One Day at a Time: A Look at the Alcohol Rehab Experience and Process by Rehab Recovery Centers

If you or someone that you care about has a problem with alcohol, you’re not alone. Approximately 5.8 percent of Americans have an alcohol use disorder but only a fraction of these get the treatment that can turn their lives around. What does alcohol treatment look like and what does it involve?

Many people are afraid of going to alcohol rehab and are unsure of what it involves. In this guide, we want to demystify the process so that you can understand what alcohol detox and treatment are like. We hope that this guide can help alleviate any fears that you’re having.

Alcohol rehab treatment can improve your life. By reading this guide, you’ve already taken a big first step towards recovery.

Ready to answer that burning question: what is rehab like? Then please, keep reading, and discover how alcohol treatment works.

Alcohol Rehab: Your Initial Assessment

Once you’ve found the rehabilitation center for you and you’ve been admitted, a nurse will give you an initial assessment. This step helps determine what kind of treatment you will need and what the plan will look like.

The assessment helps the medical staff understand the state of your addiction and your mental health. Even if you’re intoxicated, try to be as truthful as you can when you’re answering the nurse’s questions.

Many treatment centers like to involve patients when putting together a treatment plan. If you’ve got any suggestions or reservations about a certain treatment plan, you can voice them and you will be heard. All of this treatment is voluntary: you are not a prisoner and are free to leave any time.

The staff will also use this as an opportunity to inform you of the rules of the facility. These are rules like:

  • Respect the staff and avoid violent or abusive behavior
  • No weapons allowed on-site
  • No drug paraphernalia

The staff may confiscate your phone. This is not to make you a prisoner. It is to remove any temptations of the outside world that could make you vulnerable to relapse during crucial phases of your treatment.

Alcohol Detox

Now that you’ve checked in to alcohol rehab and undergone your initial assessment, it’s time for detox to start. This is usually the most intense phase of treatment.

Before you can start treatment and build habits that will enable long-lasting sobriety, you need to get clean. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be severe and can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Shaking
  • Insomnia
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Hallucinations
  • High blood pressure

The last two symptoms are symptoms of a subset of withdrawal symptoms known as delirium tremens or the DTs. These symptoms are very unpleasant but the medical staff can manage them and help you through them. This is why alcohol rehab is much better than quitting cold turkey.

During detox, the medical staff may give you medications to help you with withdrawal symptoms. These can include:

  1. Benzodiazepines like diazepam to prevent seizures
  2. Anticonvulsant drugs for treating seizures
  3. Antipsychotic drugs to treat hallucinations
  4. Blood pressure medication

Rest assured that you are in safe hands at a treatment center. The medical staff will take care of you and make sure that your symptoms are kept as mild as possible.

The detox process will last for around a week.

Alcohol Rehab: Education and Counselling

When you’re clean, it’s time to learn the skills that can help you stay clean. Recovery is an ongoing process and you can never say that you are “recovered.” This is why it’s so important to get the tools you need to maintain recovery.

It’s easy to still be in denial about an alcohol use disorder while you’re undergoing alcohol rehab. Education is there to show you why alcohol use disorder is so problematic and why you need treatment.

Education isn’t the only core aspect of rehab: counseling is also very important. Many people with addictions also have other mental health problems: this is known as dual diagnosis and counseling can help you with these too.

Even if you don’t have any other mental health problems, counseling is still vital to your ongoing recovery. A professional will teach you skills that can help you stay sober and how to manage situations where you might be tempted to drink again. As a lot of our society is built around alcohol, these skills are very important.

This counseling can take place in either a group therapy setting or one-to-one.

Other Activities

Rehab isn’t all about treating your issues. It can also give you brand new passions and ways to focus your energy into healthy outlets. A rehab center will often include extra-curricular activities like exercise, gardening, meditation, and other activities.

These will be taught by professionals who can inspire brand new passions in you for staying fit and healthy. The range of facilities available at a rehab center will be prominently advertised, so if you want the best activities, be prepared to do some research.

Aftercare

Recovery doesn’t end after rehab and neither does your treatment. When you’re ready to go back into the outside world, many rehab centers will still support you.

You may, for instance, schedule meetings with a counselor after work every day so that you can discuss any issues that have arisen. If you’re having trouble managing temptation or think that you’re in danger of relapse, these sessions can be very useful.

There are other aftercare services too. For instance, if you’re homeless, the center can find you somewhere to live while you get back on your feet. They may also suggest joining 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous.

Getting Help

Alcohol rehab can seem daunting but it can help you get sober and stay healthy for the rest of your life. Committing to a rehab facility is always voluntary and when you feel ready to take that step, we’ll be right behind you.

We’re experts in rehabilitation and can help answer any questions that you may have. For more information take a look at our blog and get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Get Help Today

Don’t go through the process of recovery alone. There are people who can help you with the struggle you’re facing. Get in touch with one today.