Alcoholism treatment has evolved quite a bit over the course of the last 60 years or so. The birth of what we think of today as modern treatment for alcoholism probably began in the mid-late 1980s. But, the treatment of addiction as a whole has undergone a continuous transformation as we learn more about the disease. More and more data is gathered from the results of alcoholism treatment and long-term outcomes. This article takes a look at the history of modern treatment for alcohol use disorders and how we got to where we are today.
The Pre-Dawn Hours of Modern-Day Alcoholism Treatment
Alcohol addiction treatment has changed so much that it’s easy to forget sometimes what it was like for people during our grandparents and great-grandparents’ generations. Today, the disease model of alcoholism is fairly common knowledge and widely accepted. But it really wasn’t until the 1930s when Dr. William Silkworth of New York City’s Towns Hospital first formally proposed the idea.
Silkworth treated thousands of people for alcohol addiction over the course of his career and Towns Hospital was a well-regarded “drying out place” known for alcoholism treatment during the era. The conventional wisdom at the time was that alcohol addiction (and all other substance use disorders) was simply a lack of will, discipline, and perhaps, character.
Physicians like Dr. Silkworth followed their Hippocratic Oath of course and did what they could to help people suffering from alcoholism. The problem was, it wasn’t much. Silkworth grew frustrated and disillusioned when he saw the same men and women return to his hospital time and time again for alcoholism treatment, each time in a worse state than before.
How The Disease Concept Changed Alcoholism Treatment Forever
Through his experiences in treatment patients and his collaboration with Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, Silkworth posited a theory that alcoholism was not a matter of weak wills and morals, but rather a disease of the mind. An obsession that gained such a tight grip on its sufferers that it drove them literally to the brink of madness and self-destruction.
A controversial idea at the time to be sure, but few in the medical community understood those suffering from alcoholism as well as William Silkworth did. Dr. Silkworth also wasn’t a man afraid to take a stand. As such, he agreed to write the foreword for the book Alcoholics Anonymous, in which he explained the disease concept of alcoholism.
His contribution not only helped the AA movement gain widespread acceptance, but it also gave shape and form to this vexing phenomenon for many people for the first time. It made sense out of these behaviors which seemed to defy all logic and reason. Most importantly, it planted a seed that would transform the treatment of alcoholism forever.
Silkworth and the AA founders recognized that after the alcohol detox process was completed, the work of treating alcoholism was far from done. What was needed to help the person with alcoholism continue to progress was mental health treatment combined with an awakening of sorts that would transform their consciousness. This was an entirely new and unique way of treating alcoholism.
A Psychological Solution to the Alcohol Problem
In 1956 another major milestone was passed when the American Medical Association (AMA) formally recognized alcoholism as a disease. It was around this time that the first early alcoholism treatment centers began to appear. Prior to this, people typically went to a hospital or clinic to be detoxed off of alcohol, usually given barbituates and treatments like hydrotherapy. After that, they were more or less on their own, unless they were lucky enough to find AA (if it existed yet). People with late-stage alcoholism often found themselves interred at sanitariums or psychiatric asylums.
However, treatment for alcohol addiction had dramatically changed course. Prominent psychologists were interested in helping people overcome alcoholism and better understand it themselves. Psychology and psychiatry themselves were undergoing an evolution of their own during the mid-20th century. One of the most important innovations at the time was a new mental health treatment modality called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, developed by Dr. Aaron T. Becl in the 1960s. CBT is a type of talk therapy that helps people learn to recognize their own negative thought patterns and behaviors so they can begin to change them. It’s easy to see why CBT could be a powerful tool in treating alcoholism.
Awareness of Alcohol Use Disorders in the 21st Century
Once the psychological and psychiatric approach to alcoholism treatment was established, the difference in outcomes was nothing less than remarkable. In the past, people living with alcohol addiction were simply shamed and blamed and often thought of as ‘lost causes’. All along the reality was that the alcohol problem was simply misunderstood, as were the people who grappled with alcohol addiction.
Once medical science embraced the disease model of addiction, behavioral health research began to develop avenues to better understand the addicted mind. The widespread nature of addiction means that almost everyone knows someone who has been impacted by it. It also means alcohol abuse and drug addiction have measurable societal effects. All of these facts combined have helped raise a tremendous amount of awareness about addiction.
What Alcoholism Treatment Looks Like Today
We think Dr. Silkworth would be proud to see how the treatment of alcoholism has evolved in the six decades since he treated men and women at Towns Hospital in New York City. Modern treatment for alcohol addiction is highly individualized and attuned for each person’s specific set of needs. There are more modes of treatment available than ever before and clinicians have the tools and knowledge to build tailor-made treatment plans for people that simply weren’t possible in the past. Some of the key elements of modern addiction treatment include:
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
The advent of dual diagnosis treatment means that co-occurring disorders like depression or anxiety, which once went unnoticed and untreated are now diagnosed early in the treatment process and addressed. This single development by itself has made a tremendous difference for countless individuals because untreated co-occurring disorders are one of the leading contributors to relapse events.
Evidence-Based Treatment
Evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorders is exactly what it sounds like. Treatment plans and methods that are based upon scientific evidence. What this means for you is that programs like Georgia Addiction Treatment rely upon the latest research when developing treatment plans and deciding which addiction care modalities to emphasize. Treatment for addiction today is a much more exact science and we go where the science shows us the results are.
Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs (PHP & IOP)
The evolution of PHP and IOP programs has made treatment for alcohol use disorders more flexible and accessible to people by offering treatment schedules to better fit busy lives. Some programs also incorporate associated sober living accommodations with treatment to provide additional support and protection for people in early recovery.
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Medication Assisted Treatment is most often associated with opioid use disorder, but people with alcohol use disorders are also finding these programs helpful. Utilizing medications like Naltrexone, Acamprosate (Campral), Disulfiram and Topiramate among others, clients can find relief from cravings and tools to help them abstain from alcohol. MAT generally isn’t used as a standalone alcoholism treatment, but as a part of a larger treatment program.
Aftercare Planning
Planning for what happens after an alcohol detox or an inpatient stay has always been an important part of setting someone up for success in recovery, however in the past aftercare and discharge planning was usually quite simple. A list of AA meetings and some words of encouragement. Today aftercare planning is far more comprehensive and includes outpatient therapy, referrals for recovery coaching, life planning, goal setting, involvement in alumni activities and much more.
Georgia Addiction Treatment Stands Ready to Help
We understand what alcohol does to families. Most of us have personal experience with addiction our own families in fact. When you call Georgia Addiction Treatment, you will be connected to someone who truly understands what you’re going through. We can help you make a plan to get your loved one to treatment or even plan an intervention.
All you need to do is call to get the process started. Reach us right now at: (855) 952-3546
