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Alcohol rehabilitation refers to a period of residential rehabilitation for people suffering the effects of alcohol misuse. In the UK, alcohol rehabilitation usually refers to residential psychological treatment which teaches the patient new methods of interacting with others without the use of alcohol.

There are various types of alcohol rehabilitation programme - twelve step alcohol rehabilitation programmes, therapeutic community alcohol rehabilitation, religious based alcohol rehabilitation, and medical model alcohol rehabilitation. The commonest form of alcohol rehabilitation in the UK is twelve step.

All alcohol rehabilitation centres tend to share a number of key features. Residents must be drug and alcohol free (apart from tobacco); alcohol rehabilitation centres 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 rehabilitation programme lengths vary between 1 and 9 months. Many alcohol rehabilitation centres will provide alcohol detoxification in-house when this is necessary, in advance of commencement of the alcohol rehabilitation programme.

Residential alcohol rehabilitation versus community (home) rehabilitation
As for in-patient detoxification, residential alcohol rehabilitation appears to present a higher probability of successful outcome than does community based alcohol rehabilitation. 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 rehabilitation services achieved comparable outcomes, but were treating clients with more severe patterns of addiction, thus indicating greater effectiveness of residential as compared to community alcohol rehabilitation.

Duration of alcohol rehabilitation programme

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

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