Drug counselor gives tips for overcoming alcohol abuse

“There are almost four million Americans who seek substance abuse treatment each and every year,” said Jeff Lukas, a drug counselor at Riverbend Retreat drug abuse rehab. “Of those four million people, more than two and a half million of them need help with alcoholism.”

In a recent interview, Lukas pointed out that solutions for alcoholism are often hard to accomplish because alcohol is so broadly available. There’s no way for someone addicted to alcohol to “get away from it”. Alcohol can be found in every convenience store or gas station.

That being said, Lukas made the point that in-patient, long term care for alcoholism gets the best results, because the patient is able to get away from alcohol for at least a little while and sort his life out.

At a good in-patient alcohol rehab program, competent staff will help the patient through withdrawal, help him get back to full health, provide life skills training and counseling to help him overcome addiction, and finally design a re-entry program and follow up to ensure he stays sober when back at home.

Alcohol abuse solutions vary from counselor to counselor and rehab to rehab, but the best programs help the patient to achieve a drug-free life, Lukas said.

Narconon Riverbend Retreat has been helping people overcome addiction for years. Located in Louisiana, Riverbend Retreat is a long term, in-patient drug rehab with a success rate of over 75%.