Treatment for alcoholism often involves a series of medical care, support and counseling that will provide you with the control to say no, the strength to stay sober and the continued support to stay clean. Treatment for this dangerous addiction may occur in stages and most often include:

• Detox to overcome physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms associated with such
• Rehabilitation that provides education to change behaviors, recognize triggers and develop coping skills to prevent future alcohol abuse
• Counseling and therapy to address any underlying emotional or psychiatric problems that may pose a risk of triggering you to drink
• Medical intervention for any health problems associated with the alcoholism or for other health problems that may have been part of the reason why you started drinking
• Support through groups such as Alcholics Anonymous or other similar programs
• Medications to control addiction, keep withdrawal at bay or otherwise prevent relapse

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Orally, there are a few drugs that are commonly used to prevent you from drinking or to help reduce the signs and symptoms of alcoholism. Disulfiram (Antabuse) is often prescribed to prevent drinking and, although it is not a cure for alcoholism and will not eliminate a desire to drink, it will produce a rash physical reaction if you drink while taking the drug. When alcohol is consumed when disulfiram is being taken, the patient will fee nauseous, have headaches and may vomit. These symptoms essentially teach the patient not to drink unless they want to feel sick.

Naltrexone is another drug that is commonly prescribed to orally treat alcoholism. This medication blocks the “good” effects of alcohol essentially making it no fun to drink. Again, although this drug will not cure alcoholism, it can make the total urge to drink lessened because there is no rewarding feeling when alcohol is consumed.

Alcohol cravings are often combated with Acamprosate. This drug will reduce cravings but will not provide a cure for alcoholism. One major difference with acamprosate and naltrexone is that neither of these drugs will make you sick if you do drink. They simply limit the desire to drink by changing the way that alcohol affects you.

Counseling & Therapy for Alcoholism

Medications are best when combined with counseling and therapy for the alcoholism. Individual counseling methods provide the patient with a safe place to talk about past or present concerns that may be personal and group counseling sessions provide a place to discuss recovery efforts with others who are also in recovery. Cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy and various other methods of therapy may be combined to provide effective treatment for those who are addicted to alcohol.

It's important to recognize that alcoholism is a dangerous and potentially fatal disease that must be treated using various different methods to fully combat the problem. Medications can help reduce cravings but counseling and therapy are the true means of helping you to overcome the psychiatric issues that surround your drinking problem. By getting help for these issues, the risk of relapse and future alcohol abuse is greatly reduced.