How to Search and What to Ask Navigator NIAAA

Emotions can run high, and knowing how to approach the situation without making it worse can feel overwhelming. In addition to these formal treatment options, therapy is integral to recovery. After a successful intervention, your loved one should enter the offered treatment program. Their inpatient addiction treatment includes medical detox and dual diagnosis treatment. Their health and addiction specialists utilize a number of treatment modalities to address addiction and mental health concerns. Greenhouse offers special programs for veterans and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

For those seeking adolescent treatment resources

Others are hospital-based, equipped to provide medically managed detoxification and inpatient care. Generally, patients with moderate to severe AUD may be better suited to residential or inpatient programs, whereas patients with mild to moderate AUD often do well in structured outpatient programs. The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator® cannot ensure that the search process will deliver higher-quality treatment providers in your vicinity who are using evidence-based approaches. See 10 recommended questions to ask treatment programs in Step 2. They will help you learn whether a program offers higher-quality care and is a good fit for your situation. It’s common for people with alcohol problems to feel depressed or anxious.

Incorporating Recovery Support Across the Justice Continuum

Just like any other medical condition, people with substance use disorders deserve to have a range of treatment options available to them. Scientists are working to develop a larger menu of pharmaceutical treatments that could be tailored to individual needs. Three medications are currently approved in the United States to help people stop or reduce their drinking and prevent a return to drinking. These medications are prescribed by a primary care provider or other health care provider and may be used alone or in combination with counseling. Contact your primary care provider, health insurance plan, local health department, or employee assistance program for information about specialty treatment.

The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator®

There are two ways for healthcare professionals to use the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. Your practice can use it to create or expand your referral list of providers in your area who offer evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Or you can share the Navigator directly with your patients or clients and family members who are interested and able to search on their own. Also, be sure to look for the other types of treatment providers—therapists with addiction specialties and alcohol treatment programs.

HOW TO SHARE THE NAVIGATOR WITH PATIENTS

They are well prepared to care for patients with more than one mental health issue. Some provide both medications and talk therapy while others focus mainly on medications. Evaluate the coverage in your health insurance plan to determine how much of the costs your insurance will cover and how much you will have to pay.

NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator points the way to quality treatment

Still, to help your search in general, see the Navigator’s summary of five signs of quality alcohol treatment. We also help you spot quality in the “Why you should ask” and “What to listen for” sections for the recommended questions. Youʹll also want to know how family members might be involved in a patientʹs treatment, and whether the therapist offers family therapy or can recommend a family therapist. The primary focus of treatment will be on the patient, of course.

• In addition, the search tools on the Navigator may not capture every possible higher-quality treatment provider in your vicinity.
• 12-step facilitation therapy is an engagement strategy used in counseling sessions to increase an individual’s active involvement in 12-step-based mutual-support groups.
• Still, to help your search in general, see the Navigator’s summary of five signs of quality alcohol treatment.

If you cannot find a program that meets your needs, the Navigator can help you find other types of providers. Use the search tools below to find therapists and doctors with addiction specialties. Learn how these healthcare professionals can provide telehealth care. Just as some people with diabetes or asthma may have flare-ups of their disease, a return to drinking can be seen as a temporary setback to full recovery and not as a failure. Seeking professional help can prevent a return to drinking—behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking. Your provider may also be able to suggest an online self-guided program.

Along with nursing care, intensive inpatient services also include therapy to tend to your emotional and cognitive well-being. Some studies indicate that inpatient treatment leads to better short-term abstinence rates than outpatient, but that advantage may reduce over time. People in inpatient programs may also be more likely to complete treatment.

Primary care and mental health providers can provide effective AUD treatment by combining new medications with brief counseling visits. Based on clinical experience, many health care providers believe that support from friends and family members is important in overcoming alcohol problems. But friends and family may feel unsure about how best to provide the support needed. The groups for family and friends listed in the “Resources” section may be a good starting point. It is important to gauge whether the facility provides all the currently available, evidence-based methods or relies on one approach.

Professionally led treatments include behavioral treatments and medications. Just as the needs of each person with alcohol use disorder are different, each family’s needs are also different. Several resources are available to help you while your loved one is in treatment, and afterwards. Your professional interventionist will guide the group through each step and provide tips on handling several potential emotional reactions.

• Seeing these qualities at a glance may help you narrow your choices to the best options for your patients.
• They can provide a complete medical exam to assess all health issues, related or not to alcohol.
• Currently, there are three medications approved for AUD in the United States, and they are an effective and important aid in the treatment of people with this condition.

When Is It Time for Treatment?

Ask different programs if they offer sliding-scale fees—some programs may offer lower prices or payment plans for individuals without health insurance. Couples and family counseling incorporates spouses and other family members in the treatment process and can play an important role in repairing and improving family relationships. Studies show that strong family support through family therapy increases the chances of maintaining abstinence (not drinking) compared with people going to individual counseling. Cognitive–behavioral therapy can take place one-on-one with a therapist or in small groups. This form of therapy is focused on identifying the feelings and situations (called “cues”) that contribute to heavy drinking and managing stress that can lead to a return to drinking.

Research the kinds of treatment that are available and discuss these options with your friend how to search and what to ask navigator niaaa or family member. Express your concerns in a caring way and encourage your friend or family member to get help. But you will need to call to ask, of course, if they are accepting referrals. Magnolia Health offers affordable Mississippi Medicaid and health insurance. Get covered or become a provider with Magnolia Health today.

Also, a person’s long-term drinking patterns can have an impact on their physical health or make other medical conditions worse. It will be very helpful if the person you select is able to offer support and direction with other issues if and when they come up. Understanding the available treatment options—from behavioral therapies and medications to mutual-support groups—is the first step. The important thing is to remain engaged in whatever method you choose. Find board-certified addiction psychiatrists for mental health care. Below are samples of e-health tools developed with NIAAA funding.