Alcohol rehab is a multifaceted approach that caters to medical, physiological, and psychological aspects of alcoholism. That’s why, on top of clinical procedures, therapeutic approaches like 12-step programs and SMART Recovery are helpful toward healing. Keep in mind, however, that you’re not limited to just choosing one approach. You might benefit from an integrated solution like the one we offer at HARP
Different Treatment Approaches to Alcohol Abuse
The past few decades have seen tremendous advancements in medical and behavioural research, opening up a wide range of treatment options for alcohol problems. These are a few of the most widely used approaches.
12-Step Program
12-step programs are effective peer support groups that can assist you in achieving and sustaining alcohol abstinence. Participating in an Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program can help you develop new coping mechanisms, experience the love and acceptance of a caring community, establish sobriety, and promote lasting recovery from alcohol addiction.
The program outlines 12 steps to help with your alcohol abuse recovery. While the steps can differ from group to group, the most common ones are:
- Recognising that you have no control over your addiction
- Having faith in a higher power to give you strength
- Examining your previous mistakes
- Making amends
- Adopting a new lifestyle
- Providing a helping hand to others
If you’re starting your recovery, you may need to attend several meetings a week. However, the frequency of your attendance may vary as your recovery advances. The program aims to reinforce recovery through a continuous and repetitive process. After completing the steps, many people still attend meetings because it keeps them accountable for their sobriety.
With more than 115,000 groups worldwide, the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program is the most prevalent alcohol treatment approach. However, it’s challenging to determine the program’s exact efficacy because no official research has been done, and it’s anonymous. Depending on who you ask, 12-step programs have a success rate ranging from 8% to 50%.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
For treating alcohol use disorders, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), commonly referred to as talk therapy, is widely accepted as the best psychotherapy treatment option. It integrates therapeutic approaches from the fields of behaviour and cognition to help you identify and correct faulty thought patterns. Your behaviour is frequently influenced by these thoughts, which results in an alcohol use disorder.
Getting CBT for alcoholism can help you discover links between your feelings, ideas, and behaviours and raise your awareness of how these things affect your ability to recover. A CBT professional can help you identify your negative “automatic thoughts.” You can then substitute your alcohol consumption with healthy, new habits.
When it comes to treating alcohol use disorders, CBT approaches have some of the strongest empirical support. There are different CBT techniques used in alcohol addiction treatment, such as:
- Behavioural Experiments. These exercises compare and contrast positive and negative thoughts to determine which is more effective at altering behaviour.
- Thought Records. This method can help you analyse your automatic negative thoughts and seek factual evidence that either confirms or refutes them.
- Pleasant Activity Schedule. Creating a weekly list of enjoyable, healthful activities that spice up daily routines can lessen automatic negative thoughts and help you feel less of the need to drink.
Smart Recovery
SMART Recovery, also known as Self-Management and Recovery Training, is another leading evidence-based program for treating alcohol addiction. It offers resources to boost self-empowerment, self-resilience, and self-reliance, such as teaching tried-and-tested methods for controlling feelings, thoughts, and actions without guilt or shame.
Its foundational idea is that you are ultimately responsible for your healing. Four points summarise its core values.
- Developing and keeping motivation
- Handling urges and cravings
- Controlling feelings, ideas, and behaviours
- Leading a life in balance
Smart Recovery is a popular inclusive/non-religious alternative to 12-step programs that make you rely on a higher power. The program can help you discover inner strength and make the necessary life changes without involving religion or spirituality. Nonetheless, SMART still supports people’s choices to incorporate spirituality or religion into their recovery process.
Additionally, SMART Recovery groups are aware that stigma can worsen alcohol use disorder by causing you to feel bad emotionally and discouraging you from getting help. Therefore, the program operates under a stigma-free umbrella. Labels such as “clean,” “those people,” “alcoholic,” and “addict” are discouraged.
Blending Treatment Methods in One Comprehensive Care Program
We at HARP value and understand the different approaches to alcohol recovery. We also recognise that there isn’t a single solution that works for everyone and that what suits others may not work for you. However, we offer an alcohol rehabilitation service that aims to personalise our proven formula to fit your needs.
Our patented 5i Recovery Process is an addiction recovery program consisting of treatment and aftercare. It includes the most recent research and data in the areas of mental health and AOD (alcohol & other drugs).
This recovery process, exclusive to the HARP, incorporates the world’s three most widely used treatment modalities: SMART goals, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and the 12-step program. It enables us to provide an individualised approach that considers your specific challenges and promotes a comprehensive route to long-term recovery.
Some of the benefits you enjoy under HARP care include:
- Alcohol detoxification is provided through our trusted detox facility partners, ensuring clinical supervision in a secure, private setting. While HARP does not offer detoxing directly, we ensure a seamless transition between detox and the rest of your recovery journey, prioritizing your safety and comfort.
- Learning self-awareness, establishing objectives, getting support, and rewiring your brain to react to triggers in new ways
- Holistic treatments, including yoga, art therapy, and mindfulness training
- Family sessions, individual counselling, and group therapy
- Staying in touch with loved ones, checking in on your business, and taking care of obligations when needed
- Treatment from a highly proficient and compassionate team
- And many more
We’ve seen substantial success combining these three theorems into a holistic five-module recovery process. Our 5i curriculum helped us achieve a 90% client success rate of lasting sobriety, successfully freeing over 500 patients from the challenges of life-threatening addictions.
Get Professional Comprehensive Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
HARP provides effective, individualised, and empathetic alcohol rehabilitation services. Our approach takes the best elements of 12-step programs, cognitive behavioural therapy, and Smart Recovery techniques to help you achieve long-term sobriety.
Learn how to recover your life from alcoholism in a supportive environment that blends evidence-based therapies with personalised care. Schedule a Guided Virtual Tour with an Alcohol Recovery Specialist.
