What to Expect at an Alcohol Rehab Program

While people avoid treatment for a variety of reasons, some don’t get help because they aren’t sure what to expect from an alcohol treatment program. If a treatment program is going to be successful, the individual in treatment needs to be motivated to complete the program. Knowing what each aspect of treatment entails can prepare individuals for the process so they are ready for each step, and motivated to complete the program and achieve recovery.

While in the consideration and preparation stages on your journey to sobriety, there are a couple things to consider including the type of treatment, where to find treatment, the costs, your individual insurance coverage, and any other loose ends like how to tell your loved ones or employers. As such it is best to know your options and this is why our admissions navigators are on the line 24/7 at

If you would like to see if your insurance may be able to cover all or part of the cost of treatment, you may use our tool below.

And if you’re still unsure if you need rehab, take our free, no obligations self-assessment below.

Checking In for Alcohol Rehab

Your recovery will begin from the moment you check in. You will be interviewed about your health and your addiction, and then you will move on to medical detox (as needed). After detox, you will engage in behavioral therapy, family therapy, education sessions, and more in order to help you overcome alcoholism.

For most reputable programs, the rehab process starts the moment a person checks in. Staff members often start by having the person complete an intake interview or questionnaire to find out more about the person, the nature of the alcohol abuse or alcoholism, and any other underlying or co-occurring conditions.

According guidelines from the National Institute of Drug Addiction, the intake process is an important step for the rehab process, because it is ideally used to customize treatment to the individual’s specific physical and psychiatric needs.²

Detox and Withdrawal: The First & Hardest Step

The first step in any treatment program for alcoholism is to withdraw from alcohol. This is often the most difficult part of rehab physically, because withdrawal from alcohol can create uncomfortable, and even dangerous, physical and psychological symptoms.³

There are many types of behavioral therapies that are used in reputable, research-based rehab programs. Treatment often includes group or individual therapy to help people understand the motivations behind their behaviors and recognize their triggers for alcohol abuse. Once people understand what triggers the behavior, they can then work to develop coping skills to deal with those triggers in healthier ways.

A recent study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology demonstrates that behavioral therapy in combination with motivational therapies and medical treatment can increase a person’s ability to manage alcoholism.⁴

Some of the types of therapy that might be offered include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This type of therapy helps people recognize their thought patterns and behavioral responses, so they can learn to interrupt the responses and substitute more positive behaviors for those that involve alcohol.
• Trauma-focused CBT: This is a type of CBT that takes trauma, and its effect on behaviors, into account. As a result, it enables people to make the connection between their trauma and their behavior, and consciously break the link with the behavior of drinking alcohol.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): This type of therapy is particularly helpful for those with dual diagnoses. It provides a way to manage both alcoholism and the other disorder via behavioral skills and motivational enhancement.
• Interpersonal therapy: Building a social network and other support structures that moderate depression, loneliness, and other emotional drivers of addictive behaviors can strengthen one’s resistance to relapse.

Family or Marriage Therapy

Sometimes, family or relationship dynamics contribute to the way a person responds to alcohol addiction treatment. Because of this, therapy sessions with the person’s family or spouse provide an avenue of support for recovery.

First, family members and spouses may unknowingly be enabling the alcohol abuse through their response to the person who is addicted. By learning about how they may be contributing to the behaviors, these family members can learn to change their patterns as well and become reliable supporters of recovery.

Second, having sessions with family can provide a source of strength and self-esteem for the person who is in treatment, giving a reminder both during treatment and in post-treatment recovery that the individual has loving support and others who believe in the individual’s ability to make the desired changes in behavior. This is enough of a motivator for recovery that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recommends it in its Treatment Improvement Protocols.