What is Inpatient Alcohol Rehab Like?

There may be as many opinions and descriptions of inpatient alcoholism rehab programs as there are recovering alcoholics who have participated in those programs. Different treatment centers will be structured differently and will offer greater or fewer amenities. There are common elements to all alcohol rehab programs in that they all strive to achieve the same goals, namely, helping an alcoholic break his dependency upon and addiction to alcohol, and helping him or her to establish a new lifestyle that is rewarding and fulfilling without alcohol.

What to Expect from Inpatient Alcohol Rehab

The most obvious common element is that a recovering alcoholic will reside at the rehab center continuously for the duration of the program, which is typically twenty-eight days. From the outset, the process is much more involved, for example, than just checking into a hotel. Inpatient alcohol rehab centers are medical facilities, and patients (i.e. recovering alcoholics) who check into those centers typically go through an extensive intake process in which medical history and alcohol use patterns are recorded. If the recovering alcoholic has not gone through a detox period before checking into the center, he will be housed in an environment where his detox will be closely monitored to prevent injuries or complications. When the initial assessment and detox are complete, he will move into recovery.

Alcohol Detox & Recovery

The initial assessment and detox phases will often keep a recovering alcoholic segregated from his family, and in general, opportunities to communicate with family members and close friends will vary throughout the duration of an inpatient program. Some rehab facilities allow and even encourage contact; others maintain a complete separation between a recovering alcoholic and everyone from his daily existence. If you are considering inpatient rehab and contact with your family is important, you should verify a facility’s policies on contact before you opt for its programs.The recovery and treatment phase of inpatient alcoholism recovery will introduce a recovering alcoholic to individual and group therapy, and begin the process of teaching new approaches that a recovering alcoholic can use to establish an alcohol-free, sober lifestyle. Most alcoholics can achieve some level of sobriety after a 28-day inpatient stay, but the therapy they receive during that stay will impress upon them that genuine, long-term recovery requires more than a 28-day effort. Inpatient alcoholism recovery programs are only the first part of a lifelong process of recovery.

Find What Works for You

Since all recovering alcoholics will face a similar lifelong challenge, many will ask if inpatient programs offer benefits over outpatient programs. The answer, again, varies with each individual. Some recovering alcoholics are able to start on a path to long-term recovery with outpatient therapy. Others are unable to juggle their recovery and their regular day-to-day activities. A recovering alcoholic might believe that dropping out of his network for 28 days, as is required with inpatient recovery programs, will cause more harm than good. At the end of the day, however, inpatient therapy might be the only option to get a recovering alcoholic back into his network on a fully-functioning basis.

The Last Resort Recovery Center near Austin, Texas, can provide more information and answers to your questions about inpatient alcoholism recovery programs. Please call us at 512-360-3600 for a confidential consultation and for recommendations on programs that will meet your needs.