Do you need alcohol rehab? The first days and weeks off alcohol can be tough and in many cases, even quite dangerous. Some people benefit greatly by getting out of their home environment and into a residential alcohol rehab facility for this initial period, whereas others might do just as well at home and in an outpatient treatment program. Is alcohol rehab what you need? Find out if you’d benefit from a stay in an alcohol rehab program and learn more about what you can expect to happen while in a residential addiction treatment program. Learn about the different types of alcohol rehab programs and find out how to select a quality program that’s going to work for you.
Alcoholism is a powerful disease, rendering its victims almost powerless over cravings to drink, and once we start drinking – we’re almost powerless to stop.
It’s a disease that affects our health, mental health, work or school life and that damages important relationships. Alcohol gets so intertwined into life that it seems that everything we do revolves around it, and although most of us try to stop on our own, most of us end up needing professional help to break free from drinking.
Alcoholism pulls down quality of life, but it also destroys physical health from within, increasing the odds of myriad dangerous or fatal diseases, cancers and cognitive declines. Most alcoholics that fail to get help and stop drinking will eventually die from the drink.
Fortunately, addiction treatment works and alcoholics can learn how to stop drinking. One of the most intensive forms of addiction treatment for alcoholics is alcohol rehab, a residential period of care.
Who Needs Alcohol Rehab?
There are many varieties of addiction treatment, and not all are residential in nature. Outpatient treatment programs cost much less and allow you to stay at home and continue on at work, but will an outpatient alcohol treatment program help you stop drinking?
There are no one size fits all solutions, and addiction treatment is most effective when you are matched to an appropriate level of care. In general however, people who tend to benefit most from an alcohol rehab include:
- People with a dual diagnosis (co-occurring alcoholism and a mental health condition)
- People who cannot abstain from alcohol even for short periods of time (addiction treatment doesn’t work if you are drunk)
- People who have tried outpatient before without any success
- People who face severe health, career or social consequences if they cannot stop drinking
- People who do not have a stable or sober living situation
- People without strong family or social support
- People who are court or work mandated to a residential program
Page last updated Aug 30, 2010
