Alcohol is the single most abused substance in the entire United States. Over 60% of Americans drink, from social drinking to binge drinking to alcohol abuse to alcohol dependency. Over 75% of all American high school seniors have tried alcohol at some point in their lives. Young adults 18-25 have the highest rates of DUI arrests. And study after study indicates that the younger a person starts drinking, the greater the chances of developing a dependency. Those who begin drinking before age 14 very often are setting out on the road to alcohol rehabilitation later on in life.

As shown below, treatment for addiction in the United States is dominated to a large degree by people seeking alcohol rehabilitation and recovery. In all but a handful of states, alcohol is the number one substance abuse threat, widely available, abused by people of all ages and social background.

2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

There are thousands of alcohol recovery programs and treatment centers scattered around the United States, offering an equal number of programs and a wide variety of treatment modalities. Patients in any given state generally have choices of treatment, ranging from detoxification services designed to manage withdrawal symptoms, short-term residential care, long-term residential care, and outpatient care. Alcohol rehabilitation can be obtained through public programs (in most states, the minority of available options); private nonprofit facilities (the majority of programs) and private for-profit treatment centers, which generally are more likely to have residential programs and other rounded service offerings. The chart below shows the number of facilities available in each state in 2007, with 94.5% of all facilities surveyed responding.

United States National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services(N-SSATS), 2007
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Facilities that specialize in treatment for alcohol abuse or dependency vary widely as to funding, staffing, and programs offered. Prospective patients should therefore be aware that not all of the services they may need will be offered by all 13,648 facilities shown above. Alcohol rehabilitation starts with screening and assessment to determine if there is a dependency problem and how severe. It often entails drug therapy of some sort to manage symptoms of withdrawal or to discourage relapse, using a variety of drugs like disulfiram (Antabuse®). Sometimes inpatient care is required for at-risk patients. Sometimes a residential program is the best way for an alcoholic to begin a new life. A good alcohol rehabilitation program involves counseling, and many facilities also offer education programs, support groups, employment and transportation assistance, even housing for families while their loved one undergoes treatment.

Choosing an alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center or program should not be a matter of picking the one nearest to you, or rifling through the phone book for the most impressive ad. Note from the chart above how widely types of treatment can differ, and research programs thoroughly. Understand how each works and which services will be needed to treat the type and severity of any particular problem.