What are My Resources for Treatment?

Treatment options range from brief intervention to structured outpatient and inpatient treatment programs. Treatment options vary depending upon your current health status, the amount of alcohol you currently consume, previous attempts at stopping drinking, medical coverage, and your own personal choice about what is a reasonable and meaningful treatment plan for you.

Sometimes other health professionals and family members can better objectify a good treatment program than the person misusing alcohol is able to do. Therefore, receiving feedback and attempting new treatment options, even if you are unsure about their benefits, may be useful.

It is important to never give up on a person who misuses alcohol. If you have been misusing alcohol and have failed at previous attempts to stop and treatment options remember that "there is no such thing as a fail intervention." Every time you have tried a treatment option, or listened to concern voiced about your misuse of alcohol, prescription or over-the-counter drugs from a concerned professional, friends and/ or family member you have added another rung to the ladder of achieving a healthier, more meaningful life style. Each builds on the other to make your more successful.

The list of resources and treatment options provided here are to help you learn as much about substance misuse as possible and to help you structure your personal approach to a more healthful life style. We do not endorse any specific agency or treatment approach or center. It is up to you to investigate the current status of any provider service and to evaluate its appropriateness to your personal situation.

The publication Substance Abuse among Older People (listed under Educational Resources) suggests six general approaches for effective treatment of older substance abusers:

• Cognitive-behavioral approaches
  
• Group-based approaches
  
• Individual counseling'
  
• Medical/ psychiatric approaches
  
• Marital and family involvement/ family therapy
  
• Care management/ community-linked services and outreach.

Educational Resources

To order a comprehensive FREE publication entitled: Substance Abuse Among Older Adults write to:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
PO Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345
1-800-729-6686
Phone: 301-468-2600 (local calls)
Fax: 301-468-6433
Website: http://www.health.org
TIP Series #26

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA)
600 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Phone: 301-443-3860
Website: www.niaaa.nih.gov

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
PO Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345
1-800-729-6686
Phone: 301-468-2600 (local calls)
Fax: 301-468-6433
Website: http://www.health.org

National Drug & Treatment Referral Routing Service
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Phone 1-800-662-4357
Website: http://www.health.org

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD)
20 Exchange Place, Suite 2902
New York, NY 10005
Hope Line Phone: 1-800-NCA-CALL
(1-800-622-2255)

National Institute on Aging Information Center
PO Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
Phone: 1800-222-2225
TTY: 1-800-222-4225
Website: http://www.nia.nih.gov

National Council on the Aging
409 3rd St., SW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20024
Phone: 202-479-1200
Fax: 202-470-0735
Website: http://www.ncoa.org

National Institute on Aging
Public Information Office
Bldg. 31, Rm. 5C27
31 Center Dr., MSC 2292
Bethesda, MD 20892-2292
Phone: 301-496-1759
Toll Free: 1-800-222-2225
TTY: 1-800-222-4225
Website: http://www.nih.gov/nia/health/health/htm

Self-help Resources

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Grand Central Station
PO Box 459
New York, NY 10163
Phone: 212-870-3400
Website: http://www.aa.org
AA offers a variety of programs for substance abusers, caregivers, and children of substances abusers. Often AA is used in conjunction with various other medical programs.

Treatment Resources

Please use this key to help you consider the resources listed below and to understand basic terminology.
I/P = inpatient care: 24 hour primary care in a medical, intensive setting. Often this care is provided on a medical floor or on a psychiatric unit of an acute hospital to secure insurance coverage. Typical stays are from 14-, 21-, or 28 day programs.

R/R = residential rehabilitation: Housing option in a specialized program, which may allow the resident to leave for off-housing programs or work. These are typically called half-way houses, group homes, or domiciliary facilities for veterans. They may also be in non-specialized settings such as extended care facilities and sub-acute nursing homes.

O/P = outpatient care: Partial hospitalization/ day treatment programs, 3 days to 7 days per week; 2 to 7 hours per day. Treatment may include group and individual counseling sessions, medication distribution, rehabilitation services, Alcoholics Anonymous and other substance abuse programs.

Vet = veteran services: Services designed for veterans and covered as part of their benefit package. May include all of the above. Often includes supportive services and counseling for posttraumatic stress reactions of veterans.

Brattleboro Retreat Older Adult Program (I/P, O/P)
Brattleboro, VT 1-800-738-7328

Seacoast Mental Health Center (O/P)
Portsmouth, NH 603-431-6703
Exeter, NH 772-2710

Southeastern NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services (I/P, R/R)
Dover, NH 603-749-3981

Community Partners (O/P)
Dover, NH 603-516-7372

York Hospital - Family Resource Services (I/P,O/P)
York, ME 207-363-4321 ext.2226

Referral Education Assistance & Prevention Program (REAP) (O/P)
Exeter, NH 1-866-634-9412

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Medical Center (Vet/I/P, O/P)
Bedford, MA 781-275-7500