Alcohol addiction: treatment and recovery with the OAD Clinic
Written by:
Psychiatrist
Published: 28/04/2021
Edited by: Emma McLeod
The OAD Clinic in London applies several evidence-based programmes to help people overcome their addiction to alcohol. All of our programmes are delivered by an expert team of consultants and psychotherapists with the ultimate goal of supporting you through treatment and post-recovery.
Our approaches to treating alcohol addiction are:
The Stop Drinking Programme (with individual and family therapy and workshops) The Controlled Drinking Programme (for those who are not ready to stop drinking alcohol but want to reduce their drinking) The Sober Life Programme (a cloud-based aftercare monitoring programme) Alcohol detox programmes and withdrawal symptoms management
What’s more, all of our programmes can be delivered in person at the clinic, or online.
1. The Stop Drinking Programme
The Stop Drinking Programme has been created to support patients suffering from alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse. Firstly, patients undergo an initial medical and psychosocial assessment. They then attend a bespoke treatment programme that can be delivered in one, two or three weeks, conducted by highly specialised professionals.
The Stop Drinking Programme includes:
Individual sessions that are focused on recognising the underlying concerns of your alcohol problem. Sessions with a significant other. These are focused on strengthening your support network. Therapeutic workshops that are focused on psycho-education and relapse prevention.
It’s structured to allow you to successfully complete the programme with little or no interference towards work, study, or family life.
2. The Controlled Drinking Programme
The Controlled Drinking Programme supports people who are looking for help to manage their levels of alcohol consumption. It’s an outpatient programme that is designed for people who cannot or do not wish to commit to alcohol rehab. It can be delivered in eight weeks and online, and allows you to continue with your daily life without interference while you receive medical and psychosocial support.
The first step is to conduct an initial medical and psychosocial assessment. Our team will design a bespoke programme based on the initial assessment to help the patient manage their drinking.
3. The Sober Life Programme for alcohol recovery
Sober Life is a relapse prevention programme that makes use of a cloud-based system. It has been designed for people in their first year of recovery and it provides accountability for sobriety and long term recovery.
After your initial assessment, your care coordinator will design a daily breath test schedule. In each breath test, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will be measured using a breathalyser with facial recognition technology. This guarantees accurate and reliable results that will be recorded on a cloud-based system. Your recovery circle (care coordinator and loved ones) will receive the test result in real-time for peace of mind or to take action if needed. The programme includes a monthly face-to-face session.
Sober life can be combined with the Stop Drinking Programme or as an aftercare package. Additionally, this programme can provide a great benefit to patients taking relapse prevention medication (Naltrexone, Selincro, Antabuse, Acamprosate).
4. Alcohol detox programmes and withdrawal symptoms management
If your alcohol addiction has resulted in alcohol dependence and you don’t know how to stop drinking, it’s recommended that you get medical advice for alcohol withdrawal.
In mild cases of alcohol dependence, you should be able to reduce your alcohol intake or stop at home with the aid of medications. This is because mild cases should have mild withdrawal symptoms. However, severe dependency may require inpatient treatment as withdrawal symptoms will likely need specialist care.
Dr Oscar D'Agnone is a renowned consultant psychiatrist based in London and the Medical Director of The OAD clinic. Take a look at Dr D’Agnone’s profile to learn more about how he can help you.