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Alcohol treatment programmes

An alcohol treatment programme usually refers to a period of rehabilitation (or rehab) for people suffering the effects of alcohol misuse. In the UK, alcohol rehab programmes usually refer to psychological treatment which teaches the patient new methods of interacting with others without the use of alcohol. These rehab programmes may either be residential, part residential or rely on a series of meetings or counselling sessions.

Alcohol treatment programmes come in various forms which are usually broken down into biological alcohol treatment, psychological alcohol treatment and social alcohol treatment. A comprehensive treatment programme will include elements from all the forms of alcohol treatment.
There are various types of alcohol treatment programme - twelve step alcohol treatment programmes, therapeutic community alcohol treatments, religious based alcohol treatment programmes, and medical model alcohol treatments. The commonest form of alcohol treatment programme in the UK is the twelve step programme.

All alcohol treatment programmes tend to share a number of key features. Residents in the residential centres must be drug and alcohol free (apart from tobacco); alcohol treatments provide a structured programme of psychological, educational and social therapy, which aims at preparing the alcohol misuser to manage better an alcohol free life back in society; alcohol treatment programme lengths vary between 1 and 9 months. Many alcohol treatment programmes will include alcohol detoxification in-house when this is necessary, in advance of commencement of the alcohol treatment programme.

Residential alcohol treatment programmes versus community (home) treatment programmes

As for in-patient detoxification, residential alcohol treatment programmes appear to present a higher probability of successful outcome than does community based alcohol 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 in the NTORS project, residential treatment programmes achieved comparable outcomes, but were treating clients with more severe patterns of addiction, thus indicating greater effectiveness of residential as compared to community treatment.

Duration of alcohol treatment programmes

Also in the NTORS study it was found that compared to early leavers from rehab treatment programmes, those retained at least 28 days in short rehab programmes, and 90 days in longer rehab programmes were four times less likely to relapse than others. The issue of retention in alcohol rehab treatment is central to effectiveness, and can be seen as a function of how the alcohol treatment service relates to its clients, rather than the reverse. Alcohol rehab treatment programmes 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 (or at least allow residents to do so) to individual needs produce better outcomes.

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