If you’re struggling with alcoholism, you know it’s challenging to get and stay sober. The primary reason people have difficulty maintaining their sobriety is that they don’t get help. When struggling with a powerful disease like addiction, getting help from qualified professionals is essential. Those who take advantage of alcohol abuse counseling have the best chances of maintaining sobriety.
Counseling can also be scary if you have never done it before. If you’re wondering what to expect during alcohol addiction treatment, here’s an overview of what to expect.
What to Expect During Alcohol Abuse Counseling
When you go to alcohol abuse counseling, you can expect to talk about your drinking habits and the reasons why you continue to drink despite the negative consequences. Counselors will also ask you about your family history with addiction, your mental health, and any trauma you’ve experienced. It’s essential to be honest with your counselor so they can understand the root of your alcoholism and develop a treatment plan that will work for you.
The goal of alcohol abuse counseling is to help you understand your disease and develop healthy coping mechanisms so you can stay sober. Counselors will also help you identify any triggers that might cause you to relapse and teach you how to avoid them. You can expect to talk about your progress in counseling and set sobriety goals during each session.
How to Prepare for Alcohol Abuse Counseling
When it comes to preparing for alcohol abuse counseling, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself for the process. First, it is important that you understand the basics of what counseling is and how it can help you. Counseling is a process that helps people identify and address the root causes of their drinking problem. It also helps them develop new coping skills and strategies for dealing with their alcohol use disorder.
Counseling can be done in a group setting or one-on-one. In a group setting, you will meet with other people who are struggling with alcoholism. This can be a helpful way to share your experiences and learn from others.
Understanding the Levels of Care for Alcohol Abuse Counseling
Another part of what to expect during alcohol abuse counseling is to know which level of care to start. This education should always be done with an addiction professional who can evaluate your mental and physical state. Professionals use various tools to help you understand which level will work best for you. Some of the levels of care that you’ll go through when getting help include the following:
- Inpatient treatment
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
It’s of the utmost importance that you take advice from an addiction specialist when going into treatment. Many people make the mistake of trying to go into an IOP too soon and relapsing. In many cases, alcoholism is such a powerful disease that you’re not safe from yourself and your urges. This is why levels of care, like inpatient treatment, are the best option to begin building a foundation for recovery.
Typically, you’ll stay at the inpatient level of care until your mind begins to heal and you start gaining new coping skills. As you feel better mentally and physically, you’ll transition to a lower level of care like an IOP. Maximizing your length of stay and transitioning through the levels of care increase your chances of recovery. An IOP helps by allowing you to begin dealing with everyday life while still having the support you need.
Therapy for Alcohol Addiction
Mental illness is one of the leading causes of addiction, which is why a qualified treatment center will offer dual diagnosis therapy. This is another aspect of what to expect during alcohol abuse counseling. A dual diagnosis means you struggle with alcoholism and an underlying mental illness. Many people never even realize they have symptoms of mental illness because a doctor never diagnosed them. This undiagnosed mental illness can lead to self-medicating with alcohol and making the symptoms worse than before.
Through individual counseling, you’ll work with a trained professional who can give you a proper diagnosis. Discovering you have a mental illness can help answer questions you’ve had for a long time. From here, a counselor can help you learn how to manage your symptoms of mental illness without turning to alcohol. Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or another issue, you’ll see that your life can become manageable and fulfilling.
Family Alcohol Abuse Counseling
Addiction affects everyone involved with the person who is struggling, which can include parents, spouses, children, friends, and more. Through family therapy, everyone in the family can begin the process of healing and learn how to move forward. The family members need to develop an understanding of the disease of addiction so they can better support the recovery process. Everyone involved will begin to learn healthy communication skills to avoid turbulence in the future. This will also help each family member learn how to set healthy boundaries to help their loved one stay on the right track.
Memphis Recovery Centers is an addiction treatment program that wants to help you on the path toward a new life. We understand that there’s no single solution to treating addiction. For this reason, we offer individualized treatment. We want to take the time to get to know you and find out which therapeutic options will give you the best chance of success. Our team has helped many people just like you, and our alums are living proof that our program can help you too.
Some of the other programs we offer here include:
- Men’s treatment
- Women’s treatment
- Music and art therapy
- Youth treatment
- If you’re ready to begin recovering through alcohol abuse counseling, call us today for help at 901-272-7751.
