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SEPTEMBER 2022

Explore treatment options for alcohol concerns

People often think there are only two places to get help for alcohol concerns — Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or residential rehab. But today, there are more choices than you might expect. Health care professionals now provide up-to-date treatments backed by science. Care is offered at different levels of intensity in a variety of settings.

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A two-part treatment approach

Typically, the first step is to see a primary care provider (PCP). After completing an alcohol use disorder assessment, they’ll discuss treatment options and make recommendations, which can include: 

• Talk therapy. A licensed therapist can help people build coping strategies and skills to stop or reduce drinking. Treatment can include one-on-one, family or group sessions.
• Medications. A primary care provider or a board-certified addiction doctor can prescribe non-addicting medications. These can help people stop drinking and avoid relapse.  

These two options can be used in combination and tailored to individual needs.

Four basic levels of care

There are four basic levels of care or intensity for alcohol treatment. These levels, as defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, include:

1. Outpatient. Regular office visits for counseling, medication support or both. Some lower-intensity outpatient-care options, if appropriate, could include:
   • A high-quality, traditional outpatient program.
   • A care team you put together, including therapists and doctors with addiction specialties to team with your primary care provider. It’s a way to get higher quality, one-on-one care that maintains privacy.
   • Telehealth — phone or video sessions. These are phone or video sessions for talk therapy or medical care. They can be particularly useful in locations with few addiction health professionals.
   • eHealth options — online or mobile. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has developed a number of tools that help people overcome alcohol concerns. They include a computer-based cognitive-behavioral therapy program; digital self-help program; and a mobile tool to prevent relapse.
2. Intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization. Coordinated outpatient care for complex needs.
3. Residential. Low- or high-intensity programs in 24-hour treatment settings.
4. Intensive inpatient. Medically directed 24-hour services; may manage withdrawal.

How do you know which level is right for someone? A complete assessment of a person’s alcohol problems and complications can help guide their care team’s recommendations.

Support groups for empathy and accountability.

In addition to professionally led treatment, many people benefit from mutual support groups. Groups can vary widely, so it’s important to try different ones to find a good fit. There are several good options, including:

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) — the most common mutual help group, with meetings in most communities and online. Meetings involve participants sharing their personal histories with drinking and recovery and encourage progress along “12 steps” that have a strong spiritual component.
• LifeRing — a secular (nonreligious) peer support network supporting abstinence from alcohol and other drugs.
• Secular Organizations for Sobriety — an alternative to spiritual support groups, this is a network of local and online groups dedicated to helping people achieve and maintain sobriety.
• SMART Recovery — a research-based support program that focuses on empowering members to build four sets of skills: motivation to abstain, coping with urges, problem solving and lifestyle balance.
• Women for Sobriety — a self-help program designed by and for women, focusing on emotional and spiritual growth.

For more information on treatment options for alcohol misuse, check out this RFL video.

Regardless of where or how you seek treatment, look for approaches that are “evidence based.” This means the treatments are backed by large, well-designed studies.

Source: NIH NIAA. What types of alcohol treatment are available?

For more information on alcohol treatment services covered by your Costco medical plan, see the resources below and make an appointment with your primary care provider.