Alcohol Addiction Treatment and Prevention

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Recommended: The Phases And Warning Signs Of Relapse

Alcohol Addiction Treatment/Prevention
In 2010, a total of 25,692 people died of alcohol-induced causes in the U.S.; dependent and non-dependent use. The death rate for alcohol-induced causes for the total population increased from 2.7% from 7.4 in 2009 and 7.6 in 2010. The adjusted death rate for males in 2010 was three times the rate of females, (Murphy, 2010). An estimated 23.5 million age 12 and older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009 according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse. Of these, only 2.6 million (11.2%) of those who needed treatment, received it at a specialty faculty. 41.4% of treatment admissions involved drug abuse, heroin and other opiates accounted for the largest percentage of drug related admissions at 20%, followed by marijuana at 17%. 60% of admissions were white, 21% were African-American, and 14% were Latino, (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2011).
Based on this research since the 1970’s, key principles have developed that should form the basis of any effective treatment programs. Counseling is the most common form of drug abuse treatment but no single treatment is appropriate to everyone. Many drug-addicted individuals also have other mental disorders. Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and that alone does little to change long term drug abuse. Also, studies show that treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective. Lastly, treatment programs should assess patients for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other diseases as well as provide risk-reduction counseling.
According to the Mayo Clinic, many individuals who suffer from drug addiction do not recognize they have a problem. In this case, the in...

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... determine if the user is actually addicted to the drug (Recovery.org).
In some cases, relapse can occur suddenly, and individuals struggling with drug or alcohol cravings can give in without reaching out for help. The best way to prevent sudden relapse is to understand warning signs of addiction and factors that commonly lead to relapse. Factors vary for each person and situation, but relapse causes include emotional triggers, social situations and physical changes, (Recovery.org).
In 2010, the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that over 22.5 million Americans ages 12 or over had abused drugs within one month prior to the date of the survey. Many of the centers offer differing approaches to the recovery process, from those that highlight the spiritual nature of recovery to more secular approaches that focus on the medical aspect of dealing with an addiction.

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