiding and solving the situations before they begin to tempt him back to his old habits.
Programs can consist of all or some of the following: a schedule of meetings where attendance is monitored, daily talks with a mentor or sponsor, journaling, doing a "recovery" workbook if one has been selected, cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivation enhancement, a 12 step program, reworking past habits that contributed to alcoholism, accountability evaluations, and special actions designed by the patient and therapist. The focus should be on doing what it takes to heal and recover.
Identification
Alcoholics Anonymous is usually a part of an outpatient alcohol treatment program. Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization for alcoholics (those currently suffering and those in recovery), and it is run by recovered alcoholics. You will find the link in our Resources section. These meetings allow sufferers to hear the message of hope, to see recovery in action, to speak their mind, to work through the 12 step program that is its foundation. By working the twelve steps with a sponsor, many have recovered from the ravages of alcoholism. Because of its success and upstanding reputation, it continues to be a part of outpatient programs of all kinds. It doesn't discriminate, and it doesn't receive funding from outside sources. Please find the link in our Resources section for more complete information about this miraculous organization.
The American Council on Alcoholism, which can be contacted at (800) 527-5344, is a wellspring resource for patients who hope to find help and outpatient alcohol treatment programs.
Types
There are several kinds of outpatient alcohol treatment programs. Some use traditional therapies alongside the practices established by organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous. The programs enhance the 12 step experience by offering additional services like personal counseling and behavioral modification assistance.
Some are more spiritually based. New Method Wellness is an outpatient program with a twist. It focuses on the positive aspects of life, even using an equine program as a part of healing. It aims to help the one suffering to see and experience the joy of life. You will find the link to this unusual program in our Resources section.
Many inpatient centers have outpatient counseling offices. For some, it can be comforting and still seem like the structure and support of inpatient care is present, even when one is allowed to go home. Others respond poorly to going back to the place where the dark days of treatment started. It's important to customize the outpatient treatment to the individual patient's needs, desires and fears in order to foster an environment that will support his sobriety.
Effects
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that 14 million Americans regularly abuse alcohol. Committing to an outpatient alcohol treatment can prepare sufferers to reenter society as a sober individual even before treatment is complete.
Warning
One should not pursue outpatient treatment at the risk of recovery. If pressures in the outside world are anticipated as being too great, it's best for the patient to commit to inpatient treatment. Recovery doesn't exist if one's strength isn't nurtured and prepared for the fight. A patient, family member, close friend, and doctor should all discuss the pros and cons of the situation with a patient before a decision is made. Because of the vulnerability of addiction and recovery times, it's best if the patient is assisted in this decision.
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