Alcoholism Treatment
Treatment for alcohol addiction requires actively embracing all aspects of the client’s physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, legal, vocational, and social life. Many Morningside clients have experience with residential treatment, but have been unable to stay sober. These clients often crave the temporary refuge of alcohol to relieve emotional pain or manage moods. Of course, addiction to alcohol brings a perfect storm of related legal and health problems. The individual wants to quit drinking, but seems unable to do so. According to Dr. Kenneth Perlmutter, Director of Morningside’s Family Programming, “Once addiction has taken hold the person experiences ever-worsening impaired choosing. This cycle must be interrupted but in a way that continues to provide enough relief from the emotional pain and mood instability to permit the person to participate in recovery.”
Our brains are wired to ensure that we will repeat activities associated with pleasure or reward. This reward circuit can be activated by any number of behaviors, and the part of our mind that demands reward/pleasure seems to override the logical/rational portion of the human brain. According to Dr. Perlmutter, “An alcoholic’s brain has been altered in such a way that alcohol has taken on psychological meaning at the level of survival. Consuming more alcohol and staying supplied is believed to solve any problem. The threat of separation from alcohol is experienced as a kind of psychic death the person will do nearly anything to avoid. In turn, the alcoholic is unable to make safe and sane choices until sobriety and recovery are pursued in earnest.”
Effective alcohol treatment helps clients feel comfortable as they adjust to sobriety. Effective treatment steers the client toward a sustainable sobriety based upon renewing and restoring family and peer relationships. This is accomplished when clients learn how to manage moods, emotions and behaviors, while developing an understanding of their own spiritual needs. Until these processes are well under way, the alcoholic is always at risk of relapse. Thus, at Morningside, what we call “Phase I” of treatment focuses on some key areas. We strive to:
- Educate the person about alcoholism including the brain effects and how impaired choosing causes the associated spiritual, physical, relational, emotional, legal, vocational, and other problems they’ve been experiencing.
- Bring the family into the conversation both to educate members about the alcoholic’s condition as well as to engage the family in the process of examining how each member is participating in the family system that has alcoholism in its midst.
- Continue with any essential medications to stabilize mood, lift deep depression, clarify thinking and reality testing, and relieve anxiety. This is done using the least addictive medications possible and with an eye toward minimizing side effects. In some cases, medications are titrated down to help the client and the team to establish an accurate baseline.
- Engage the client and the family in the multi-dimensional process of sustainable sobriety and recovery.
Clients progress through Phase I at various rates, and all decisions regarding length of treatment are made by clinical necessity. Perhaps more important is the fact that clients feel real relief as the compulsive urges to drink begin to disappear. Clients feel liberated from the extreme reactions and behaviors that plagued their lives when they were drinking. As they begin a path to the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that lead to long-term recovery, the client and the family experience genuine healing and hope.
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