When Is Inpatient Alcohol Rehab the Answer for an Alcoholic?
When a loved one is struggling with alcoholism, it can be overwhelming to sort out what kind of treatment that loved one most needs.
Would inpatient alcohol rehab be the best choice?
We’re sharing here what you need to know.
First, a few words on alcoholism…
Someone suffering from alcoholism drinks despite the risks to his or herself and others and all the relationships and work they lose along the way. They don’t have control over their drinking, and (most of the time) they don’t acknowledge their drinking problem either.
Their body has come to depend on alcohol to keep itself in balance. They need to keep drinking. They can’t stop. But, really, they need to stop drinking.
It’s very unlikely that an alcoholic will stop drinking and recover on their own. In fact, it can be dangerous for them to attempt sobering up on their own because of how dependent their body, mind, and spirit have become on the very substance that they need to overcome.
And that’s where inpatient alcohol rehab comes in…
What is inpatient alcohol rehab?
Inpatient alcohol rehab is an intensive residential rehab program. The patient lives at a facility for the duration of treatment, for a mix of group and individual therapies. The focus all day every day is recovery.
The first step in inpatient alcohol rehab is a medically-assisted detox. Physicians monitor the patient while the toxins drain completely from the system, and then help them through the extreme ups and downs of withdrawals, even using medicine to curb the intense cravings when necessary. Withdrawals can be life-threatening, so it’s important to have this professional support.
What are the strengths of inpatient alcohol rehab?
The patient is guaranteed a stable and sober environment, with supervision and medical and emotional support around the clock, over an extended period of time. So the patient is away from many of their environmental triggers and has professionals guiding them through recovery.
Inpatient treatment also offers the patient the chance to be part of a community that is going through what they’re going through. There’s a patience and empathy that comes with this community that cannot be replicated anywhere else.
Even the most supportive family and friends aren’t wholly able to understand what the patient is going through unless they are a recovered alcoholic.
What are some challenges of inpatient alcohol rehab?
The patient has limited access to the world beyond the treatment center. But this change of environment and community could be exactly what the patient needs to detox, reset, and rebuild.
Since support from family and friends is critical to the patient’s recovery, recovery centers often find safe and productive ways to let family and friends encourage the patient from afar. So, while access is limited and monitored, patients do usually have some contact with family and friends.
The patient needs to be able to take time away from work, school, and family responsibilities. But this short-term break from those duties is a small price to pay now for a longer, healthier, and more productive life after treatment.
The cost of inpatient alcohol rehab is greater because you’re paying for room and board in addition to around-the-clock treatment. But, again, when the other price is your life, it’s hard to knock paying a premium for the best treatment possible.
How do I know if inpatient alcohol rehab is the right choice for my loved one?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Is my loved one living in a stable home environment?
- Is my loved one exposed to alcohol in their home environment?
- Is my loved one surrounded by family and friends who drink alcohol around them?
- Is my loved one suffering from other conditions that should be treated at the same time?
- Can my loved one afford to take time away from work?
- Will my loved one be forced to give up their job if they leave for treatment?
- Can my loved one’s family adjust to losing them to treatment for a time? How?
- Will my loved one be able to recover without intensive professional help?
- Did my loved one already try outpatient rehab? Did it work?
If your loved one won’t escape alcohol in their current environment, and you think it’s possible to fund your loved one’s stay at an inpatient program, we recommend it. Inpatient rehab can give the second chance at life that your loved one needs and deserves – and just think of all the other lives that a fresh start for this suffering loved one could touch.
What to look for in an inpatient alcohol rehab program…
It’s important to treat the patient’s physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. So look for the place that will treat the mind, body, and spirit.
It’s important to seek certified professionals. So, look for credentials:
Do the therapists and physicians have educational, professional, and life experiences that make them ready to help your loved one through this journey to recovery? Is the staff empathetic and approachable? Are the facilities well-kept, and will they support the work that your loved one needs to do?
It’s important to seek care that includes the family in the process. Family and friends should learn about what is ailing their loved one, and how their loved one is working through what’s been keeping them down. They should learn about the signs to look for, the things to say, and the ways to show support. And they should know to call again for additional professional help at the earliest signs of relapse once their loved one has returned home.
So, what sort of aftercare does the rehab center offer? How will the patient and family and friends have guidance for the transition home and critical period that follows?
We can help.
Midwest Recovery Centers provides cost-effective, quality treatment to the community of Kansas City. Our extended care program specializes in treatment for substance use disorders focusing on drug and alcohol dependence and addiction. And we understand that every person and family must be treated individually.
If you’re concerned about a loved one and want to learn more about what we do, please get in touch.
Reviewed and Assessed by
Taylor Brown, B.A.Com., MAADC II
Tim Coleman, M. of Ed.
Start Your Recovery Now!
Have A Midwest Recovery Centers' Team Member Call You Today.
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Staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Medical
Midwest Recovery Centers believes strongly in a client-centered approach. Substance Use Disorder is not what it was 5 or even 2 years ago. The substances on the street are constantly changing and so are the number of contraindications and fatal threats that substance use imposes on the person suffering. Our Medical team continues to stay up to speed with new advances of evidence-based approaches in treating those with both substance use disorder as well as their co-occurring mental health diagnosis. There are many varying pieces to each client’s situation when it comes to tackling the puzzle of a medical detox, and each step in the treatment planning is carefully selected, reviewed, and communicated for the best possible outcome of each client. We understand that consideration of the medical history, family history, past trauma, past and current substance use are all key indicators to most effectively give each client the best chance at developing a recovery process. Each client may present with a different scope of medical needs whether it’s their blood work or the most effective medications for them. Midwest Recovery Centers is proud to have the finest medical team to meet these individual and specific needs of each client that walks through our doors.
Clinical
When it comes to the therapeutic treatment of patients with substance use disorder, Midwest Recovery Centers believes in a client-centered approach guided by evidence-based practices. Substance use disorder has been identified by the American Medical Association as a disease, but because addiction is a disease that impacts behavior, treatment of this disease is often heavily focused on modifying behaviors and thoughts as well as establishing a new way of life. We place a strong emphasis on educating patients about this chronic illness and empowering them to practice treating it as such. Our clinical team is composed of leading experts in the field. We believe in having a staff as diverse as the clients we serve; from Licensed Professional Counselors to Licensed Clinical Social Workers, our staff is highly trained and educated in not only addiction but the mental health issues and life circumstances that often accompany it. Many of our clinicians have their own personal experience in long term recovery which lends them to an even better understanding of what our patients are experiencing. Our staff is highly skilled in choosing the most effective therapeutic modality for each client’s needs, to give them the best chance of securing the recovery process that will change their lives. Our clinical team understands that this is a family disease. This is why clinicians will offer weekly updates to families as well as concrete tools for families to utilize as they journey through this illness with their loved one. Those tools will be offered by the patient’s individual clinician as well as at our free Family Night on the first Wednesday of each month, offered to anyone in the community.
Our Origin Story
I began Midwest Recovery in honor of my mother, Betty Lou Wallace, who taught me responsibility in life and sobriety.
Mom was born, raised, and lived most of her life in Missouri, a state I'm still proud to call home. She had five children. The youngest were my older brother Don and me.
We knew that the disease of addiction ran in the family, but it wasn't until Don and I grew older that we realized we were falling into addictive patterns. Through it all, Mom was supportive of her children but firm about one principle: whether the disease was inherited or developed through your environment, you were responsible for your recovery from addiction.
"I will be supportive of your recovery but I will not enable your addiction," she was fond of saying.
Ultimately, I stayed sober from 1990 to 1997, when I relapsed. With Mom's support, I was able to get sober again in 2002. Tragically, Don was not so lucky. He passed away in 2005 from complications of an injury and continued addiction.
Mom wanted no parent to suffer from the sorrow and anguish of losing a child, so in 2002, she helped me establish my first treatment center business.
As Mom grew older, she shared with me some lessons she had learned through her affiliation with Al-Anon, a support group for family members of loved ones struggling with addiction. She asked me to stay clean and sober one day at a time and to use the lessons I learned in my own recovery to help others who were suffering.
In 2008, Mom passed away from throat cancer, one day after my six year sober anniversary. I still remember that one of the last times we spoke, she told me she was proud of my recovery.
Mom would be so happy to know that myself, our partners, and our team are carrying on her legacy in her home state. I don't know if my own recovery process would be intact without her and the lessons she shared. So much of what we share with our clients at Midwest began with Betty Lou.
Above all, Mom imparted several teachings that I carry with me every day: that people are inherently good, and if they fall into addiction, this makes them sick, not bad. She taught me to be patient, tolerant, loving, and kind to myself and to others.
Most of all, she taught me that recovery works if we are able to be honest with ourselves about our own behavior. That’s what she helped me accomplish and that’s what we strive to accomplish with every Midwest client.
On behalf of Betty Lou, I thank you for your interest in Midwest Recovery.
Jeff Howard
Start Your Recovery Now!
Have A Midwest Recovery Centers' Team Member Call You Today.
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Self-care is a cornerstone of successful long-term recovery from substance abuse. It involves adopting practices that promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being, helping individuals manage stress and maintain sobriety.
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The stigma surrounding substance abuse is a significant barrier to seeking treatment. Many individuals delay getting help because of fear, shame, or judgment.
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