Treatment Options

We’re glad you found us. Getting help for alcohol misuse will give you or your loved one the opportunity to live a healthier and more connected life. Making a change takes courage and persistence, but can be incredibly rewarding. You are not alone on this path and we here at Recover Alaska are just a phone call away. Call 907-249-6647 to talk with us about what your next step to wellness could look like!

Alcohol Use Disorder

How is Alcohol Use Disorder Treated?

Treatment options for alcoholism vary, based on the individual’s health needs, personal goals, and stage of alcohol dependency. For long-term heavy drinkers, safe alcohol detoxification will likely require medical supervision. Keep in mind there is no successful one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. We are here to help you navigate the appropriate treatment process and assist in determining which options and programs will help you reach your health and wellness goals.

A number of factors need to be considered before choosing a treatment program, such as how long a person has experienced alcohol misuse, whether or not the individual will need housing for dependents, and whether or not there are physical or mental health issues that need to be treated or addressed alongside the alcohol misuse. It is important to research the program options in order to understand their distinct methods, approaches to treatment, ways they measure success, and what the expectations of the patients or program participants will be.

Finally, learn what the cost and time commitment are for each program. It may seem like hard work, but we are here to help you sort through the many options.

Alcohol Treatment Programs in Alaska

A wide range of alcohol treatment and recovery programs are available in Alaska. Types of programs include residential and outpatient programs; counseling services for individuals, groups or families; specialized treatment programs for women, teenagers and young adults; rehabilitation programs with combined treatment for mental health and substance misuse; and long-term support groups for people wanting to reduce or abstain from alcohol use, and their loved ones.

To find out more about what programs are available in the different areas of Alaska, please click here.

Below you can learn more about treatment options available to individuals seeking help with decreasing the harms of alcohol misuse.

In overcoming alcohol addiction, sobriety can be a daily challenge and recovery a lifelong process. Counseling and support groups can go a long way in providing assistance. Mutual support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous can provide an opportunity to meet and bond with people who face similar struggles with alcohol misuse. Sharing personal experiences, successes and setbacks in a safe, accepting environment can help participants understand that they are not alone on the journey to recovery. Support groups can also help individuals reach personal goals and encourage accountability, and have also been proven to help prevent return to use.

One option for friends and family members to share their concerns and provide support to a person in their lives facing alcohol misuse is through a planned, professionally directed face-to-face meeting, also known as an intervention. Interventions are designed to be educational and informative with the goal of communicating to the person using alcohol the impacts of their problem and providing an opportunity for them to accept help. Interventions are not always successful. It’s important to realize that getting help is a choice that only a person with an alcohol use disorder can make. However, education about the illness and support from loved ones can make the process easier. Counseling and support groups for families, such as Al Anon, serve as a valuable resource to connect people who are affected by the addiction of someone they care about.

Counseling is a form of treatment led by a health professional that can help an individual address the underlying causes of the alcohol misuse, set goals for recovery and provide emotional support for the struggles that can come up when a person decides to quit or reduce alcohol consumption. Counseling helps to identify and change the behaviors that lead to drinking. One-on-one counseling is often educational and effective; it can provide individuals with emotional support and help them to develop the skills they need to stop or reduce drinking, set realistic goals and cope with triggers that might lead to returning to use.

An intensive outpatient program, or IOP, is a type of treatment that typically includes a combination of weekly individual counseling sessions, group counseling, and other recovery-oriented activities determined by the treatment plan you help create with a mental health provider. Sometimes case management and peer support are also offered through an IOP.

Many IOP programs are around 9-12 hours a week for adults, about 6 hours or more for adolescents, and provide a higher level of care than counseling alone, and a lower level of care than a partial hospitalization program, which requires more hours and can include moving into a residential treatment setting. Many organizations try to provide intensive outpatient programs that work around people’s work and parenting schedules. Living arrangements are typically not provided for intensive outpatient programs and a person continues to live in the same arrangements they had prior to starting the IOP. Depending on one’slevel of usage, going through a detox program might be required before engaging in an IOP. This will be determined by a professional trained to provide recommendations for appropriate level of care.

A partial hospital program is for individuals not requiring 24-hour care, with the individual receiving a wide array of services, including individual and group therapy, wellness and education classes. Many times case management and peer support are also provided. Individuals in this type of treatment sometimes continue to live at home and sometimes live in a residential setting provided by the program, according to the program’s rules and policies. The program is 20 or more hours a week.

Individuals in an inpatient or residential treatment program live at the treatment facility and are provided with 24-hour care and supervision. Depending on an individual’s unique needs, there are a range of factors to consider when looking at treatment facilities. Here is a list of helpful questions to ask when researching inpatient or residential treatment options.

Is there a waiting list? If so, how long is it?
How long should I expect to be there?
What types of health insurance are accepted?
Are there any intake requirements, such as a physical or TB test?
Is detox available?
Is it medically assisted?
If it’s a residential treatment facility, are children allowed?
Do they treat other addictions or substance use disorders alongside alcohol use disorder?
What services are provided? (such as employment support, case management with housing, etc.)
What services are available once I have completed the program?
Do they treat co-occurring disorders (e.g., a behavioral health issue such as bipolar depression or schizophrenia in addition to the alcohol use disorder)?

If you were referred to a level of treatment and would like to learn more about what that level means, please visit ASAM.org’s website for further details.

Medication is sometimes prescribed to people with alcohol use disorder alongside other interventions to help with the detox process or to assist in staying sober and preventing return to use. It can be an effective tool in the recovery process but is not for everyone and should only be used under professional medical supervision. Medications used in the treatment of alcohol use disorder include Antabuse, Baclofen, Chantix, and Naltrexone.

Treatment Options

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol Treatment Programs in Alaska

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