Are All Alcohol Programs Equally Effective?

There is no one proven way to treat every instance of alcoholism. Each person’s background, usage history, and reaction to alcohol all differ. Behavior and consequences also differ drastically from person to person. As a result of these trends, no one alcohol program is going to be equally effective for every single person who follows their principles. More important than finding a program that’s equally effective for everyone is realizing that there is a program out there that will be effective for at least someone. So not all alcohol programs are equally effective, but all alcohol programs will be effective for some alcoholics, and that’s makes them valuable to recovering alcoholics.

Alcoholism affects human beings so differently and takes so many forms. For some, alcoholism will take hold quickly. Families and friendships fall apart quickly, jobs are lost, and skid row becomes an actual reality for that person. For other alcoholics, they may manage to function just fine in an occupational setting but then find themselves abusing their family at home. With so many different expressions of alcoholism, it’s no wonder that there need to be so many thousands of different treatment approaches.

What is Alcoholism?

There are many definitions of alcoholism, but most people agree that alcoholism is an inability to manage drinking habits that leads to tangible negative consequences in someone’s social life and/or health. Some cases of alcoholism progress quickly; others take years to finally take a toll. The early recovering alcoholics of AA believed that alcoholism was both a mental compulsion and a physical allergy that resulted in the phenomenon of craving. Over the past few decades, science has delved deeper into what alcoholism is, and now we look at alcoholism on every level: physical, mental, social, occupational, and even spiritual. 

An alcoholic who’s suffering from the worst effects of alcoholism doesn’t just know the definition of alcoholism. They feel it on every level and suffer from its cruel chains. People who devise treatment programs for alcoholics also understand the mechanics of alcoholism and how it negatively impacts the lives of those who suffer from it. They seek to create a program that will be effective for the specific people the program is targeted at. These programs are diverse and not meant to be for every single person who tries them.

What are the Hallmarks of Effective Programs?

All alcohol programs take a different foundational approach toward alcoholism and apply a method to treat it. Not all of them will be equally effective for everyone, but all of them will try to be. Instead of trying to find a single program that works for the most people, it’s advised that you instead look for the program that will be effective for you. Hallmarks of effective programs are usually the same across the board, regardless of the approach they take.

What do these effective programs look like?

  • Effective programs are available 24-hours a day to the people who seek them out
  • The philosophy of the program is clearly spelled out and easy to understand by everyone who might use the program
  • Compassionate and knowledgeable people execute the program’s principles and reach out to people
  • Effective programs are always people-centric and focus on the human side of addiction in addition to the science
  • If the program itself doesn’t work for one person, it will give that person more resources that might help them

The last item on that list might be the most important. Because alcoholism is so volatile, because its sufferers are so diverse, the best program of all will be the one that realizes it doesn’t need to be the only avenue of help. It will also acknowledge that no one program will help everyone, so it should in turn give every alcoholic other avenues of escape that might help them. Effective programs are the ones that know there are other ways of escape from alcoholism, and that recovery never needs to be confined to a single program.

Choose a Program That Works for You

Alcoholics need and deserve many avenues of escape. If one program doesn’t work for you, try another one. If one does work, keep sticking to it, but always be alert to other things that might help you tomorrow. If you are looking for an effective program to combat alcoholism, please call 833-820-2922. Professional and compassionate people are standing by waiting to help.