A good alcohol abuse treatment plan is based on identifiable goals. While the ultimate goal is to build a balanced life in sobriety and to quit abusing alcohol, this can be broken down into smaller goals. These smaller goals can be used to measure progress in treatment.
Full Answer
How effective are interventions for alcohol addiction treatment?
For people who do not have a serious drinking problem, but sometimes drink alcohol at dangerous or abusive levels, brief interventions can be an effective way to get them to moderate their alcohol consumption and eliminate harmful drinking patterns.
What makes a good alcohol abuse treatment plan?
A good alcohol abuse treatment plan is based on identifiable goals. While the ultimate goal is to build a balanced life in sobriety and to quit abusing alcohol, this can be broken down into smaller goals. These smaller goals can be used to measure progress in treatment.
What are the treatment options for problem drinkers?
Strategies for Treatment of Problem Drinking For problem drinkers, the first issue of treatment is to choose either an absti- nence goal or a moderation goal (see “Issues Regarding Goal Choice” later in this article).
How does the severity of my drinking affect my treatment plan?
The severity of the issue will influence what is included in your treatment plan. While it may seem that drinking provides you with many benefits, like relaxing after a stressful day or helping you to socialize and have fun, these benefits may be greatly outweighed by potential cons. The following negatives may be associated with your drinking:
How does alcohol affect medication action?
Even in small amounts, alcohol also may intensify medication side effects such as sleepiness, drowsiness, and light-headedness, which may interfere with your concentration and ability to operate machinery or drive a vehicle, and lead to serious or even fatal accidents.
What is a problem statement in a treatment plan?
A problem is a brief clinical statement of a condition of the patient that needs treatment. The problem statement should be no longer than one sen- tence and should describe only one problem. All problem statements are abstract concepts. You cannot actually see, hear, touch, taste, or smell the problem.
What are some treatment options for someone who is suffering from alcoholism?
Types of TreatmentBehavioral Treatments. Behavioral treatments are aimed at changing drinking behavior through counseling. ... Medications. ... Mutual-Support Groups. ... Current NIAAA Research—Leading to Future Breakthroughs. ... Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Use Disorder.
Which therapy is most suitable for alcoholism?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a proven method for alleviating the burdens of alcoholism. The basic premise of CBT is the importance of identifying negative thoughts and behaviors and replacing them with positive thoughts and behaviors.
Why are treatment plans important?
Treatment plans are important because they act as a map for the therapeutic process and provide you and your therapist with a way of measuring whether therapy is working. It's important that you be involved in the creation of your treatment plan because it will be unique to you.
What are the four components of the treatment plan?
There are four necessary steps to creating an appropriate substance abuse treatment plan: identifying the problem statements, creating goals, defining objectives to reach those goals, and establishing interventions.
How can alcoholism affect your social health?
A few of the more dangerous societal effects of alcoholism include increased injuries to self, aggression against others, violent crimes, child abuse, spouse abuse and traffic fatalities.
Why is counseling an important part of the recovery process?
Counseling, often called “talk therapy,” is one of the most important aspects of your addiction treatment. Counseling during detox helps you to deal with and understand the many different emotions you are experiencing. It also helps you to change unhealthy responses and live your life positively.
Can a doctor tell if you drink alcohol?
A battery of new tests on blood, urine and hair can reveal how much someone has drunk not only in the past days, but also in the past weeks and months. Doctors are likely to be the first to employ some or all of the new tests, to monitor patients with alcohol problems.
Is CBT effective in treating addiction?
CBT is commonly used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and other mental disorders, but it has also been shown to be valuable in treating alcoholism and drug addiction. This is especially true when it's part of an overall program of recovery.
How does alcohol affect the brain?
How Does Alcohol Affect the Brain? Alcohol has a profound effect on the complex structures of the brain. It blocks chemical signals between brain cells (called neurons), leading to the common immediate symptoms of intoxication, including impulsive behavior, slurred speech, poor memory, and slowed reflexes.
Why does CBT work for substance abuse?
CBT helps people look at patterns of thoughts and feelings that they repeatedly experience. Over time, they can begin to change those thoughts by taking a more realistic point of view that does not automatically lead to negative emotions and resulting cycles of harmful behaviors.
How to help someone with alcoholism?
It is important that as you try to help your loved one, you find a way to take care of yourself as well. It may help to seek support from others, including friends, family, community, and support groups. If you are developing your own symptoms of depression or anxiety, think about seeking professional help for yourself. Remember that your loved one is ultimately responsible for managing his or her illness.
How many times is alcohol dependent?
Studies show that people who are alcohol dependent are two to three times as likely to suffer from major depression or anxiety over their lifetime. When addressing drinking problems, it’s important to also seek treatment for any accompanying medical and mental health issues.
How many people have alcohol use disorder?
Many people struggle with controlling their drinking at some time in their lives. Approximately 17 million adults ages 18 and older have an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy can take place one-on-one with a therapist or in small groups. This form of therapy is focused on identifying the feelings and situations (called “cues”) that lead to heavy drinking and managing stress that can lead to relapse.
What is the first step in a treatment plan?
For anyone thinking about treatment, talking to a primary care physician is an important first step — he or she can be a good source for treatment referrals and medications. A primary care physician can also: Evaluate whether a patient’s drinking pattern is risky. Help craft a treatment plan. Evaluate overall health.
What is behavioral treatment?
Also known as alcohol counseling, behavioral treatments involve working with a health professional to identify and help change the behaviors that lead to heavy drinking. Behavioral treatments share certain features, which can include: Developing the skills needed to stop or reduce drinking.
Is relapse a common problem?
Relapse is common and you will want to know how it is addressed. For more information on relapse, see Relapse Is Part of the Process. When seeking professional help, it is important you feel respected and understood and that you have a feeling of trust that this person, group, or organization can help you.
What are the stages of alcohol abuse?
The first two stages involve screening, case finding, and identification of a substance use disorder; an evaluation of the parameters of drinking behavior, signs, symptoms, and severity of alcohol dependence, and negative consequences of use; and formal diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence.
What is self efficacy in alcohol?
To measure self–efficacy concerning alcohol abstinence, defined in terms of temptation to drink and confidence about not drinking in high–risk situations. Identifies high–risk situations in which. the individual is highly tempted and has low levels of confidence; aids in developing relapse prevention interventions.
What is client-treatment matching?
Client–treatment matching attempts to place the client in those treatments most appropriate to his or her needs. There are a number of dimensions on which treatments may vary and which need to be considered in attempting to make an appropriate referral or match (Marlatt 1988; W.R. Miller 1989 b; Institute of Medicine 1990; Donovan et al. 1994; Gastfriend and McLellan 1997). Among these dimensions are treatment setting (e.g., inpatient, residential, outpatient), treatment intensity, specific treatment modalities, and the degree of therapeutic structure. A number of possible variables may interact with these dimensions to lead to differential outcomes, making the clinician’s task more difficult.
What is Shiffman's theory of relapse proneness?
Shiffman (1989) suggested that three levels of information are necessary in order to gain a sense of the individual’s “relapse proneness,” and thus are relevant to treatment planning. These fall along a continuum of their proximity, in both time and influence, to the probability of relapse.
Is drinking behavior multidimensional?
Drinking behavior and alcohol problems are multidimensional. As such, it is often important to have a broad overview of the parameters of drinking, the expectancies that accompany and potentially maintain alcohol use, and the biopsychosocial aspects of the individual’s life that are affected by drinking (Donovan 1988). Assessments thus need to be relatively broad to capture the extent and complexity of the multiple facets of alcohol problems. This can be done by the use of instruments derived from a variety of assessment domains or that assess a broad range of factors within a single interview or questionnaire. A number of such instruments are reviewed in this section.
How to help someone with alcoholism?
It is important that as you try to help your loved one, you find a way to take care of yourself as well. It may help to seek support from others, including friends, family, community, and support groups. If you are developing your own symptoms of depression or anxiety, think about seeking professional help for yourself. Remember that your loved one is ultimately responsible for managing his or her illness.
What is behavioral therapy?
Also known as alcohol counseling, behavioral treatments involve working with a health professional to identify and help change the behaviors that lead to heavy drinking. Behavioral treatments share certain features, which can include:
Why is matching the right therapy to the individual important?
Matching the right therapy to the individual is important to its success . No single treatment will benefit everyone. It may also be helpful to determine whether treatment will be adapted to meet changing needs as they arise.
Does drinking cause anxiety?
Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand with heavy drinking. Studies show that people who are alcohol dependent are two to three times as likely to suffer from major depression or anxiety over their lifetime. When addressing drinking problems, it’s important to also seek treatment for any accompanying medical and mental health issues.
What is the treatment for alcohol withdrawal?
Treatment may involve: Medically-assisted detox. Medications used to ease alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Treatment that addresses any co-occurring mental health issues or comorbid disorders. Behavioral therapies to understand what led to addiction and how to alter certain behaviors.
What is the goal of treatment?
Treatment should accomplish the following goals: Help the individual to be a productive member of society, of their family, and their work. Help the individual stop using drugs and/or alcohol. Help the individual remain sober.
What is treatment planning?
Treatment planning requires a full assessment of an individual’s substance use history and their patterns of use from the time they first started using to the present. This includes which drug (s) have been used, the reasons for use, and a family history of alcohol and drug abuse.
What is the goal of alcoholism treatment?
The goal of brief intervention is to get the person to reduce their level of drinking or change their harmful pattern of drinking.
How many people in primary care have alcohol problems?
Primary Care Settings: Although research shows that 20% of patients in primary care settings have alcohol abuse problems, they are diagnosed less than 50% of the time. Even though 88% of primary care physicians ask their patients about their alcohol use, only 13% use standard screening tests. However, interventions in the primary care situation can ...
How long does it take to get rid of binge drinking?
Brief interventions are short, one-on-one counseling sessions that are aimed at encouraging the person to eliminate harmful drinking practices like binge drinking. Unlike traditional alcoholism treatment, which can take weeks and even months, brief interventions are typically one to four short sessions.
Why are brief interventions effective?
Brief interventions have been shown to be effective in college settings because the goal is to reduce drinking, not to stop drinking altogether. The problem, research shows, is that the very students who need intervention the most are the least likely to participate in the counseling. Brief interventions may be useful and cost-effective ...
What is the purpose of brief intervention?
Effectiveness. For people who do not have a serious drinking problem, but sometimes drink alcohol at dangerous or abusive levels, brief interventions can be an effective way to get them to moderate their alcohol consumption and eliminate harmful drinking patterns.
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking is having five or more drinks during a single session (four drinks for females). 1 . Brief interventions can be helpful for anyone who has developed alcohol-related health problems, becomes pregnant, injured in an alcohol-related incident, or has been arrested for driving under the influence or for some other alcohol-related crime.
Why is drinking during pregnancy important?
The Prenatal Setting: Preventing drinking during pregnancy is important in preventing possible birth defects. Brief interventions have been very effective in the obstetrical setting because pregnant women are usually motivated to change their behavior and usually have only mild to moderate drinking problems.
Getting Started
- You can start the creation of an alcohol abuse treatment plan on your own. You can bring this draft with you to treatment or have your therapist review it.
Creating A Treatment Plan For An Alcohol Use Disorder
- Creating a treatment plan will involve working with your therapist to find the right therapies for your needs. Each treatment plan is unique, and there is no single treatment plan that works for every person. Instead, an individualized treatment plan can help address your specific needs through treatment. Your therapist may guide you through a biopsychosocial assessment, which …
Setting Goals
- A good alcohol abuse treatment plan is based on identifiable goals. While the ultimate goal is to build a balanced life in sobriety and to quit abusing alcohol, this can be broken down into smaller goals. These smaller goals can be used to measure progress in treatment. Get specific with these goals. Examples include safely withdrawing from alcohol, repairing relationships with family me…
Goals Versus Objecteves
- Goals and objectives sound like synonyms, but they are actually two separate but related components of a treatment plan. Goals are large, broad achievements that serve to direct your treatment plan. A goal may not be a tangible, measurable achievement. Instead, it’s a general target you want for your treatment progress or for your life. For instance, most alcoholism treat…
Components of A Treatment Plan
- Your treatment team will heavily advise you on the components of your ideal treatment plan. These therapies should be included to help you recover from alcohol abuse. Examples include: Detox. If you have a severe alcohol abuse issue, you are likely physically dependent on alcohol. Attempting to stop drinking on your own is dangerous. You will experience uncomfortable withdr…
A Personalized Approach
- Most alcohol abuse treatment plans will include these core elements. Additional elements may be added, and in some instances, some of these items may not be appropriate for everyone. Alcohol use disorders can come with a variety of co-occurring problems, complications, and underlying causes that make each person unique. Because alcohol addiction is a complex disease, there is …
When Is It Time For Treatment?
Options For Treatment
- When asked how alcohol problems are treated, people commonly think of 12-step programs or 28-day inpatient rehab, but may have difficulty naming other options. In fact, there are a variety of treatment methods currently available, thanks to significant advances in the field over the past 60 years. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution,...
What Fda-Approved Medications Are available?
- Certain medications have been shown to effectively help people stop or reduce their drinking and avoid relapse.
Tips For Selecting Treatment
- Professionals in the alcohol treatment field offer advice on what to consider when choosing a treatment program. Overall, gather as much information as you can about the program or provider before making a decision on treatment. If you know someone who has first-hand knowledge of the program, it may help to ask about his or her personal experience. Here are some questions y…
Resources
- Please note: NIAAA recently launched the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. This online tool helps you find the right treatment for you — and near you. It guides you through a step-by-step process to finding a highly qualified professional treatment provider. Learn more at https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov.
Problem Recognition, Motivation, and Readiness to Change
- An important construct within the alcoholism field is the degree to which drinkers are aware of the extent of their drinking patterns, such as quantity and frequency of drinking, the negative physical and psychosocial consequences of their drinking, and their perception of these patterns and consequences as problematic. The goal of using screening ...
Alcohol–Related Expectancies and Self–Efficacy
- Clinicians and clinical researchers have increasingly focused on the role of cognitive factors in decisions to drink and in drinkers’ responses to alcohol (Oei and Jones 1986; Young and Oei 1993; Oei and Baldwin 1994; Oei and Burrow 2000; B.T. Jones et al. 2001). Two broad categories of such cognitive factors having implications for the development and maintenance of drinking pro…
Perceived Locus of Control of Drinking Behavior
- A final set of cognitions that have played a role in some cognitive–behavioral models of problem drinking and alcoholism is the individual’s perception of control (e.g., Donovan and O’Leary 1983; Carlisle 1991). The concept of locus of control, originally developed by Rotter (1966, 1975), refers to the extent to which an individual believes that the outcomes of important life events are unde…
Measures of Family History of Alcohol Problems
- Shiffman (1989) indicated that in addition to assessing factors that are relatively proximal in time to a relapse episode (e.g., temptation and confidence levels), a comprehensive assessment should also measure factors in the individual’s life that are more distal, both in time and influence, on drinking. These more distant, often relatively enduring and unchanging personal characteristi…
Extra–Treatment Social Support
- An important area to consider as part of the assessment process is the extent and nature of the individual’s social support system. Perceived social support may serve as a moderator of the relationship between a positive family history of alcoholism and the development of alcohol problems (Ohannessian and Hesselbrock 1993). Litman (1986) noted that the ability to access s…
Multidimensional Assessment Measures
- Drinking behavior and alcohol problems are multidimensional. As such, it is often important to have a broad overview of the parameters of drinking, the expectancies that accompany and potentially maintain alcohol use, and the biopsychosocial aspects of the individual’s life that are affected by drinking (Donovan 1988). Assessments thus need to be relatively broad to capture t…
Measures to Assist in Differential Treatment Placement
- Client–treatment matching attempts to place the client in those treatments most appropriate to his or her needs. There are a number of dimensions on which treatments may vary and which need to be considered in attempting to make an appropriate referral or match (Marlatt 1988; W.R. Miller 1989b; Institute of Medicine 1990; Donovan et al. 1994; Gastfriend and McLellan 1997). A…
Summary
- This chapter’s review of instruments potentially helpful in the treatment planning process should not be seen as exhaustive. Other measures of similar assessment domains likely exist and may be useful to the clinician. There are also a number of other important assessment domains that were not included in this review. Examples include affective states, such as anxiety and depressi…
Acknowledgments
- The preparation of this chapter was supported, in part, by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Cooperative Agreement on Combining Pharmacological and Behavioral Treatments for Alcoholism, U10–AA11799.
References
- Abellanas, L., and McLellan, A.T. “Stage of change” by drug problem in concurrent opioid, cocaine, and cigarette users. J Psychoactive Drugs25:307–313, 1993. Adams, S.L., and McNeil, D.W. Negative alcohol expectancies reconsidered. Psychol Addict Behav5:9–14, 1991. Addiction Research Foundation. Directory of Client Outcome Measures for Addictions Treatment Program…