Alcohol Treatment

Treatment for Drinking Problems involves, initially, a case by case evaluation of the nature of the problem and your own personal goals.

There are many effective treatment options and we will determine which ones are best suited to your particular situation. This will depend on the severity of the problem, the external pressures that are being brought to bear (i.e. health concerns, pressure from a partner, employer or court), and what you have tried that has worked and what you have tried that has not.

Traditional abstinence-oriented treatments continue to be extremely effective for many people. These include individual therapy, therapy groups that support recovery, self-help programs such as AA and Smart Recovery, and psychopharmacological interventions involving medication to help with anxiety and depression, as well as medication to help with drinking urges. Usually a combination of these options is most useful. In addition, collateral treatment sessions in which your spouse or partner also attends may further support your goals for recovery.

Other individuals who are concerned about their drinking may feel that traditional approaches do not fit their pattern of drinking or their own personal goals. If you are one of these people you may have been reluctant to seek help, fearing that you would be pigeon-holed into a treatment that does not match your view of what is needed. For you, an alternative approach may be useful -- a non-traditional, research-based treatment, tailored after the Guided Self Management approach of the Addiction Research Foundation. This method has been used successfully with appropriate populations both in the United States and abroad. Research demonstrates that many problem drinkers can learn to moderate their drinking.

Along with the focus on drinking, therapy attends to issues of self esteem, capacity for intimacy, family and work stress -- all of which may contribute to problems with alcohol. And, at times, particularly when feeling isolated, guilty, depressed or anxious, it can be helpful to know that someone understands the complicated feelings that can come up about alcohol use and can help you address these feelings constructively.