What's the complementary and alternative therapy for alcoholism treatment?
In addition to residential treatment, many other approaches to alcoholism may help, including:
Acupuncture. Acupuncture, the insertion of hair-thin needles under your skin, may relieve cravings for alcohol.
It may reduce anxiety and depression, which lead some people to drink alcohol, and alleviate some of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, such as tremors and fatigue.
Motivational enhancement therapy. In this treatment a therapist helps you to acknowledge that you have a problem and may guide you through stages to help you change your behavior.
Cognitive-behavior therapy. You and your therapist identify distorted thoughts and beliefs that arouse psychological stress. You learn ways you can view and cope with traumatic events differently, and you learn alternative beliefs about the events and the impacts they have on your life. Special emphasis is placed on learning to develop a sense of mastery and control of your thoughts and feelings.
Couples therapy. Involving a spouse in the treatment process may increase the chances of success in treatment and in staying sober after treatment.
Aversion therapy. Aversion therapy involves pairing the drinking of alcohol with a strong aversive response such as nausea or vomiting induced by a medication. After repeated pairing, the alcohol itself causes the aversive response and that decreases the likelihood of relapse. For obvious reasons, aversion therapy tends to be unappealing, although it's often effective. |
