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What is an Alcohol Hospital?

An alcohol hospital is an institution that provides care and support for people suffering from alcoholism. Alcohol hospitals will usually provide both the medical and psychological care needed to treat alcoholism. As such, in the UK, alcohol hospitals will usually provide both alcohol detox and on-going psychological rehabilitation, both of which are commonly necessary to achieve recovery from alcoholism.

As far as the rehab element of treatment is concerned, there are various types of alcohol hospital - twelve step alcohol hospitals, therapeutic community alcohol hospitals, religious based alcohol hospitals, and medical model alcohol hospitals. The commonest form of alcohol hospital in the UK is twelve step.

All alcohol hospitals tend to share a number of key features. Residents must be drug and alcohol free (apart from tobacco); alcohol hospitals provide a structured programme of psychological, educational and social therapy, which aims at preparing the alcoholic or addict to manage better an alcohol free life back in society; alcohol hospital programme lengths vary between 1 and 9 months. Many alcohol hospitals will provide detox in-house when this is necessary, in advance of commencement of the rehabilitation programme.

Alcohol hospital admission versus community (home) treatment

Admission to an alcohol hospital for a period of residential treatment, appears to present a higher probability of successful outcome than does community based treatment. A 1996 follow-up study, conducted as part of the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) indicated the following (Gossop M et al, 1999): When compared to the community services, residential alcohol hospital services are likely to achieve comparable outcomes, but treat clients with more severe patterns of addiction, thus indicating greater effectiveness of residential alcohol hospital care as compared to community rehabilitation.

Duration of alcohol hospital stay

Compared to early leavers from alcohol hospital, those retained at least 28 days in short alcohol hospital programmes, and 90 days in longer alcohol hospital programmes are probably four times less likely to relapse than others, as indicated by some research studies. The issue of retention in alcohol hospital treatment is central to effectiveness, and can be seen as a function of how the alcohol hospital relates to its clients, rather than the reverse. Alcohol hospitals which actively engage with clients, provide supportive environments and well structured programmes, which are clear about their policies and their therapies, and which tailor their activities to individual needs produce better outcomes.

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