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Choosing the
Most Effective Treatment Program
A Life Saving Guide of What to Look For
Beyond 12 Steps
By Maia Szalavitz
for MSN Health & Fitness


Although addiction and alcoholism treatment research has advanced tremendously since Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, many people do not know that equally effective alternatives to 12-step programs exist-nor do they know how to find them. In popular culture, AA is often portrayed as the only way <more>

find help
As there many different types of people, there are many different types of support groups and meetings. Find what works best for you. From 12 STEP to STEP FREE.

news flash
05/10/06
Study Defines Most Effective Alcoholism Treatments-Naltrexone, Counseling and Medical Management

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that patients that received naltrexone, specialized alcohol counseling, or both had the best drinking outcomes after 16 weeks of alcohol outpatient treatment.

Study Highlights
Here are the highlights of the COMBINE study results after 16 weeks:

· All groups substantially reduced drinking during treatment. Overall percent days abstinent tripled, from 25 to 73 percent, and alcohol consumption per week decreased from 66 to 13 drinks, a decrease of 80 percent.
· Patients who received medical management plus either naltrexone or specialized counseling showed similarly improved outcomes (PDA= 80.6 percent and 79.2 percent, respectively), compared with patients who received medical management and placebo pills (75.1 percent).
· Patients who received naltrexone reported less craving for alcohol.
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Naltrexone opens the door to new treatment options for problem drinkers, based on new research evidence.
Medication Helps Alcoholics
Control Drinking
Laura Kennedy, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
A little-known drug called Naltrexone provides a “meaningful benefit” in helping alcoholics moderate their drinking, according to the latest review of evidence from 29 studies on four continents.
The findings, along with the recent FDA approval of a similar drug called acamprosate, open the door to new treatment options for drinkers who aren’t yet ready to face total abstinence.<more>
suggested reading
AA Not the Only Way —
Your One Stop Resource
Guide to 12 Step Alternatives

This is the first-ever comprehensive global resource guide that tells counselors and sufferers alike what their options are and where to find them. A compact but wide-ranging guide to evidence based, non 12-Step treatment.

While everyone has heard of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs that support millions of people each year with addiction, they are not the only effective programs available nor do they work for everyone. <more>
DUI help

One of ACA's newest initiatives is DUI Treatment Courts. ACA has partnered with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD) to promote and establish courts that specifically incorporate alcoholism treatment for drunk driving offenders because ACA recognizes that a significant part of the drunk driving problem is a result of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.<more>
Naltrexone Specialized Alcohol Counseling
an Effective Treatment for Alcohol Dependence
When Delivered with Medical Management
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
Tuesday, May 2, 2006

The medication naltrexone and up to 20 sessions of alcohol counseling by a behavioral specialist are equally effective treatments for alcohol dependence when delivered with structured medical management, according to results from "Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions for Alcoholism" (The COMBINE Study). Results from the National Institutes of Health-supported study show that patients who received naltrexone, specialized alcohol counseling, or both demonstrated the best drinking outcomes after 16 weeks of outpatient treatment. <more>

The American Council on Alcoholism (ACA) is a national non-profit 501 (c) 3 health organization and a member of the following organizations:
member of the United Way
member of Combined Federal Campaign

American Council on Alcoholism is an information and referral service for individuals who suffer from alcohol dependence, their families, treatment professionals and the general public who are seeking a broad range of information on alcohol, alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse and options for recovery.
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