Be Careful When Searching For Addiction Treatment

I’ve worked in the addiction treatment field since 1984. I’ve seen new and improved treatment offerings every two or three years, usually offerings which say they can teach alcoholics how to control their drinking. These alternative treatment don’t work. There are many private therapists who advertise alcohol and other drug counseling. Usually, once a week individual counseling for someone addicted to a drug (and alcohol is a drug) doesn’t work.

I recently saw an ad for telecounseling. The ad promised that the person would not have to spend time in groups away from family and work, that the person can learn how to drink less by talking on the phone to a therapist and taking medication. For people suffering from alcoholism, this is dangerous. It’s my opinion this type of therapy only sets an alcoholic up for failure. If alcoholics could control their drinking, then they wouldn’t need help. The problem is that recovery from alcoholism requires abstinence. I’ve never seen an alcoholic spend time with a therapist and then just start drinking like a normal social drinker.

Alcoholics in the early stage of alcoholism can moderate their drinking for short periods of time, but they inevitably lose control and the cycle begins again. In later stages their ability to even moderate for short periods of time erodes. There are also individuals who situationally abuse alcohol, but aren’t alcoholics, like in college, or after a divorce or a death in the family. Because these individuals aren’t alcoholics, they can deal with their personal problem in a healthy way and moderate their drinking once again — this, though, is a different situation.

Also, and this is a little off subject, if you are looking for local treatment and you find a Google listing that advertises out of town inpatient care in a beautiful facility, be careful. There are a lot of inpatient facilities in nice locations around the nation that will convince you need to go their facility — many of these facilities will over-charge for unnecessary treatment. There are good inpatient facilities, too, out of town, but you’ll do better to let an outpatient addiction treatment facility make that recommendation rather than choose the first ad that looks good on Google.

A person who has a drinking problem, who has tried to moderate drinking but always loses control again, and who is seeking treatment, should be careful when looking for treatment. If the treatment offering sounds too good to be true, it usually is. There are no shortcuts, or easier, softer ways that I know of — the person suffering from alcoholism needs to do research before trying something that’s a set up for failure. It’s dangerous. Alcoholism is a medical condition that requires professional care, especially in the beginning. Even in outpatient addiction treatment, the client sees a doctor before entering treatment and is closely monitored the first week or so. Be careful.