Traditional Alcoholism Treatments that will Help
You on the Road to Recovery

You need to understand when looking at alcoholism treatments - that when
dealing with addiction - your addiction to alcohol is your primary illness.

What do I mean by that?

The thing is, often when dealing with alcoholism and looking for alcoholism treatment options, you end up with addiction related illnesses - like depression and anxiety.

So you go to your Doctor, tell him you're feeling depressed, he prescribes you with an anti-depressant of some sort and away you go.

Problem is you haven't told him the true extent of your drinking or even if you had, his speciality isn't in helping people overcome addictions so you end up going in circles being treated for a bunch of stuff caused by your alcohol dependency rather than for the cause itself, i.e. your addiction.

Because by treating your addiction properly in the first place, your addiction related illnesses like depression will be resolved in the process.

How do I know all this?

I spent a good 5 years going from Doctors to Psychologists to Psychiatrists trying to figure out was wrong with me and why I was so miserable.

And unless you're a hardcore 'junkie' which most addicts aren't, you'll rationalise to yourself that your unhappiness is making your drink, not the other way around. So when talking to the various Doctors etc. on your search of trying to get to the bottom of what's 'wrong' with you, you'll play down your drinking and so you basically end up going nowhere.

So when looking at treatments for alcoholism, you want to be sure you're talking to the right kind of people to begin with.

What is the right kind of person ....?

A Specialist ... someone who pretty much helps people full-time dealing with their addictions.

A good place to start would be with an Addictions Counsellor. Finding a number in your local directory or on the internet shouldn't be too hard. They're a wealth of information and will be a great resource for all the various sources and methods of help in your area.

They would also be able to more than likely tell you, whether an in-patient treatment or out-patient treatment option is best for you.

Which Alcoholism Treatment Option is Better:
In-Patient Treatment vs. Out-Patient Treatment?

So what's the difference in these treatments of alcoholism and when do you go with which?

As a general rule of thumb, if you've tried more than once to quit by yourself unsuccessfully and if you abuse more than one substance, an in-patient treatment option should be your first point of call, i.e. Rehab. Go to the Rehab section to read more about it there, but just to quickly let you know, Rehab is nothing to worry about or fear.

In fact, I would recommend it to everyone because you learn so much about about your addiction while you're there and it gives you an important time-out from the stresses of everyday life to equip you with the tools you need on your road to recovery.

Do you HAVE to go to Rehab?

No. You might want to start with the out-patient treatment option as your initial alcoholism treatment method - or because to get the money together to go to rehab may be difficult. In your case, make sure you find a specialist who has loads of experience in treating people with addiction.

It could be a Counsellor or Therapist or Psychologist. It doesn't matter really so long as they have the experience and are alcohol addiction treatment specialists.

I would suggest that you ring a couple of rehab facilities within a reasonable area to where you live and ask them who they could recommend because often the Counsellors etc. that work there will also do private work and that way you know you're dealing with an expert in the field.

If you're going to go the out-patient route I also suggest that you get into a Support Group like AA straight away. Now I know if you haven't ever been to an AA meeting, imagining going to one may create all sorts of weird images in your mind from having watched TV and movies where there is a certain stigma attached to going to meetings.

I tell you what though, going to a support group like AA is such a powerful thing. Most importantly you realise you're not alone in what you're going through and feeling, you learn so much about yourself and your addiction - plus you'll probably make new friends.

Many people treating alcoholism, have used AA exclusively, never gone to Rehab and have years of sobriety and recovery under their belts. You won't know how powerful it is until you've gone to a few meetings regularly.

Yes it will feel a bit weird and uncomfortable at first, but you'll be amazed by how going regularly your life will change for the better.

There may be other support groups out there, but the reason I recommend AA especially to begin with is because it works.

So when it comes to alcoholism treatments, ideally your first step should be to find a good drug and alcohol rehab programme or if that's not possible find yourself a specialist counsellor and start going to AA meetings. It's a method that works, but for the method to work for you, you have to work the method.

I highly recommend you also read the addiction and alcoholism drug treatment article where you'll discover other things to consider when deciding on an inpatient or outpatient form of treatment.

The alcoholism self help and alternative alcoholism treatment options provide plenty of additional helpful ideas to support your treatment program.

Understanding the importance alcohol and drug treatment plays when considering the various alcoholism treatments available will also help a great deal in ensuring successful treatment and recovery.