Alexandria VA Health Care System

Alcoholism

Alcoholism - also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), alcohol dependence, and alcohol addiction - is a chronic condition that describes a form of problem drinking that causes harm to a person’s health and relationships. To treat AUD, alcohol rehab in Louisiana is usually necessary. This typically involves three phases: medical detox to safely withdraw from alcohol, rehabilitation through evidence-based therapies, and support for long-term recovery maintenance.

Drug Addiction

While each drug rehab in Louisiana offers unique elements, recovery support often follows a similar pattern. Detox is followed by inpatient and/or outpatient care, then aftercare support is provided once the participant completes the initial program.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Mental health and substance abuse treatment in Louisiana is usually provided in a specialist dual-diagnosis treatment center. These inpatient and outpatient programs can effectively address both mental health and substance abuse concerns simultaneously, through therapeutic interventions, like individual therapy, group counseling, psychoeducation, and specialized programs like equine-assisted therapy or adventure therapy. By combining evidence-based practices and integrated approaches, you’ll achieve recovery, and leave treatment equipped with the tools to sustain your sobriety.

Opioid Addiction

Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.

• Self-pay options
• Military insurance
• Private insurance
• Financial aid
• Medicaid
• Per session
• 90 day cost: $1,364

• Adult program
• Elderly program
• LGBTQ program
• Military program
• Program for men
• Program for women
• Young adult program

Outpatient

Clients enrolled in outpatient rehab typically need less intensive supervision and support than those in inpatient care. Clients may continue to work and attend school while participating in addiction counseling and recovery education during the evening, night, or weekend. Clients also often enter intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment immediately upon exiting residential care, which provides them with high-level step-down support as they reintegrate into their homes and communities.

Intensive Outpatient

Clients engaged in an intensive outpatient program (IOP) participate in multiple treatment sessions weekly. Typical treatment modalities include individual, group, and family counseling, addiction and recovery education, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and evidence-based holistic therapies. Most intensive outpatient rehabs require clients to engage in a minimum of nine and a maximum of 20 treatment hours per week. Many clients enter IOP after stepping down from intensive inpatient care, but some may enroll immediately after completing detox.

Partial Hospitalization Program

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) offers an intensive, short-term rehab option for individuals who don't require 24-hour support. PHP treatment can be an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or a "step-down" option from hospitalization or a residential program. Typically, it requires you to meet a minimum of 6-8 hours a day for an average of 90 days. Services provided in PHP treatment often include relapse prevention strategies, medication management, individual and group therapy, and other behavioral therapy interventions.

Intervention Services

Intervention services helps family or friends of addicts stage an intervention, which is a meeting in which loved ones share their concerns and attempt to get an addict into treatment. Professional intervention specialists can help loved ones organize, gather, and communicate with an addict. They can guide intervention participants in describing the damage the addict's behavior is causing and that outside help is necessary to address the addiction. The ideal outcome of an intervention is for the addict to go to rehab and get the help they need.

12-Step

12 step programs enable participants to focus on their long-term sobriety through rigorous peer support and ongoing personal growth. They engage in regular, peer-directed 12 step meetings and receive one-on-one mentoring by a self-selected sponsor. Meetings are free, anonymous, and available multiple times a day, 365 days per year in most communities. Though 12 steps of recovery are rooted in spiritual principles, religious affiliation isn’t mandatory. Specialized programs are widely available, including youth and family meetings.

Aftercare Support

Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Inpatient

Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.

Medically Assisted Detox

The first step in the addiction recovery process involves flushing all addictive drugs and alcohol from your body while under 24/7 medical supervision. Known as a medically assisted detox, this level of care takes into account that quitting your drug of choice cold turkey can be very dangerous once you’ve become physically dependent. In a medical detox, your team of medical professionals helps to ensure your safety and comfort. Most people transition to an inpatient treatment or maintenance program upon completion.

Assertive Community Treatment

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a structured way of helping those with major mental illnesses and/or substance abuse by bringing services directly to the patient in home. Instead of hospitalization or an outpatient program, staff members like social workers, psychiatrists, and counselors come directly to the patient’s house for treatment. ACT is used primarily for those with severe and persistent mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, some of whom also contend with substance abuse. ACT can be short- or long-term (months to years), and provides the same multidisciplinary, 24/7 staffing of a psychiatric unit, but in the comfort of the patient's own home and/or community.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Couples Therapy

Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.

Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.

Family Therapy

Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.

Fitness Therapy

Fitness therapy blends exercise with psychotherapy for a fun, inspiring, and effective way of treating addiction and other issues. By incorporating movement into counseling sessions, clients become more empowered, motivated, and goal-oriented, all while strengthening their bodies and becoming more flexible. Fitness Therapy is usually used to complement a course of treatment (inpatient or outpatient) to make it even more successful. Increasing the connection between a patient’s mind and body helps both with healing as well as in creating new, healthy habits.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

Individual Therapy

In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.

Life Skills

Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is a way of getting nicotine into the bloodstream without smoking. It uses products that supply low doses of nicotine to help people stop smoking. The goal of therapy is to cut down on cravings for nicotine and ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition therapy, aka medical nutrition therapy (MNT), is a way of treating physical, emotional, and medical conditions through diet. Specific dietary plans are designed by professional nutritionists or registered dietitians, and patients follow them in order to positively affect their physical and mental health.

Rational Behavior Therapy

Rational Behavior Therapy (RBT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy meant to be short-term and comprehensive. It was intended to help clients become more self-sufficent and move forward without the need for expensive, ongoing therapy. It includes an emotional self-help method called “rational self-counseling,” the purpose of which is to give clients all the skills needed to handle future emotional issues by themselves, or with significantly less professional help.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.

• Residential setting
• Private setting
• Private transportation
• Metropolitan area