Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Illinois

What Alcohol Use Disorder Is

Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition that happens when you lose control over your drinking or you feel dependent on alcohol. As time goes by, it becomes harder to stop drinking, even if you want to. You may find yourself experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you go too long without drinking.

Alcohol use disorder includes a range of problems that are related to drinking. Mild AUD involves just two or three symptoms. Moderate cases involve four or five. Severe cases have six or more symptoms.

Not every problem with alcohol is an AUD. Many people drink too much at times but don't have an AUD. Drinking more than you intend to or should doesn't necessarily mean you have a serious drinking problem. But it can be a warning sign of alcohol use disorder.

AUD is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that people manage but do not cure. Even if someone has a severe AUD, there are many different types of treatments available.

Behavioral Treatments

Behavioral treatments change drinking patterns through helping patients gain skills and motivation to resist drinking alcohol, manage cravings, recognize relapse warning signs and find alternative coping strategies. Behavioral treatments are not an easy fix for alcohol dependence. They are a commitment to work on the problem over time.

Counseling approaches used for AUD often include one or more of the following:

• Contingency management (CM)
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Motivational enhancement therapy

Motivational enhancement therapy is a counseling approach based on the principles of motivational interviewing. It was designed as a brief intervention to encourage and assist ambivalent individuals to change their behavior in order to produce positive outcomes for themselves.

Cognitive behavioral therapy involves helping patients learn how to identify, challenge, and replace distorted thoughts with more rational ones. This approach can also help them to recognize and correct problematic behaviors before they become habits.

Contingency management (CM) is a behavioral treatment strategy that uses reinforcement (reward) to encourage people to change the way they behave. It helps them learn how to replace problematic behaviors with more positive ones.

Alcohol use disorder affects family members as well as the person with AUD. It can strain family relationships and make living at home stressful for everyone. Counseling is helpful for people who are close to someone with alcohol use disorder. This type of counseling helps them understand their own feelings about the situation and learn how they can provide positive support to the person with AUD.

Medications

Three medicines are approved to treat alcohol addiction:

• Naltrexone blocks the high that you get from drinking and reduces your urge to drink.
• Acamprosate makes it easier to maintain abstinence.
• Disulfiram makes you sick if you consume alcohol while taking it, which can discourage you from drinking.

These medicines are not addictive. They do not cure alcohol addiction but can help you manage your condition.

You should talk with your doctor about whether one of these medicines may be right for you.

Two types of naltrexone are used to treat AUD. Naltrexone extended-release injectable suspension works similarly to the pill form.

When combined with counseling, it can reduce the urge to drink alcohol by working on the part of your brain that makes you feel good when you drink. It does not interfere with your ability to think clearly or make decisions.

Levels of Care

The ASAM levels of care are as follows:

Outpatient treatment: least intensive level of care; usually less than 9 hours a week

Intensive Outpatient: more intensive level of care than outpatient treatment; often at least 9 hours a week

Withdrawal management (detox). Safe environment to withdraw from alcohol use while under medical supervision.

Residential Rehabilitation: You live at a center that offers 24-hour care and monitoring.

A complete assessment by a health professional can determine the level of care needed.

Illinois programs place people at different levels of care, depending on their needs. In general, the higher the level of care, the greater the intensity and structure of treatment. You may go through different levels of care at different points in your recovery.

Outpatient treatment consists of individual, group or family therapy. It may also include medications. IOPs provide more frequent sessions than traditional outpatient. Residential rehab programs offer 24-hour support and monitoring of patients.

With intensive inpatient care, you have the benefit of medical supervision to help with withdrawal symptoms and other complications.

Mutual-Support Groups

Mutual-support groups offer peer encouragement rather than professional therapy. They are often self-help groups in which members give mutual support based on their experiences of living with alcohol use disorders.

A number of mutual-support groups for people with alcohol problems exist. Some groups emphasize spiritual approaches; others focus on peer support or involvement in a structured program. Some are available only in certain areas, while others are widely available online.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is perhaps the most well-known mutual-help organization. AA and similar programs—such as SMART Recovery and LifeRing Secular Recovery—are free of charge and centered around meeting attendance rather than one-on-one counseling.

Peer meetings add support alongside professional treatment or counseling for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Mutual-support groups are peer-facilitated groups that offer social support and coping strategies.

Trying several meetings helps many people discover a group whose style is comfortable to them and that they find helpful in staying sober. When selecting a meeting, consider one where there are other people your age, or who share other characteristics (for example, women only) if you prefer. It may take time to find the right type of meeting for you.

SMART Recovery and LifeRing Secular Recovery offer peer support without religious overtones.

Women for Sobriety focuses on emotional growth in recovery from alcohol or other drugs.

Treating Alcohol Use Disorder With Mental Health Conditions

When AUD and a mental illness occur together, treatment usually includes both types of disorders. Co-occurring depression or anxiety should be treated at the same time as AUD. The best results are usually achieved when both disorders are being treated simultaneously.

If you are already in treatment for AUD, this may be the place to start if you have depressive symptoms. A doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist is usually best for diagnosing and treating co-occurring depression or anxiety disorders.

Treatment approaches that can help people with an alcohol use disorder include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and other forms of talking therapy. These types of treatments will also benefit a person with co-occurring depression or anxiety disorders.

In addition to medications for AUD, some medicines are available to treat co-occurring mental health conditions. For example, antidepressants can help with symptoms of depression, while anti-anxiety medicines may be prescribed for people with anxiety disorders.

In general, however, most people benefit from a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. Your loved one may also find it helpful to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. A group setting can help him or her feel less alone and more confident about recovery.

Choosing Quality Treatment

Before choosing a program, ask about licensing and certification. Treatment programs should be licensed by the state.

You should also find out whether a particular program uses evidence-based practices for addiction treatment (motivational interviewing, motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, social skills training, etc.).

The type of alcohol treatment services offered is also important. Does the program provide a combination of treatments, medications, and behavioral therapies? Some programs focus on only one treatment (like AA), but that's not always sufficient or effective to help you stay sober. Quality alcohol addiction treatment centers provide a variety of evidence-based approaches in order to match your individual needs.

Other questions you may want to ask:

Does the facility have qualified counselors?

What kinds of support services do they offer (e.g., mental health care, medical care, family therapy)?

Is there follow-up after treatment?

The Illinois Helpline can connect people to licensed treatment services in their area.