Treatment for Alcohol Problems: Finding and Getting Help National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

They may recommend detoxification, medication, or relapse prevention training. If someone you care about has a drinking problem, A.A. Has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking. Recovery works through one alcoholic sharing their experience with another.

Telehealth Treatment by Health Care Professionals

Mental health and wellness tips, our latest guides, resources, and more. When you drink, sip slowly and take a break of 30 minutes or one hour between drinks. Or drink soda, water, or juice between alcoholic drinks.

Health Challenges

• How does the program or provider handle a return to drinking?
• Behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking.
• Groups can vary widely, so it’s important to try different ones to find a good fit.
• We also offer a way to compare your options and see which one is best.
• Prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.Call or text 988.

Rehab or professional treatment can get you started on the road to recovery, but to stay alcohol-free for the long term, you’ll need to build a new, meaningful life where drinking no longer has a place. Support can come from family members, friends, counselors, other recovering alcoholics, your healthcare providers, and people from your faith community. When a person is addicted to alcohol, it can be difficult for them to quit drinking on their own, or they may find themselves relapsing after various attempts to remain sober.

Support Our Mission

Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). Too much alcohol affects your speech, alcohol addiction help muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function. Because denial is common, you may feel like you don’t have a problem with drinking.

The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol from NIAAA

• Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help.
• Many others substantially reduce their drinking and report fewer alcohol-related problems.
• A drinking relapse doesn’t mean you’re a failure or that you’ll never be able to reach your goal.

In fact, there are many treatment options available thanks to significant advances in medical and behavioral research over the past decades. Behavioral treatments—also known as alcohol counseling, or talk therapy, and provided by licensed therapists—are aimed at changing drinking behavior. A health care provider might ask the following questions to assess a person’s symptoms. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem.

Get the Mayo Clinic app

After discharge, patients were assessed at a weekly basis for 4 more months in order to monitor their course and abstinence from alcohol. https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-is-drug-addiction/ Assessment of abstinence from alcohol was based on self reports, but it was further cross-checked with a family member to ascertain accuracy of information. Also, serum γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) and an alcohol breath test at each visit were used to control abstinence.

Groups for Family and Friends

Calling an alcohol hotline can add clarity and confidence about your next steps toward starting treatment. Take an honest look at how often and how much you drink. Be prepared to discuss any problems that alcohol may be causing.

Handling setbacks in your recovery

It’s important to have sober friends who will support your recovery. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community. The symptoms listed above may be a sign of a severe form of alcohol withdrawal called delirium tremens, or DTs. This rare, emergency condition causes dangerous changes in the way your brain regulates your circulation and breathing, so it’s important to get to the hospital right away.

Care at Mayo Clinic

Naltrexone is available in the form of an oral tablet or injection. Vivitrol is an injected form of the drug that your doctor can give you once a month. This may be more reliable and convenient than oral pills, especially if you think you may forget or be unwilling to take a pill every day. Your doctor may refer you to one-on-one therapy or group counseling. Group therapy or a support group can help during rehab and help you stay on track as life gets back to normal.