Online Intervention May Be a Gateway to Alcoholism Treatment
Men who have trouble controlling their drinking are flirting with one of the leading preventable causes of death. It can be difficult to seek treatment, but there are online resources that may be useful in initiating the process. Of course, everything gets easier once you pick up the phone and place a call to a treatment center like Sunrise Recovery where a counselor will answer your questions and give you insight into what options are available.
The internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, keep in touch with
long lost elementary school friends, and buy our books and music. Now, the internet also may be a tool for people to become wary of irresponsible drinking.
You may be skeptical that online interventions may be effective but the online screener www.checkyourdrinking.net has proven to work in reducing alcohol consumption by problem drinkers. This and other sites like it could be an important gateway to introduce problem drinkers to traditional forms of alcoholism treatment and begin long term recovery.
Evaluation of Online Intervention
Canada’s Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recently performed an evaluation that was published in Addiction Magazine concerning online interventions for alcoholics. They found that online interventions do provide a public health benefit and are proven to lead to a reduction in the amount of alcohol consumed by problem drinkers.
The CAMH discovered that exposure to such sites led to problem drinkers curbing their alcohol intake by about 30%. This decrease rivals the reduction that similar studies have shown come as a result of in person or "real-life" interventions. It was shown not to be just a fluke result either as a three month follow-up and a six month follow-up that showed comparable results.
How the Online Intervention Works
The online intervention process uses data that the user inputs his or herself. The site then analyzes the data provided and gives a report that compares their drinking to the national average. It includes non-judgmental information concerning the health risks that their drinking pattern presents. Eye-opening calculations are included, such as amount of money spent purchasing alcohol and how time out of their year they spend under the influence. The website then helps the user by providing them with safer drinking guidelines.
Difficulty by Alcoholics of Seeking Treatment
Alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of preventable death. It is a sad reality that the majority of those who suffer from alcoholism will never seek counseling or enter a drug rehab. It could be due to the stigma and embarrassment associated with treatment. He or she could be in denial of their problem or may not want to face them with others. They want to handle their problems themselves or feel that treatment may be too troublesome.
The solution to these barriers may be to begin by seeking treatment online, in your own home, where you are anonymous and do not have to interact face-to-face with anyone. A survey showed that 81% of alcoholics in Canada are able to access the internet and one-third of those that do have access reported that they would try intervention through online methods.
Gateway into Treatment
Online intervention siteswill hopefully act as a “gateway” to getting those with an alcohol dependency to seek treatment, which will lead them further on the path to sobriety. Users of the site will see transparently and understand how their drinking affects them and perhaps think about how it affects others in their lives as well. Sunrise Recovery provides treatment for alcoholism and can answer any questions you may have. Please call us at 866-540-5242.
-article by Khoi Nguyen
