This post outlines some of the concerns that clinicians need to focus on when treating an alcoholic client. Treatment is usually provided in specialist alcohol rehab centers by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists. These are some of the issues that might come up in treatment:

Detoxification (detox) is the process of removing from the body any toxins left behind by the drinking. Alcohol detox should not be done without proper care - there is a high risk of seizures or even death. Detoxification should take place under medical supervision in a properly equipped alcohol detox center. A medically supervised detox program will usually employ medication to make the withdrawal symptoms safer and more manageable.

The bulk of scientific thought around alcoholism believes it to be an illness. The "disease model" of alcoholism should be taught to patients and family members. Because alcoholism is an illness it no longer becomes a moral failing. This non-judgmental approach helps the client to open up to treatment and improves treatment compliance. Alcoholism is seen as a lifetime illness that can only be arrested by stopping drinking. If an alcoholic again starts drinking there is a very high risk that the alcoholism will return in full force. This means that total abstinence is highly recommended in most effective alcohol treatment centers. The alcoholic is also at a higher risk of developing an addiction to other chemicals and should refrain from taking drugs.

There are medications that can help the alcoholic prevent relapse such as Antabuse or Naltrexone. These should be used as adjunctive treatments to a behavioural treatment program. Underlying psychological issues like depression or anxiety should be treated in an integrative manner.

Follow-up treatment like aftercare and ongoing sessions with psychiatrists is likely to improve the length and quality of abstinence following discharge from the alcohol rehab center in South Africa. Alcoholics should be helped to find local community resources that will assist them. Follow-up sessions will monitor abstinence and help the alcoholic to make adjustments in his/her recovery plan. They are particularly important for people with an unstable family, unstable job, more psychological issues, and a family history of alcoholism.

Proper attention must be given to the alcoholic's drinking patterns. The drinking itself must become a centerpoint of any therapy and attention given to the negative consequences and unmanageability that surrounds it. Patients will sometimes blame their drinking on anxiety or depression and will need to be guided into seeing how alcohol precipitates and aggravates a great many of these problems. An alcohol rehab center in South Africa will deal with co-occurring mental disorders in an integrative manner that pays attention to all aspects of the person.

The family and friends of people in alcohol rehab should become involved in the treatment process. They will become a social support base for the alcoholic and can benefit from education and support. Many of them will have suffered greatly as a result of the alcoholism and may need an opportunity to work through how the alcoholism has affected them. Family and friends are also able to pressure an alcoholic to stay in the alcohol rehab center so that they complete the treatment program.