Compare alcohol rehabs - are alcohol rehab centres a success or not?

Published 19/10/2009

With up to one in three of the adult UK population drinking enough alcohol to create a risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease*, it is hardly a surprise that many are increasingly turning to rehabilitation programmes and residential centres for help. However, for someone making the financially and emotionally costly decision to enter into rehab, how can they compare rehab treatment centres, and programmes, to ensure they get the right help for ultimate success?

Alcohol treatment success rates have always been difficult for rehab centres to quantify. The first difficulty is how ‘success' is actually measured. Sue Allchurch, director of Linwood Group, explains further: "Unlike taking a degree, where a person can look at the track record of the University's grades, rehabilitation is far more difficult to measure. There is little hard data actually available on the success rates of alcohol treatment programmes in the UK, purely because there is very little consensus on what ‘success' actually means. Is a treatment programme termed a success if the person is sober for one year, five years or a lifetime? Although some treatment centres will choose to define success rates based on certain time periods of sobriety, I feel one of the most important determining factors of ‘success' is whether a person leaves a treatment programme equipped with the essential tools that they will need to keep pursuing life-long freedom from their alcohol addiction."

So, if it is difficult to find reliable quantitative alcohol rehab success rates, what can you base a decision on when looking for a suitable programme or treatment centre? One of the keys to finding a programme or treatment centre that works for you, or a loved one, is suitability. Everyone is different and therefore individual requirements need to be assessed to determine whether the best course of action is going to be inpatient, residential, outpatient or extended care, and/or short-stay options for that person. This type of decision needs be made in conjunction with a trained professional, as an accurate assessment of the individual will need to be done to determine the most suitable treatment for them. Once a treatment path has been determined, how do you choose the right treatment centre? Below are some questions to bear in mind that will help you to find the rehab centre that works for you or your loved one:

- What is the overall philosophy of the treatment centre to addiction? (i.e. find out if they are 12-step oriented, use motivational, cognitive or behavioural therapies, and then ask them to explain any terms you might not understand)
- When you visit them, what impression do you get of the staff and their qualifications? (Are the counsellors registered with the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) and are the nurses and doctors registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and General Medical Council (GMC) respectively?

- What is the range of treatment programmes available and how does this differ from other rehab centres?

- How do the team manage the withdrawal process and what happens afterwards?

- What does a typical week on their programme look like? (It is best to look for a programme that has a mix of individual and group sessions.)

- What is the length of the treatment programme and the overall cost?

- Is there a family support programme on offer alongside the attendee's treatment?

- How does the centre manage one of the key stages in recovery - aftercare?

- Does the centre have a diverse group of counsellors? (One of the keys to successful treatment is having a good match between the counsellor and the client.)

- Is the treatment centre accredited? (There are a few national accreditation organisations including the CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspection) and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) that register treatment centres in the UK. Also, does the treatment centres way of working comply with UK government Drugs & Alcohol National Occupational Standards (DANOS) guidelines?)

Research clearly shows that, for many people, every year, rehab works. It improves their mental and physical health, helps them to address relationship problems and restores their commitment to living an active, fulfilling life.

So if you need to begin the process of comparing suitable alcohol rehab centres and need further advice on how to go about this, why not seek some confidential, professional advice from the Linwood Group on Freephone 0800 066 4173 (or if you are calling from a mobile phone or from overseas, call +44 1226 698 054)?

*Sources: Corra G, Arico S, Zambon A, et al. Female sex and the risks of liver cirrhosis: Collaborative for the Study of Liver Disease in Italy. Scan J Gastroenterol 1997; 32:1174-80

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