What is an Alcohol Centre?

An alcohol centre is an institution that provides care and support for people suffering from alcoholism. Alcohol centres will usually provide both the medical and psychological care needed to treat alcoholism. As such, in the UK, alcohol centres will usually provide both alcohol detox and on-going psychological rehabilitation, both of which are commonly necessary to achieve recovery from alcoholism.

As far as the rehab element of treatment is concerned, there are various types of alcohol centre - twelve step alcohol centres, therapeutic community alcohol centres, religious based alcohol centres, and medical model alcohol centres. The commonest form of alcohol centre in the UK is twelve step.

All alcohol centres tend to share a number of key features. Residents must be drug and alcohol free (apart from tobacco); alcohol centres provide a structured programme of psychological, educational and social therapy, which aims at preparing the alcoholic or addict to manage better an alcohol free life back in society; alcohol centre programme lengths vary between 1 and 9 months. Many alcohol centres will provide detox in-house when this is necessary, in advance of commencement of the rehabilitation programme.

Alcohol centre admission versus community (home) treatment

Admission to an alcohol centre for a period of residential treatment, appears to present a higher probability of successful outcome than does community based treatment. A 1996 follow-up study, conducted as part of the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) indicated the following (Gossop M et al, 1999): When compared to the community services, residential alcohol centre services are likely to achieve comparable outcomes, but treat clients with more severe patterns of addiction, thus indicating greater effectiveness of residential alcohol centre care as compared to community rehabilitation.

Duration of alcohol centre stay

Compared to early leavers from alcohol centre, those retained at least 28 days in short alcohol centre programmes, and 90 days in longer alcohol centre programmes are probably four times less likely to relapse than others, as indicated by some research studies. The issue of retention in alcohol centre treatment is central to effectiveness, and can be seen as a function of how the alcohol centre relates to its clients, rather than the reverse. Alcohol centres which actively engage with clients, provide supportive environments and well structured programmes, which are clear about their policies and their therapies, and which tailor their activities to individual needs produce better outcomes.

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