Within the state of New York millions of dollars are spent each year on illnesses, ongoing health issues and deaths related to alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, despite all of the money spent to treat and prevent alcohol abuse, it is still a major health epidemic. It is an unfortunate way of life for many people in New York. The sad part is that alcohol abuse is a very treatable illness with the right information and the right help.
New York has a myriad of options for individuals and families who want to overcome alcohol abuse. The question is, how do they find the right Alcohol Abuse Interventions in New York?
The first step to overcoming alcohol abuse is to detoxify the alcohol from the bloodstream. This may sound easy but eliminating the alcohol from the body can be a difficult, painful and even dangerous process if not done correctly. A person detoxing from alcohol abuse can experience mild symptoms (like headaches and nausea) to moderate symptoms (like irritability and vomiting) to severe symptoms (like fevers and seizures). Because the more severe symptoms can be very dangerous and even fatal, detoxing in a detox facility is imperative. These facilities can provide medical, emotional and psychological support to make sure individual can move past this step safely.
After the alcohol has been eliminated from the body the next step is to find a treatment plan to maintain sobriety. For many people this will come in the form or an inpatient setting. These are facilities that provide round the clock services to individuals in recovery. The facilities will provide mental health counseling, medical monitoring, social support and family support for typically a few weeks to a month. This is a good start for uncovering what caused the addiction and how to avoid pitfalls to using again.
For some individuals a month just isnâ€™t long enough. Whether it is because they have abused alcohol for a long period or the severity of the addiction is so great, a longer inpatient stay might be necessary. For these individuals a residential intervention might be best. These facilities are very similar to in patient facilities but the stay will be much longer (sometimes as long as 3 months).
Some people will be able to move from Detox directly to an outpatient setting. Other people will need to complete an inpatient stay before moving to this step. Regardless of the path to outpatient services this is a very important part of the journey. Having an on-going support system is a necessary part of the process.
One of the outpatient options is an intensive outpatient program. Instead of an hour each week, an individual will attend their program for several hours each weekday. They will receive a wide variety of services and support to maintain sobriety. Another outpatient option is working with a one on one therapist to delve deeper into the roots and trigger of alcohol addiction. A final outpatient option is a group setting. Either group therapy, led by a mental health professional or a twelve-step program can be a wonderful source of support for a recovering addict.