Alcohol & Other Drug Treatment Options

Many people have unrealistic expectations about what treatment centers can actually deliver. Addiction is not like appendicitis – there is no quick, one-shot surgical procedure that remedies the disease once and for all. I think of clinical treatment as a form of intensive care – if the chemically dependent person does not get that care he or she will succumb to the illness and become another fatality. Viewed that way, treatment centers provide invaluable, life-saving services.

Fortunately, many centers today offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to treatment, frequently involving a team of specialists that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social counselors, chemical dependency counselors, physicians and nurses. But treatment facilities can vary a great deal in terms of their resources and quality of care. The best treatment centers stress long-term patient follow-up and aftercare.

A major part of providing help for alcoholics and other drug addicts is "identifying" with other people. Extreme cultural, educational, religious, or age differences may be an impediment to seeing the bigger picture, namely, the commonality of addiction. This may have implications in choosing a treatment center.

Alcoholism in women, teenage alcoholism, and alcoholism in the elderly may require a specific program tailored to their needs. Additionally, the celebrity of an individual may need to be taken into consideration, for his or her well being as well as for that of the larger treatment community. The distance of the treatment center from the person’s home may be a factor for effective treatment to occur, too.

You will need to make arrangements with a clinical treatment center in advance of the intervention. You should be prepared to get the chemically dependent person into treatment immediately. In my practice, I may give the person a choice between two treatment facilities, after having made prior arrangements with each to admit the person on the day of the intervention. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration lists more than 11,000 treatment centers nationwide through its Office of Communications (800-662-HELP – for treatment referral assistance).

Once you have listings for treatment centers, contact them for further information. Ask for their brochures and publications. Find out about their short and long-term success rates, what types of insurance coverage they accept, whether or not they provide detoxification and aftercare programs, and whether or not they routinely work with any of the Twelve Step groups. You will also want to know if the treatment center supports the process of intervention. If you have retained the services of a professional interventionist, he or she may make further recommendations about specific treatment centers as well as the possibility of outpatient versus inpatient care.

The Yellow Pages provides listings under "Alcoholism Information and Treatment Centers" and "Mental Health Services." Many social agencies and local Twelve Step groups can also offer recommendations on treating alcoholism and other drug addiction. Employers can obtain information on Employee Assistance Programs from the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (703-387-1000 or www.eap-association.com) Additional help for alcoholism can be found through the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (301-443-3885, www.niaaa.nih.gov).

TREATMENT PROGRAMS

LITTLE HILL - ALINA LODGE
www.alinalodge.org
Little Hill - Alina Lodge is a 90 bed, long-term treatment program specializing in treating chronic relapse clients. Our structured, non-permissive approach is designed to help people develop responsibility and self discipline. Little Hill - Alina Lodge has been dedicated to helping the alcoholic, addict, and family member since 1957.

TERRY ALLEN, HANLEY-HAZELDEN
tallen@hazelden.org
Terry Allen is the CEO of Hanley-Hazelden, West Palm Beach, Florida. Hanley-Hazelden is a comprehensive treatment facility. Additionally, they have an excellent older adult track.
 

For further treatment options please contact Bruce Cotter.