Alcohol addiction usually starts with a few drinks on the weekends and soon becomes a daily ritual. The beginning of addiction is always subtle, and before you know it, you become so dependent on the substance that you can’t go a single day without thinking about consuming or procuring it.
So, what do you do when alcohol addiction goes out of hand? The first and most important step is to enroll the individual in facilities that offer rehab for alcoholics. If the situation is very serious, a residential inpatient treatment plan is what you must opt for. But remember that it is essential to have realistic expectations from these institutions because enrolling is just one part of the plan; you also need your own efforts. Fortunately, most rehab facilities offer a holistic approach to helping addicts get over substance abuse. Here is everything you must know about this treatment plan.
How Does A Holistic Approach Help Addicts?
The truth about getting over alcohol addiction is that you need a complete lifestyle transformation if you want to stay sober for your entire life. This is why many rehabilitation centers focus on detoxification programs that strive to improve the individual's mental, physical, and psychological well-being. Now, you may have a question in your mind: how does a holistic approach work? Here is how:
1. A Holistic Approach Gives Equal Emphasis to Mental and Physical Well-Being
The best rehab centers place a lot of emphasis on exercises and other recreational activities in their program. Engaging the mind in any form of physically challenging activity helps build strong willpower and prevents you from falling into the same old pattern of alcohol consumption. Now, the activities offered will vary from center to center, but most programs include a gym facility, a teacher-assisted yoga program, or any form of outdoor activity.
2. The Patient is Encouraged to Practice Mindfulness
One of the most powerful tools that help an addict get over alcohol addiction is their mind. When one controls their mind, they can control every other aspect of life. So, how can one control one's mind? Meditation and practicing mindfulness can be great tools. Many inpatient rehabilitation centers encourage patients to practice meditation to change their thought patterns towards alcohol. Moreover, practicing mindfulness also provides clarity of mind, helping the addict differentiate between what is good for them and what is not.
3. Many Rehab Centers also Support Animal Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic intervention that includes dogs, horses, or any other animal to help the addict cope with the mental repercussions that come with substance abuse.
Animals help provide comfort to the individual, alert others if the person is in danger, and can sometimes even perform actions to help the person alleviate some pain. Although this form of therapy is not used as the sole treatment for substance abuse, it is often used in conjunction with other treatments for an all-around healing journey.
4. Most Facilities Encourage Patients to Mend Interfamilial Relationships
A majority of the patients who are suffering from substance abuse have strained interfamilial relationships. This impacts the pace of their recovery, and many of these patients desire to fall back to the comfort of a stimulated high. Hence, with the help of family therapy, which is psychotherapy, one can build a strong family foundation. Doing so helps the patient recover faster and better manage issues such as stress, anger, and anxiety.
Establishing a Robust Treatment Plan and Learning What Works For the Patient
A holistic treatment plan also includes medication-assisted therapy. Most alcohol rehab centers offer a combination of the following treatments:
- Counselling
- Self-help manual
- Teaching techniques to change behavior
- Administering medicines to cope with the withdrawal symptoms.
Remember that none of the approaches mentioned above can work in isolation, and only when all of the methods are combined together and tailored to meet the needs of the patient can one fight addiction successfully.
Conclusion
The approaches mentioned above are only a part of the treatment. Techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, and exercise, along with AAT and family therapy, will work only when the patient is consistent with their efforts.
This is why it is recommended that patients visit the center for follow-up care once they are discharged to ensure lifelong sobriety.
