Author: James Anderson

Alcohol use disorder Diagnosis and treatment

Some people with AUD become dependent on alcohol and have withdrawal symptoms when they suddenly stop drinking. The effects of withdrawal on your body and mind can be uncomfortable and dangerous. An outpatient service could involve meeting one-on-one with an addiction counselor, therapist, or psychologist in a clinic or office.

1. Serious symptoms caused by delirium tremens include hallucination and seizure.
2. It’s appropriate in instances when your body has become physiologically dependent on alcohol and safely discontinuing use requires medical supervision.
3. To get the answers to these questions, you’ll likely need to reach out and contact the facility or provider.
4. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.
5. Most IOP programs incorporate a psychoeducational group therapy component; however, some also include individual therapy.

Although used by clinicians, these six factors can help you think about your own needs and treatment options as well. Tapering can help you overcome alcohol dependence, which is a side effect of chronic alcohol use that causes cravings and withdrawal. Detox doesn’t treat addiction, which is a disease characterized by compulsive behaviors, such as chronic alcohol use. If you aren’t a danger to yourself or others, and you can stay sober when you go home, other types of rehab may be a better fit for you.

Alcohol dependence and addiction are serious medical conditions. Minor symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be overcome with rest and at-home remedies, and it is possible for some people to taper off alcohol without supervision. However, individuals who suffer from alcohol addiction require professional rehab. Intensive inpatient services and residential rehab programs involve overnight stays in specialized facilities.

Care at Mayo Clinic

Detoxing at home usually takes longer because you should be cautious to avoid serious complications. The alcohol content in specific beer, wine and liquor products differs. You can use the guidelines to get an idea of how many standard drinks you’re used to. Usually, some services will be covered, but how much you’ll have to pay out of pocket depends on your health plan and the program you choose. It looks at your specific case and decides the type of treatment you qualify for. When you think about detox programs, it helps to look a step ahead to rehab.

However, the actual degree of coverage will vary based on your plan. Regardless of a program’s length in weeks or months, support and long-term follow-up are crucial to recovery. A quality treatment program not only addresses unhealthy drinking but also considers the emotional pain and other life problems that contribute to your drinking. Some focus on other evidence-based approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and relapse prevention.

You might also find programs that offer out-of-network billing options for insurance. Some studies indicate that inpatient treatment leads to better short-term abstinence rates than outpatient, but that advantage may reduce over time. People in inpatient programs may also be more likely to complete treatment. With that said, inpatient programs tend to be more expensive and aren’t necessarily for everyone. The amount of time it takes to detox from alcohol depends on several factors, including whether you’re detoxing at home or with medical supervision.

Once you decide on the level of treatment, you’ll then need to find a local rehab center or treatment program that works for you. Your alcohol use disorder may be a new issue, and you increasingly use drinking to cope with stressful events. You might feel like life is slipping out of your control, as if you’re entering a gradual but dangerous spiral. Or your addiction may be something you’ve struggled with for a long time, and it repeatedly weighs on your work, relationships, and mental and physical health. You might feel stuck in place, ashamed of repeated relapses and your inability to stay sober. Partial hospitalization or day treatment is where you live at home but you go for treatment at a hospital or clinic at least 5 days a week.

More on Substance Abuse and Addiction

Also check to ensure that the program is run by licensed, well-trained mental health professionals and addiction specialists. For example, if you have a medical or mental health condition, you’ll want services for that. Or if you’ve struggled for years and don’t have a strong support network, an inpatient program might make sense. A program gives you support to guide you through the withdrawal. That often includes medicine to help ease symptoms as well as care for medical and mental health conditions.

You can also receive quick referrals to psychiatric and medical services as needed. When you are detoxing from alcohol at a rehab center, nurses and doctors monitor vital signs, provide adequate nourishment and treat complications if they occur. If you need alcohol for your body to feel normal, then you likely need help.

Follow-up Care

Expect to feel some discomfort, including anxiety, sweating or irritability. If you feel more severe symptoms, such as paranoia, increased pulse, or tremors sometimes called alcohol shakes, you should taper more slowly and consider seeking professional help. If you feel severe symptoms, such as hallucinations, rapid heartbeat or disorientation, call 911 immediately. Inpatient treatment at a hospital or medical center isn’t as common as it used to be, but these programs make sense if you have serious medical or mental health issues. Rehab programs can include a range of services from medical care and counseling to life skills training and help preventing a relapse.

Avoid taking prescription drugs that your doctor hasn’t prescribed to you. If withdrawal is so uncomfortable that you’re turning to drugs for comfort, you should contact your doctor or a rehab center to discuss medically supervised withdrawal. Most people recover from alcohol withdrawal within a week, but people with severe dependency may experience withdrawal for multiple weeks. Alcohol causes serious changes in the brain, and prolonged symptoms such as sleep problems, mood changes and fatigue may take months to overcome, according to the U.S. Early symptoms of alcohol withdrawal usually start about six hours after the last drink. Early symptoms include headache, sweating, tremors, vomiting and difficulty concentrating.