What are the different kinds of rehab for alcohol abuse?

We at the Lake Mary Counseling Center asked to evaluate a person and recommend treatment for alcohol programs. A request can come from the patient, a friend, relative, employer, school, and the courts.

Howard Sherman LCSW is trained and certified as a Substance Abuse Professional by the Department of Transportation for evaluation and monitoring of treatment for those holding comercial driving permits such as truck drivers, school bus drivers, fedex drivers, pilots, and comercail boat and ferry captions/

There are many choices of treatment plans and each recommendation is made after a thorough evolution of a persons history, medical and social situation and legal issues.

Some of the programs available:

Hospital- or medical-clinic-based programs. These programs offer both alcohol detox and alcohol rehab on an inpatient basis in specialized units. They are less common than they used to be, primarily because of changes in insurance.

Residential rehab programs. These programs can last from a month to more than a year and take place in a residential environment. Often the treatment is divided into a series of stages that the person goes through. For instance, in the beginning, a patient's contact with others, including friends and family, on the outside is strictly limited. The idea is to develop a primary relationship with the other residents who are also recovering from alcoholism. Eventually, the person will be allowed more contact with people outside the residential community and may even go back to work or school, returning home to the treatment facility each day.

Partial hospitalization or day treatment. These programs provide four to eight hours of treatment a day at a hospital or clinic to people who live at home. They typically run for three months and work best for people with supportive family and a stable home environment.

Outpatient programs. These are run at hospitals, health clinics, community mental health clinics, counselor's offices, and residential facilities with outpatient clinics. Attendance requirements vary, and many of them are run in the evenings and on weekends to allow people to be able to continue to work.

Intensive outpatient programs. These programs require nine to 20 hours of treatment activities per week and run for two months to one year. They work best for people who are motivated to participate and who have supportive families and friends.