Since alcohol use is such a socially-acceptable activity, often times those people who are abusing or even addicted to alcohol don’t get as much help as they typically need. Usually they go to some type of outpatient counseling or even some meetings, but they may need something quite a bit more substantial.
One way to determine whether or not an inpatient rehab is necessary is through an assessment of the alcohol abuse symptoms. Sometimes these are more obvious than others, but if a person has had several attempts at lesser forms of treatment, then it may be time to step up to a residential facility.
Traditional programs often tell alcoholics that they have an incurable disease, which can lead them to feel hopeless and somewhat helpless. It can even become a built-in excuse for them to relapse. This is just one of the reasons why we strongly urge non-12 step rehabs for people who are looking to put alcohol and drug addiction behind them forever.