Bill’s Struggle With Life #1
“My name is Bill…and I am an alcoholic.”
For me, alcohol rehabilitation was a slow, long and a deliberate process, targeted at the alcohol addict within me and with an objective to make me quit the habit and become (truly) independent again. Alcohol rehabilitation programs and services need to be customized for each individual, and need to be constantly assessed and appropriately modified to meet the changing needs of the alcohol addict.
In addition to the physical rehabilitation and detoxification, there is a need for counseling and psychotherapy including medical services to continually change medication to suite my needs. The most ideal treatment regime combines therapies and other services. These are treatment plans, pharmacotherapy, and behavioral therapy and counseling, clinical and case management, substance use monitoring, self-help and peer group support. In addition alcohol rehab centers provide vocational services, childcare services, family services, legal services, mental health services and educational services.
The effectiveness of rehabilitation regimes is dependent upon the understanding of the patient’s issues and problems, and the treatment components and requisite services that are used to address the patient issues and finally the degree of the patient involvement in the treatment process.
In the year 2004, nearly 2.5 million Americans over the age of 12 needed some form of treatment and rehabilitation services for substance (alcohol) abuse, but of these only 3.8 million people received it. An alcohol rehabilitation center provides services that determine whether a patient would stay in treatment and if issues beyond the physical detoxification such as social and psychological issues are addressed adequately or not. The outcome of the rehabilitation services program is to not only make the alcohol addict quit the habit but also be independent in taking decisions and finally be productive to the society.
For me, that had an alcohol abuse habit, the alcohol rehabilitation residential program provided the support and means to enable me to come out of the habit. In cases where individuals have been out of the job market for alcohol abuse related issues, these rehabilitation programs also provide skill development for these individuals to acquire jobs again. But most importantly the alcohol rehabilitation programs provide emotional support to enable individuals to stop using alcohols, be independent and take the right decisions.
An integral part of such programs is to provide educational support as it is observed that most of the young individuals who have an alcohol habit, have dropped out of school and don't have the necessary skills and education to get into the job market.
An ideal alcohol rehabilitation and treatment center offers a variety options that are suited to an individual needs, such as inpatient, residential, outpatient, (short-stay, -stay options). An on site 24 hr medical (physician and nurses) support is essential to ensure a safe withdrawal process. They also ensure the medical progress of the individual and make necessary adjustments.
The length of stay in an alcohol rehabilitation center and the choice of inpatient and residential etc. program depend on the severity and stage of the alcohol usage. Local, state and federal governments fund majority of alcohol rehabilitation as alcohol addiction and abuse is a social issue. Treatment for alcohol abuse and addiction is delivered in many different settings, using a variety of behavioral and pharmacological approaches
In the United States itself there are close to 11,000 specialized alcohol treatment facilities that provide rehabilitation, counseling, behavioral therapy, medication, case management, and related services that provide support to individuals with various alcohol abuse habits.
Alcohol rehabilitation programs play an important part in re-establishing an individuals’ faith in them and enable the individual to be a productive part of society. Alcohol addiction refers to the repeated intake of alcohols resulting in tolerance or need for more amounts of the alcohol to achieve the same effect or high, followed by a withdrawal, which refers to physical effects when the use of alcohol declines or stops. Alcohol addiction could be caused by alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine to name a few.
The addiction rehab center must provide a complete detoxification solution.
The goal of detoxification is to get the body rid of the toxins that have accumulated as a result of alcohol usage. As a result of this the body shows withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal is defined as "the act or process of ceasing to use an addictive alcohol."
Detoxification programs need to go beyond just physical detoxification and focus more on counseling and psychological causes of the person’s alcohol addiction issue.
Alcohol detoxification may be viewed as three distinct phases:
- Medical Detoxification: A trained medical professional (physician or nurse) needs to supervise and oversee the withdrawal symptoms in terms of safety and minimum complications.
- Physical Detoxification: At this stage the body needs to develop physical strength and here the role of a nutritionist is essential.
- Emotional Detoxification: The rebuilding of emotional health through counseling sessions, social networking and skill rebuilding is essential. This ensures that the individual is able to become an integral part of the society and not feel isolated.
Alcohol rehabilitation is a multi-stage and a long terms process with an objective to change the addicts view about him or her self in terms of building my self-esteem and confidence.
Most alcohol rehab centers are not for profit organizations committed to the social cause of providing support to individuals who are grappling with an alcohol abuse problem and make them independent and socially productive. Alcohol rehab centers are government run (federal and or state). The alcohol rehab center aims to not only make the alcoholic quit the habit, but also be independent of making decisions while being productive to society.
I didn’t know how long it would take me to get used to the idea that I was no longer in my comfort zone with rehabilitation services. I always thought of myself as master of my own domain. However, that thought couldn’t be further away from the truth. I was addicted to alcohol and substances for over twenty years. Fortunately, rehabilitation was helpful in turning me into a better husband, better father and a better man.
