Alcohol is a widely-used psychoactive substance with properties that are shown to cause addiction or dependence. Alcohol dependence is a complex condition, people are complex too.
Many in the addiction industry tend to forget these important truths and prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution. This usually consists of treatment at some sort of 12-step center followed by lifelong attendance at a support group more often than not, Alcoholics Anonymous.
This regimen works for some people but by no means all. Those who fail to respond to the 12 steps way are branded as unmotivated or unwilling. The program is not at fault but all those who cannot stay sober with it, so the thinking goes.
There is hope for these 'unfortunates', as the Big Book of AA charitably calls those who can't stick to their program. This hope is self-tailored holistic alcohol treatment. A treatment regimen devised by the recovering alcoholic that embraces many different approaches to treating alcoholism.
Many studies have shown that those who are actively engaged in their own treatment are much more successful at getting and remaining sober than those who don't. Add to this the fact that research has also demonstrated that the more approaches to alcoholism treatment an alcoholic embraces, the more likely they are to succeed and you have strong evidence for self-tailored holistic alcohol treatment.
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What stops many from accessing these differing treatments is a lack of information and a correspondingly poor dissemination of the information that does exist. One of the reasons for this is that AA sees itself as the one-stop-shop for treating alcoholism, nothing else is needed. Its shadow obliterates all other options.
If only the claims of Alcoholics Anonymous were true, the reality is that AA has a very poor success rate; it is estimated that after 5 years only 3% of people remain sober.
Many people need more than what the 12-steps can offer. This page has been written for those looking for more than the traditional way. There is no one way to treat alcoholism, there are many. Celebrate your complexity, celebrate your uniqueness.
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Lead Writer/Reviewer : Kayla Loibl
Licensed Medical Health Professional
Hello!
I am a Mental Health Counselor who is licensed in both New York (LMHC) and North Carolina (LCMHC). I have been working in the Mental Health field since 2015. I have worked in a residential setting, an outpatient program and an inpatient addictions program. I began working in Long Island, NY and then in Guelph, Ontario after moving to Canada. Read More
Sources:
NCBI. ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND HARMFUL ALCOHOL USE. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65500/
Healthline. What’s Aversion Therapy and Does It Work?. October 10, 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/aversion-therapy
Aetna. Chemical Aversive Conditioning for Alcoholism. December 17, 2020. http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/800_899/0896.html
NCBI. A Single Dose of Kudzu Extract Reduces Alcohol Consumption in a Binge Drinking Paradigm. August 1, 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4510012/
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