For example, the therapeutic contract may be that the client would like a safe place to check-in about their weekly experiences; in other words, the contract does not contain a goal beyond obtaining nonspecific support from the clinician. In such cases, many of the principles and practices still apply, including that this contract should be explicit, identified via informed discussion, agreed upon, and monitored over time. Other circumstances could be issues of premature goals or moments where goals produce the potential for therapeutic rupture. Moreover, the literature on progress monitoring included concerns about valid and feasible assessment (Law & Wolpert, 2014; Prescott et al., 2017; Youn et al., 2012) and difficulties with implementation (Lewis et al., 2018; Wampold, 2015).

When considering the many types of alcohol rehab and treatment programs, remember that everyone’s needs are different. In general, the longer and more intense your alcohol use, the longer and more intense the treatment alcoholism treatment program you may need. General outpatient services are appropriate when you feel stable in your recovery, but additional treatment is useful in managing your substance use disorder and providing accountability.

International Patients

Some focus on other evidence-based approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and relapse prevention. In addition, some programs focus solely on treating substance use disorder, while others offer dual diagnosis rehab, which addresses both addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions. Alcohol rehab includes treatment programs that cover a variety of approaches to managing alcohol use disorder and overcoming addiction. Different treatment options cater to different people based on your unique needs, such as how long you’ve been struggling with your alcohol addiction and how severely it’s affecting your life.

• Serving others allows your mind to take a break from your own struggle and refocus your thoughts.
• For example, the therapeutic contract may be that the client would like a safe place to check-in about their weekly experiences; in other words, the contract does not contain a goal beyond obtaining nonspecific support from the clinician.
• In addition to professionally led treatment, many people benefit from mutual support groups.
• The current work is a novel resource for trainees, clinicians, and clinical supervisors interested in care based on evidence-based principles and practices of AOD and other behavior change therapies.
• These high achievers can be invited to give presentations, provide training, or recommend ways to improve the organization’s performance.
• Collecting and analyzing performance data have a practical benefit for the program and will improve service to clients.

Besson and colleagues (1998) reported that co-administration of disulfiram improved the action of acamprosate. One study reports that combining acamprosate with naltrexone boosted plasma levels of acamprosate, which may have clinical benefits not achieved by monotherapy with either drug (Mason, 2005a). More information is needed about the efficacy of this strategy, although it may be worth trying with patients who have not benefited from single-drug therapy. Laboratory tests are more specific than sensitive for detecting alcohol problems, and there is no single laboratory test that is sensitive or specific for AUD diagnoses.

Medications

The AIMS Center of the University of Washington has developed a Care Management Tracking System as well as other resources for registries. One placebo-controlled but not randomized trial of acamprosate also prescribed disulfiram to patients who requested it (Besson et al., 1998). Patients who received the disulfiram-acamprosate combination had significantly more abstinent days than those who received acamprosate only. Because patients were not assigned randomly to the disulfiram-acamprosate regimen, it is unclear whether the combination of disulfiram and acamprosate or motivation was responsible for the results. Consideration of treatment of AUDs with pharmacotherapy requires the clinician to consider evaluating organ systems that are involved in the metabolism and excretion of these medications. For example, naltrexone and disulfiram should be used with caution in patients with liver disease, and naltrexone and acamprosate should be used with caution in patients with renal impairment.