How Does Rehabilitation For Addiction Work?

Although a few drinks every now and then are okay, alcohol addiction is a very dangerous disease. It can cause harm not only to the addict but also to the people around the addict. Alcohol addiction can have severe effects on the physical and mental health of the addict. It can cause psychological depression to the family members, work fellows, neighbors and close friends of the alcoholic. Therefore rehabilitation for alcoholics is very vital for the betterment of the addict and the people around him.

The cure for alcoholism is not easy. That’s why alcohol addiction is particularly very dangerous. Usually it is very hard (or near to impossible) to treat alcoholism without the help of professional rehabilitation for addiction.

How does the alcohol rehab program work?

Generally speaking, the alcohol rehab programs have three common stages.

The first stage involves the psychological and physical evaluation of the addict. The clinical professionals try to determine whether the addict needs any physical treatment during the rehabilitation program. The psychiatrist tries to determine whether the addiction was caused by or has it caused any psychological problem such as stress or depression.

The second stage is detoxification. This stage involves forcefully keeping the addict away from the alcohol. The period of detoxification is usually about 24 hours. The detoxification is done under very close medical supervision. Usually this stage is the most difficult for any addict. Usually, this is the longest period of time an addict has gone without consuming alcoho. This stage can have very serious physical and mental repercussions; therefore it is strongly suggested that detoxification should only be undertaken under the supervision of professionals.

The third stage of alcohol rehabilitation programs is aftercare. This stage involves close observation of the addict, ones he has been cured. Aftercare is necessary to make sure that the alcoholic does not relapse. A supervisor may be arranged to keep an eye on the addict so that he does not go into the company of wrong people who might make him to start consuming alcohol again. The supervisor will also evaluate how well the addict uses the skills he has learned during rehab program for abstinence from drinking.

Please note that the above description of alcohol rehabilitation program is a very generalized and broad explanation. Although details of individual rehab programs might differ significantly from the above description, they will follow the above mentioned broad stages.