An alcoholism inpatient program is one where the person receiving help for alcoholism addiction enters into a facility that provides sleeping quarters, meals, and other services necessary for day-to-day living. During the time the patient is there, it is intended that he or she remain on the campus 24 hours a day, so that treatment and behavior can be closely monitored by staff members.
An inpatient program for alcoholism addiction may be the best option for a number of reasons. These can include, but are not limited to, how long a person’s addiction has existed, how severe the addiction is (in terms of frequency of use, rather than how long the patient has been addicted), and other extenuating factors, such as mental problems.
The length of a person’s alcoholism addiction can be a decisive factor in choosing an alcoholism inpatient program over an outpatient program; that is, one where a patient returns home at night and reports back to the facility the next day or at regularly scheduled times.
If a person has been addicted for a number of years, an inpatient program allows for the person’s environment to be controlled so that the triggers which cause the urge to drink are diminished or eliminated all together.
The severity of alcoholism addiction sometimes dictates that a person enter into an alcoholism inpatient program. Severity here means how frequently during a set time period (say the number of times a day a person drinks alcohol) abuse happens, rather than how long (the number of years) a patient has been addicted.
A third indicator that an inpatient program may be warranted is the existence of mental problems, such as manic-depressive disorder, schizophrenia, or others along with the alcoholism addiction. Many facilities are equipped to handle these problems along with providing addiction treatment.
Those who feel that an alcoholism inpatient program is the best option can call 1-800-559-9503 or visit the website at http://www.alcoholaddiction.org/ for information on facilities that offer this option.
