Any individual who has a problem with alcohol or is an alcoholic who is seeking treatment for an alcohol addiction or alcoholism, is faced with a number of different options, and they can often be a degree of confusion as to which is the best approach to take.
Historically the most effective form of alcohol treatment, in fact in many ways the only treatment for alcoholism has been the 12 step Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Over time treatment centers and rehabs have grown hugely, and have in many ways become an alternative short-term option to people going directly to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Any individual who has acknowledged that they have a problem with alcohol and needs help, has these two main options to consider.
Many will prefer the idea of a rehab largely because it is normally a secluded environment that can avoid the necessity of directly approaching Alcoholics Anonymous. A rehab is often thought of much more in terms of a clinical facility such as a hospital, where people go to get help for alcoholism and other types of addiction.
The majority of rehabs and treatment centers are highly supportive of Alcoholics Anonymous and encourage individuals who are resident in a rehab to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous both both whilst in rehab, and as a means of after-care and support once they have left.
It is also very likely that the rehab will have based its addiction treatment programs and therapeutic approach to helping the alcoholic on the principles contained in the 12 step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Alcohol Treatment – Alcoholics Anonymous.
An individual can also go directly to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous without any necessity of going to a rehab at all. This has a number of advantages, not least in terms of cost as meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous are free, although there is normally a collection at meetings to cover the cost of rent, tea and coffee et cetera. Any contribution is completely voluntaryand anonymous and normally beneath one dollar per meeting.
When people look for the best alcohol treatment or the most effective alcohol treatment, they tend to want statistics as to which approach of the two mentioned above or any other is the most effective.
The reality is that there are no meaningful statistics that can prove which is the most effective, in large part because so much of the process of recovery from alcoholism is dependent upon the individual and their attitude to their own illness as opposed to any particular type of recovery process or recovery method.