Alcohol drinking is a socially accepted behaviour and it’s being advertised on billboards and media. However, it is one of the most destructive and sought-after beverages when it comes to weddings, parties, family gatherings, etc…
Alcohol has been the cause of many motor vehicle accidents and domestic physical abuse.
Serene Retreat Malaysia sees Alcohol addiction, like any other type of addiction, as a progressive behaviour. That means that the drinker goes from just experimenting, to a social drinker, to a frequent drinker to an alcoholic.
The question remains: ‘Why do you need to have alcohol in order to have a good time’? The answer is simple: ‘You don’t’.
This is a myth that has been carried for generations. All this myth does is it ensures that there is always a reason to drink. Nowadays, almost every party needs to have a variety of alcohol beverages. Otherwise, it’s considered a boring party that nobody would want to go to.
Many parents allow their children to consume alcohol, by justifying that: ‘At least it’s not drugs’. However, that doesn’t make their children realize that it is dangerous to consume alcohol and that it is just as dangerous as drug addiction, if not more.
The fact that alcohol is legal, does not make it any less dangerous than drugs. It is precisely for this fact that it is overlooked by society, until it spirals out of control, that it is given the intention that it requires. By that time, it would have already become a problem. Either the person becomes abusive when he uses alcohol, or receives a warning letter at work for being absent or late, or is on the verge of losing his/her marriage. Only after one or another crisis takes place do they realize that they have an alcohol problem. At this stage, it would be too late as the problem has already been created. It all started with that first innocent, “socially acceptable drink”.
In our Alcohol Rehab centers in Kuala Lumpur and Sabah, alcohol addiction is treated with the detoxification phase first. This is done at a hospital before the client is booked into our treatment facility.
This aspect of the program is important as the withdrawals from alcohol can be quite severe. The time frame for the alcohol withdrawals also varies from person to person. Therefore, no definite time frame is allocated. The hospital determines this with its credible and competent staff.
Besides the detoxification, the client also sees a psychiatrist to do a further check-up, to see if there are any other problems that would need to be addressed.
This phase is very thoroughly done and we pride ourselves in the ‘best practice’ when it comes to the well-being of our clients. Not only do we treat the physical state, but we also treat both their emotional and psychological sides.
Once the person is admitted as an in-patient, the person is first seen to by our nurses before the counselor/psychologist does the filling in of the formality documents, introduce the client to the rest of the clients and finally gets allocated a room. The welcoming is part of the introduction to the other clients. Once the processing is done, a buddy is assigned to the new client in case there is a query or any needs.
This buddy-system is effective because it makes the newcomer feel less anxious and at the same time, it gives the other client some form of responsibility. The buddy selection process is based on clients that have been booked in for a while and have shown growth and stability.
Part of the ‘processing’ is to introduce the Rules of the House, explaining and getting the client to accept it. The program teaches the client about alcohol abuse, the impact of alcohol on the body, the self and their loved ones.
The client’s issues are also identified and worked on through both Individual counseling and group counseling. The inpatient treatment program is both about education and relating, and identifying the problem areas.
The professional staff of Serene Retreat is always available to assist their clients in any way that they can. If they can’t, referral becomes the next option, but only if all other avenues had been exhausted.
Relapse prevention training is also a very crucial part of the treatment program because not only is alcohol synonymous with sport, but also many family and social gatherings include alcohol drinking such as birthday celebrations, weddings, funerals, etc…
This makes it very important that the coping skills of the alcoholic need to be of such a nature that the person in alcohol recovery would be able to maintain their sobriety without having a relapse.
We also offer outpatient treatment programs, you can learn more about our treatment program here or contact us.
Family counseling exists as an important part of the alcoholism treatment program. It has been found that at most times, the person in recovery has changed, but things at home or with the family haven’t.
Most of our family counseling is geared towards reconciling the alcoholics with their loved-ones. The educating of the family is also necessary as there are always many questions surrounding the return of the alcoholics in recovery back into the lives of their loved ones.
At many circumstances, the damage caused to the loved-ones are critical, but the alcoholic does not realize this and it is the duty of the staff to get the alcoholic in recovery to understand that the extent of his/her addiction is not limited to themselves, but also their family.
A breakthrough can come at any time and the clinical staff needs to be ready for this. Alcoholics, like drug addicts, do not just act on their emotions but have what is termed as “Emotional Logic”. This is when whatever feeling becomes intense, they act on it, such as their desire to quit the alcohol recovery program. They would have the feeling of wanting to be at home even though they have only been in rehab for a week. It takes dedication to get them to back down from their point, but our experts at Serene Retreat is very experienced with all types of scenarios and can be counted on to get the job done.
Relapse prevention is the process of developing the necessary coping skills required to stay clean and sober in the long term. It is not just about staying alcohol free/or abstinence, but more about a complete lifestyle change.
In order for any change to take place, we need to look at adaptation first. Drug addicts and alcoholics are very good at adapting to different environments. Therefore, it is important to determine whether the client has changed or merely adapted. The theory part of having the coping skills is very precise and can also be used in emergencies and the recovering alcohol addicts daily lives.
Reintegration is necessary because it is important to know what are the stumbling blocks or stuck points when it comes to the client who has finished/completed the program. Serene Retreat does not believe in booked in for your entire stay until you have completed your program and then you go home. We would always go the extra mile and therefore the reintegration part of the program.
Aftercare plays a big part in the maintenance of the sobriety-based qualities that the client has achieved while booked into the program.
The aftercare phase comes in when the client has completed the program and is already at home. The client can then make arrangements to speak to a counselor once a week.
This service is free of charge for the 18 months after the client has completed the program.
At Serene Retreat, we make no judgments and always on the lookout to help those who are seeking addiction treatment
We are ready when you are. Set up an appointment and let us do the rest. We are here for you.
You can click on our Free Alcohol Addiction Assessment tool to see if you may be alcohol-dependent.
*NOTE*: the results of this self-assessment tool are not intended to constitute a diagnosis and should be used solely as a guide to understanding your substance use and the potential health issues involved with it.
The information in this free assessment is not a substitute for a full evaluation by a health professional.
Click the button below to start the assessment.
*Note: This assessment will open up in your Facebook Messenger. When prompted, click ‘get started’ to begin the assessment.
