Treatment for Alcohol Problems: Finding and Getting Help National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

When yeast ferments sugar it produces ethanol, the only form of alcohol humans can safely drink. Excessive alcohol use now claims more than 175,000 U.S. lives a year, far outpacing many other preventable causes of death. From toasts at weddings to tailgate parties, drinking feels “normal,” so its dangers tend to fade into the background. Relapse is an expected part of the recovery process as you work toward recovery. Alcohol dependence is often accompanied by certain mood or mental health conditions, like depression or anxiety. There are also groups for family and friends helping their loved ones cope with AUD.

You're likely to start by seeing your primary health care provider. Understanding the available treatment options—from behavioral therapies and medications to mutual-support groups—is the first step. Research shows that most people who have alcohol problems are able to reduce their drinking or quit entirely.

Beyond the personal tragedy, heavy drinking fuels workplace accidents, family conflict, and soaring healthcare costs. Serious symptoms can also include intense periods of withdrawal once you stop using alcohol. Most people with an alcohol use disorder can benefit from some form of treatment. Your health care provider or mental health provider will ask additional questions based on your responses, symptoms and needs. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group.

• Helping a parent and their children to access universal services or targeted early help (support for vulnerable children and families) is more effective than reacting later.
• Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening in severe cases, requiring urgent medical attention.
• They should do this immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so.
• Also known as "alcohol counseling," behavioral treatments involve working with a health care provider to identify and help change the behaviors that lead to alcohol problems.
• Parents and carers can face significant barriers that prevent them from accessing or engaging in alcohol treatment.

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A lapse signals the treatment plan needs adjusting, not that you’ve failed. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects you from job loss if you seek treatment before performance issues escalate. Hospitals and licensed detox units provide 24-hour monitoring, IV fluids, and medications such as benzodiazepines or phenobarbital to prevent life-threatening complications. Withdrawal seizures and delirium tremens may strike within 24 to 72 hours after quitting drinking.

What Medications Are Available for Alcohol Use Disorder?

It is intended as a resource to understand what treatment choices are available and what to consider when selecting among them.

11 Ongoing assessment

It is important that the practitioner uses an empathic approach while being clear about their concerns for the child and the reasons for the referral. They should do this unless they think informing the parent would put a child at further risk or impede a police investigation. The service should have policies to escalate concerns within the organisation and with other agencies if safeguarding concerns are not addressed. They should do this immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so.

Common alcohol withdrawal symptoms

• The groups for family and friends listed in the "Resources" section may be a good starting point.
• All approved medications are nonaddictive and can be used alone or in combination with other forms of treatment.
• Here’s what you can expect from a full course of alcohol rehab, from detox to long-term recovery.

28.9 million Americans aged 12+ qualified as having alcohol use disorder in 2023 – nearly one out of every 10 adults. Knowing where to begin with treatment for alcohol addiction can feel overwhelming. Some people recover from AUD the first time they seek treatment, while others may require several treatment attempts.

An Ongoing Process

Alcohol treatment services are responsible for making sure their staff have training at the right level for their role, supervision and appropriate competencies to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities. Services should have arrangements in place to safeguard children, including policies and procedures and a designated safeguarding practitioner or safeguarding lead. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening in severe cases, requiring urgent medical attention. Alcohol treatment staff should be able to understand and recognise the signs of alcohol withdrawal. A summary of common alcohol withdrawal symptoms and serious complications of alcohol withdrawal. Dual diagnosis care treats alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD in one coordinated program.

Most people benefit from regular checkups with a treatment provider. Just as some people with diabetes or asthma may have flare-ups of their disease, a return to drinking can be seen as a temporary setback to full antibiotics and alcohol recovery and not as a failure. The provider can help adjust the treatment plan and aid long-term recovery. For many, continued follow-up with a treatment provider is critical for overcoming alcohol problems. Such e-health tools have been shown to help people overcome alcohol problems.

When assessing whether a child may be at risk, assessors should consider the effect of alcohol use on parental functioning. Where possible, they should speak to other services the family is involved with to gain a fuller picture. The assessor should use a trauma-informed and non-judgemental approach when asking about parenting and children and they should also maintain professional curiosity. Section 4.8 in chapter 4 on assessment and treatment and recovery planning sets out what details an assessor should record at initial assessment. Assessors should not avoid asking questions because of this, but they need to approach the conversation about children sensitively and thoughtfully. They should also create an environment where staff feel they can raise concerns and are supported in their safeguarding role.

12 Including goals around parenting and family life in the parent’s treatment and recovery plan

Adult alcohol treatment services and practitioners should help parents and their children to access support, and if required, protection. If children’s social care services are already working with a parent who needs to be referred to the alcohol treatment service, the referral should be considered a priority, due to the risks to the children. Practitioners working with all parents, whether or not there are safeguarding concerns, should ask them about any goals or aspirations they have about their children or family life when agreeing a treatment and recovery plan.

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A number of health conditions can often go hand in hand with AUD. It is rare that someone would go to treatment once and then never drink again. Because AUD is a chronic, relapsing disorder, persistence is key. Overcoming AUD is an ongoing process—one that can include setbacks. Your provider may also be able to suggest an online self-guided program. In addition to choosing the type of treatment that is best for you, you will also have to decide on the setting for that treatment.

A few different support groups can specifically address alcohol dependence. A support group can help you connect with other people who are facing similar challenges. The road to AUD recovery can be a long process that requires various treatments or therapies.

However, remember that relationships with health care providers can take time to develop. Learn how to find higher quality, science-backed alcohol treatment to raise your changes for success. The search for alcohol treatment can feel overwhelming. Currently, there are three medications approved for AUD in the United States, and they are an effective and important aid in the treatment of people with this condition. Certain medications have been shown to effectively help people stop or reduce their drinking and avoid a return to drinking.

This chapter provides guidance on how adult alcohol treatment services and practitioners can support parents or carers and help their children to access support, and if required, protection. How alcohol treatment services can support parents and their children, including safeguarding responsibilities, working with children's social care and assessment and making referrals. Comprehensive assessment in alcohol treatment services should always include assessment of the need of parents for parenting support and the needs of their children. For example, this might include an alcohol treatment practitioner based for part of the week in children’s social care, or a local authority social worker providing regular consultation to staff in alcohol treatment services. Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners is non-statutory guidance for people who provide safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (in England only).

They can also consider what sort of support they might need to manage some of the challenges of parenting. Risks may escalate or decrease as the parent’s or the family’s circumstances change. Practitioners should make every attempt to keep in contact with the parent, offering another appointment and following up with a friendly text or call if the parent or carer does not attend.