A new alcohol treatment program clinic in Vancouver, Canada was opened in public using the harm reduction method to help people with alcohol use disorder. Alavida clinic welcomes patients with their own goal, such as drinking socially to minimize the harm caused by alcohol abuse.

Alavida clinic patterned its harm reduction technique from Finnish alcohol addiction treatment technique that combines medication and counseling. The treatment reported a success rate of 78 percent, where patients have reduced their alcohol consumption to less than half of the quantity they were taking before the program.

How Do The New Alcohol Treatment Clinic Works?

When people enroll in the program, they are given with neltraxone that halts the reinforcing effects of the alcohol. Neltraxone positive effects include decreasing the probability of a relapse and increasing the possibility of abstinence.

Neltraxone is based from extinction-based approach, where the person reduces pleasure from drinking alcohol until they finally lessen their alcohol consumption. Along with the alcohol addiction treatment, the patient has five sessions with a therapist and three sessions with the doctor.

The program lasts for 4 to 6 months and costs $5,000 that is only covered by selected insurance companies. Patients are tapered off from the medication when their alcohol drinking is already reduced.

The Key is Moderation:

The alcohol addiction treatment clinic in Vancouver aims at successfully cutting back on alcoholism and not necessarily abstaining from it. It supports continuous alcohol drinking with the goal of the individual to lessen it like social drinking.

This harm reduction approach in treating people with alcohol use disorder may help people to eventually give up drinking. The reality is that not all alcoholics support abstinence. Some people don’t want to give up drinking.

However, with this kind of clinic, people can successfully conquer their addiction to alcohol. The key is moderation and not completely abstaining from alcohol.

Why Harm Reduction Method Is Effective?

Traditional alcohol addiction treatment programs such as AA and the 12-step model only work for certain individuals. These programs that run with the abstinence-based approach have relatively low success rates.

Studies have shown that only 60 to 95 percent of people who entered in these programs failed to recover and relapsed. Moreover, only 7 percent of people with alcohol addiction seeks this kind of treatment.

Harm Reduction Method that lessens alcohol consumption and lowers the dangers associated with alcohol drinking is far more effective way of addressing the alcohol problem. It is more realistic because it aims at helping people who are not willing to give up alcohol.

As it reduces the harm brought by alcohol use disorder, the quality of life improves. There is less incidence of alcohol poisoning that also reduces fatality.

New Alcohol Addiction Treatment Clinic That Doesn't Require Patients To Quit