From First Call to Continuing Support
GCAL and 988 can connect someone seeking care for themselves with local resources in their area that can help them get treatment or support.
GCAL and 988 can connect someone seeking treatment with mental health professionals who can assess them for alcohol use disorder and other co-occurring disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
Alcohol treatment in Georgia is usually provided through one of three types of programs: outpatient, residential, or partial hospitalization. Outpatient treatment includes individual therapy, group counseling, education classes, and self-help groups.
Residential treatment requires the person to live at a facility for several days or weeks. During this time, they receive individual counseling as well as educational sessions about drinking problems and recovery options.
Partial hospitalization allows people to spend most of their day in an alcohol treatment program but return home at night.
When Drinking Crosses Into Disorder
Drinking crosses into disorder when a person continues drinking despite problems it causes or despite experiencing negative consequences from their drinking behavior. These negative consequences may include continued alcohol use despite having trouble in their work or school life, legal issues, relationship problems, or health concerns. The more symptoms of AUD present, the more severe the diagnosis.
AUD can be diagnosed by doctors and other health care providers. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which includes diagnostic criteria for AUD, has been developed by the American Psychiatric Association. This manual also lists specific behavioral symptoms that must be present to diagnose someone with an alcohol use disorder, including:
- Having strong cravings or urges to drink
- Not being able to stop drinking despite negative consequences from drinking
- Feeling guilty after drinking
- Experiencing tolerance (where you need more and more alcohol to feel the same effects)
- Withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, such as sweating, headaches, nausea, anxiety, irritability, shaking, or seizures
Alcohol use disorder is considered a disease. It can be managed with help from doctors, therapists, and other professionals. You may need medications and counseling or support groups to stay sober or reduce how much you drink.
Medical Help During Withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal can need medical help when there are moderate-to-severe symptoms, especially if you have other health problems that make it more risky for you.
Stopping heavy drinking can bring withdrawal that may range from mild discomfort to serious medical problems.
Mild symptoms include sweating, shakiness or anxiety.
Serious complications include life-threatening seizures and delirium tremens. They often require treatment at a hospital, where medicines can reduce your risk of death.
Delirium tremens is an emergency and needs to be treated right away at the hospital.
If you have severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, you will need to be treated in the hospital. You may also need to be monitored while you go through withdrawal if you have moderate-to-severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
A health care provider will assess your condition and monitor you during the detoxification process. Medicines may be given to help with the physical symptoms of withdrawal. They are not the same as drugs used for addiction treatment.
People with severe alcohol withdrawal are more likely to have delirium tremens, a condition that may require treatment at a hospital.
Georgia Care Ladder: Clinic Visits, Day Programs, and Live-In Stays
Georgia care settings range from clinic visits once a week to more intensive day programs and residential treatment. Each setting provides specific kinds of treatment.
Clinic Visits - This type of outpatient treatment is also known as "outpatient counseling." People receive services at an addiction treatment center or medical doctor's office. Services include individual and group counseling, as well as medical evaluation and monitoring. Medications may be prescribed and there are frequent visits to the clinic for treatment. The patient will not live at a residential facility but may be in recovery housing.
Day Programs - Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) involve more structured treatment than regular outpatient care. This includes daily attendance at meetings, group therapy sessions, or other activities designed to help the person change their behaviors and address underlying problems with alcohol use.
Live-In Stays - Residential inpatient treatment provides around-the-clock care for people with substance use problems. Patients stay at a facility where they receive medical supervision and therapy throughout the day while also participating in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
Outpatient programs provide support for alcohol recovery.
Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) are structured treatment programs that provide intense support on an outpatient basis.
Some people require 24-hour medical supervision and support to stay sober. Inpatient or residential treatment may be a good choice when the person is unable to stop drinking without medical help.
Prescriptions Used for Alcohol Use Disorder
Naltrexone works by blocking the intoxicating effects of alcohol. People who are treated with naltrexone report having fewer and weaker cravings, and they drink less when they do drink.
Naltrexone is available in pill and injection form and reduces the urge to drink.
Acamprosate helps people maintain abstinence from alcohol by reducing some of the negative effects that can occur during abstinence from alcohol, such as sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Acamprosate does not reduce the intoxicating effects of alcohol, but it may help people stay abstinent because they experience fewer negative symptoms when they stop drinking.
Disulfiram is an aversion therapy drug that discourages drinking by causing unpleasant physical reactions when alcohol is consumed. When a person who has been taking disulfiram drinks alcohol, he or she experiences flushing (blushing), dizziness, nausea and vomiting, palpitations (feeling of rapid heart rate), headache, weakness, blurred vision, chest pain, and low blood pressure.
Medications can be used as part of an individual's treatment plan or on their own. When paired with behavioral therapies, they are more likely to be successful.
Talk Therapy and Peer Meetings
Behavioral counseling and mutual-help meetings both fall into the larger category of "talk therapies" that can be helpful for reducing alcohol problems. These approaches aim to help people develop more awareness about their drinking patterns and change unhealthy behaviors.
Some people use these therapies one-on-one with a professional therapist or counselor, while others participate in groups. Both types can be effective depending on your situation. Many treatment programs offer both individual and group counseling options.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is an approach that focuses on changing unhealthy drinking patterns by exploring how people feel about their use and how it affects them. MET helps people identify their ambivalence about changing their behavior - whether they want to or not - and then work through this mixed feeling to achieve a clear goal of change.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people understand the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It focuses on helping people recognize unhealthy patterns of thinking and doing that can lead to substance use problems. Then it teaches specific skills for changing these thought and action patterns.
Talk therapy and peer meetings both support people's recovery from alcohol problems. Talk therapy usually involves one-on-one sessions with a health care provider or therapist. The goals of talk therapy include helping people:
- Identify and change their behaviors related to drinking
- Develop healthy coping strategies
- Learn skills for dealing with stressful situations
- Make lifestyle changes that promote long-term sobriety
Peer meetings are often called mutual help groups because everyone who attends is a peer, or someone who has had personal experience with the challenges of alcohol problems. At these meetings people:
- Share their experiences and support one another
- Talk about how they have changed their behaviors and developed healthy coping strategies
- Learn new skills for dealing with stressful situations
In addition to talk therapy and peer meetings, there are many other ways to get help for alcohol problems. Some people try medication or use self-help materials like books or websites. Others may participate in educational programs or join a support group for family members of people with drinking problems (like Al-Anon).
Women for Sobriety is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing help, hope, and healing for women who want to achieve and maintain sober living. Their self-help program focuses on emotional and spiritual growth.
How Georgians Cover Alcohol Treatment Costs
Georgians may cover alcohol treatment through employer sponsored insurance programs, Medicare, Medicaid (which includes PeachCare for Kids and Georgia Pathways to Coverage), or private pay.
Georgia Families contracts with care management organizations to coordinate care for Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids members. Each organization offers a different set of benefits and services.
Georgia Families and Pathways shape how residents pay for alcohol rehab. The cost can be covered by private insurance, government assistance programs, or out-of-pocket payments.
Georgia's mental health parity law is HB1013.
Finding a DBHDD-Licensed Program
After House Bill 584, DBHDD oversees licensure for adult residential mental health programs (ARMHPs), drug abuse treatment and education programs (DATEPs), community living arrangements (CLAs) and narcotic treatment programs (NTPs).
The DBHDD-licensed program types are:
- Adult Mental Health Residential Program (ARMHP)
- Community Living Arrangement (CLA)
- Drug Abuse Treatment & Education Program (DATEP)
- Narcotic Treatment Program (NTP)
Georgia's crisis care system is designed to help individuals experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
A Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) professional will assist you with finding services available to meet your needs.
Support That Continues After Discharge
Support after discharge can include recovery residences (sometimes called halfway houses), peer-support services, and mutual-help groups.
Recovery residences in Georgia are not licensed but many provide a safe and sober environment where people who have completed an alcohol or drug treatment program can continue to practice their recovery skills.
After a program ends, ongoing supports can help maintain recovery progress and prevent relapse.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) - These peer-support groups help people overcome alcohol and drug problems. They are based on the "12-step" model of spiritual development and self-help.
Peer support can be an important part of your recovery. It involves one person with lived experience supporting another in a similar situation. Peer supporters are sometimes called "recovery coaches," "peer mentors," or "peer specialists." Peer support can involve providing nonprofessional information, advice, and encouragement about staying in recovery.