When you are looking for help with a substance abuse problem, your choices for help may seem overwhelming. There are several different kinds of treatment and several different levels of care that vary in intensity. It can be a challenge to determine what level of care is appropriate for you. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has established a set of criteria for determining the most appropriate level of care for individuals seeking treatment for substance abuse. A skilled substance abuse counselor will be able to help you make this determination and guide you to the level of care that best fits your needs.

Early intervention treatment is the least restrictive and least intense level of care. In early intervention treatment, people who are considered to be at a high risk for abusing substances are able to learn more about drugs and alcohol and identify high risk behaviors. Individuals that are appropriate for this level of care do not currently meet criteria for a substance abuse disorder, but are still able to benefit from some sort of treatment.

Outpatient treatment is the next level of care that is provided for substance abuse treatment. Individuals receiving outpatient services are seen by a counselor according to patient need, although this must be less than nine hours a week. Generally, an individual will carry a substance abuse diagnosis at this level of care, but the symptoms the individual displays are not serious enough to interfere with daily activities of living to a point that a higher level of care would be necessary.

Intensive outpatient treatment is very similar to traditional outpatient treatment. The main difference between these two levels of care is that the individual must spend a minimum of nine hours a week in services. Intensive outpatient treatment does not require the individual to live at the facility where treatment is being provided, but does offer the individual the opportunity to work through issues related to substances on an intense level. Individuals in this level of care are experiencing a decline in the ability to handle their daily activities of living and, therefore, meet criteria for receiving services at a higher level of care than those in traditional outpatient settings.

Residential treatment takes place when the individual lives at the facility, and the majority of the individual’s time is spent focusing on recovery. Residential treatment is gender specific in terms of living quarters, although treatment oriented activities such as group may contain members of both sexes. Residential treatment facilities have staff members on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are able to provide constant support for individuals receiving treatment. Residential treatment is recommended for individuals who cannot abstain from using substances in a less intense level of care, and/or cannot keep up with activities of daily living. These programs are traditionally 28 days in length, but can vary depending on the needs of the individual.

Medically managed treatment is the most intense level of care available. This setting has the same components that of a residential treatment, but also requires a doctor to see the individual on a daily basis. This level of care is appropriate for individuals who have severe biomedical complications due to their substance use, such as a person requiring a medically monitored detox. This level of care tends to be brief in nature due to the intensity of the services provided, but is often followed up by traditional residential treatment.

Jessica Parks is a certified alcohol and drug counselor in the state of Illinois and has her M.A. in art therapy counseling.

Alcohol Treatment Centers Available Throughout the Country to Help Individuals Live Sober, Healthy Lives

Many alcohol treatment centers offer a variety of different alcoholism treatment options that can be tailored to the individual addict. And though many centers specialize in dealing with the particular addiction of alcohol, regardless what your brand of drug or alcohol was, the very act of seeking treatment will help you begin the trip down the road of sobriety.

Regardless if you’re an alcoholic or regularly abuse alcohol, or you’ve only thought about treatment, this much is true: alcohol treatment centers will help alcoholics figure out how to live free of the addiction and cycle of alcohol abuse.

Alcoholics Seek Answers, Support at Alcohol Treatment Centers

Many times counselors and care givers at alcohol treatment centers find that a set of behaviors in an abuser’s life led up to and enabled an environment of alcohol addiction: from stopping off for a beer after work prior to going home every night, all the way to the ability or need to hide liquor, beer, or wine throughout the house so that loved ones never really know how much an alcoholic is drinking, let alone that they’re never able to completely rid the house of alcohol – these behaviors are all analyzed at alcohol treatment centers in an effort to keep recovering alcoholics free from their own ‘behavioral prisons’ in their daily lives.

Alcohol treatment centers help a recovering alcoholic identify those behaviors and learn to replace them with positive, alcohol-free behaviors and activities. From taking up fishing or golf, to just doing work around the house that has been lacking, counselors and loved ones will readily suggest ways to spend time free from drinking.

For more information on alcohol treatment centers or for links to find online alcohol and drug substance abuse recovery opportunities, please visit SoberRecovery.com.

Sun, Sand and Sobriety: Alcohol Treatment Centers in San Diego

The fun and sun of Southern California can cure a lot of what ails you. If you’re suffering from boredom, burnout or just need-a-vacation-itis, sand beaches and theme parks will pretty much take care of it. If you’re suffering from alcohol abuse, however, you’re going to need a whole lot more. Fortunately, there are many exceptional alcohol treatment centers in San Diego. They run the range from publicly-funded options to those that seem like the luxurious resorts that surround them. Like the options for entertainment, the options for alcohol treatment are many in San Diego

Specialized Alcohol Treatment Centers in San Diego

Southern California is often thought of as a playground for the rich and famous. As the tabloids are quick to let you know, though, the rich and famous have their problems, too. If you are a high-profile executive, celebrity or athlete with a drinking problem, you’ll want privacy while you work on your recovery. Alcohol treatment centers in San Diego know how to protect their high-profile clients, and how to provide them with the kind of comfortable and elegant environment they are used to.

Not everyone in SoCal fits that mold, and there are alcohol treatment centers in San Diego that cater to other needs, too. There are programs that specialize in treating women, and programs for teenagers. There are inpatient facilities for those who need detox and a residential program, and outpatient programs for those who are able to cope without constant supervision. Twelve-step, holistic, psychiatric and medical models are represented, as well as other alternative approaches. Use our resource list to find the appropriate treatment center for your needs, and start your new life today. There’s a lot of sun and fun waiting for you once you’re sober.

What Happens at Alcohol Treatment Centers?

Much of what happens at alcohol treatment centers depends on the type of treatment you choose. If you have a severe addiction to alcohol, however, the first step is always the same: detoxification. Getting the alcohol out of your bloodstream and dealing with the resultant withdrawal symptoms requires medical attention. Withdrawal symptoms can include tremors, delirium, hallucinations, convulsions, rapid heartbeat and liver failure.

Once the alcohol is completely out of your system and you have recovered from the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, the real work of dealing with your addiction can begin. A great many alcohol treatment centers use the twelve-step model that forms the basis of Alcoholics Anonymous. Basic tenets of AA include admitting that you are powerless over your addiction, taking strength from a Higher Power, and working with your sponsor to make amends for past behavior and learn how to live without alcohol.

Other alcohol treatment centers offer alternative approaches. All will include counseling to help you deal with life without the crutch of alcohol. Holistic centers are likely to provide massage therapy, yoga, meditation training, exercise therapy and perhaps acupuncture. A psychiatric approach will lean heavily on group and individual therapy sessions, in which you will strive to uncover the root of your addiction. Other facilities might offer a faith-based approach, rooted more heavily in spirituality than the AA model.

What If I Can’t Afford Alcohol Treatment Centers?

Most alcohol treatment centers will work with you to make your treatment affordable. A center might offer a sliding scale, a scholarship program, or other financing options. They are there to help you in any way they can. It’s up to you to admit that you need help and seek it out.

Alcohol Treatment Centers are Available for You

There are number of alcohol treatment centers available for those in need.  A common treatment option is a detox center.  Here you will be able to detox your body from toxic chemicals and their byproducts.  Detoxification can take months or even years.  Here you will find the support and medical supervision needed during the first few hours and days of abstinence.  Another common treatment option is a sober living home.  These are affordable, alcohol free environments that provide a positive place for peer group recovery.

Seek Alcohol Treatment Centers

There are many things to ask yourself when you are looking for alcohol treatment centers.  Does the program accept your insurance?  Is the facility state-accredited?  Is it clean?  You will most likely be able to find your answers by talking with the facility you are interested in or by talking with your doctor.  Finding the right treatment center involved careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and you or your loved one’s needs.  Remember, this is a personal choice and your treatment must fit your personality.

If you don’t know where to begin your search for an alcohol treatment center, or you have a friend or family member that needs help, let Sober Recovery guide you.  Hundreds of treatment centers are listed here as well as helpful and valuable knowledge about the addiction you our your loved one is facing.

It’s easy to get frustrated when looking for the right alcohol treatment center, but don’t let it discourage you.  Getting the help you need is not only important for you but also for your friends and family.  They are battling the addiction with you.  Don’t give up, help is out there.