Veterans could receive basic treatment for alcohol addiction at VA Hospitals. Oftentimes, however, this simply meant checking into the hospital, enduring the throes of withdrawal, and then leaving once they were considered as having dried out.
It was also not unusual to hear of people being committed, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, to mental hospitals simply because they had an alcohol addiction. Again, there was no established alcohol addiction recovery program; patients were merely left to suffer through withdrawal and then hopefully remain long enough to break the addiction cycle. When a doctor or other health care professional deemed them ready to leave, they left.
Thankfully, alcohol treatment has evolved over the years. There are not treatment facilities that provide only alcohol addiction recovery. They are not stark, impersonal institutions, either. Some of them resemble an ordinary residence, both on the outside and inside. Others resemble an upscale hotel or apartment building. Most of them, however, do not shirk from announcing that they are a treatment center, because they want everyone to know where to find them if they need help.
This is how it should be, because alcohol treatment, just as with any other addiction treatment, is not something that should be hidden away. Those who need help for alcohol addiction need to know that affordable treatment is available, and the staff members are caring, compassionate people who truly want one to succeed in alcohol addiction recovery.
For information on modern alcohol treatment that allows one to maintain dignity, please visit http://www.addictionrecovery.net/ or call 1-800-559-9503.
