Prolonged, excess alcohol use can damage self-esteem, degrade relationships, impair work and school performance, and cause severe health problems. But in our society, alcohol is difficult to avoid. It’s the beverage of choice at most parties and events, from informal dinners to after-work happy hours to high-class galas. Teens experiment with alcohol, college students glorify over-indulgence, and millions of adults drink beer, wine, or liquor as part of their daily routine.
In that context, quitting is hard – but we know how to help. At Kolmac, we help you get from where you are to where you want to be: living a life without alcohol.
50+ Years Treating Alcohol Addiction: Experience Matters
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common substance use problems we treat at Kolmac. Supporting patients with AUD is in our DNA. Kolmac founder George Kolodner, MD, set out to develop an intensive outpatient treatment program for people with alcohol addiction in 1972.
Addiction treatment centers around the U.S. and world use Dr. Kolodner’s IOP model every day. Millions of people have benefited from his innovative idea: offer intensive, immersive addiction treatment without the need for a stay in a residential rehab center.
The Kolmac Approach: Innovative Addiction Treatment
For people seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder, the three-step Kolmac approach combines the effectiveness of inpatient treatment with the flexibility and affordability of outpatient care. Our individualized, evidence-based, data-driven programs provide life-changing treatment. Each treatment plan includes an individualized combination of the following:
- Detox when needed
- Intensive outpatient treatment (IOP)
- Group therapy
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) when needed
- Outpatient treatment
- Partial hospitalization treatment (PHP)
- Relapse prevention
- Family programs
We maintain conveniently located treatment centers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington DC.
What is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is the clinical diagnosis addiction professionals use to describe the medical condition known for decades as alcoholism or alcohol dependence. There are three levels of AUD: mild, moderate, and severe.
To determine which category matches your alcohol use, answer the following questions about your drinking over the past 12 months:
- Did you ever drink more than planned, or for longer than planned?
- Have your tried to quit or cut back without success?
- Have you spent time dealing with hangovers or other negative consequences of drinking?
- Did you have powerful cravings for alcohol?
- Has alcohol caused problems at work, school, or home?
- If you answered yes to the question above, did you keep drinking anyway?
- Did drinking cause you to quit doing some of the things – hobbies, etc. – you love?
- Did you engage in dangerous behavior because of drinking, such as driving while intoxicated?
- If you know alcohol causes emotional, mental, or physical pain, do you drink anyway?
- Do you have to drink more and more alcohol to feel the effect you want?
- Have you ever had a drink to manage withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, trembling, or anger/irritability?
Answering yes to 2-3 of these questions indicates you may meet the criteria for mild AUD. Answering yes to 4-5 means you may meet the criteria for moderate AUD. Answering yes to 6 or more means you may meet the criteria for severe AUD.
This questionnaire is here to help you determine where you fall on the continuum, understand how addiction professionals arrive at a diagnosis for AUD, and help you decide if you need to seek treatment for your alcohol use. This does not take the place of a formal addiction assessment administered by a skilled, experienced treatment professional.
Alcohol Addiction / Alcohol Use Disorder: What You Should Know
In 2023 in the United States:
28.1 million adults had AUD.
Yet, in 2023:
Only 2.2 million people received treatment for AUD.
The difference between the number of people who need treatment and the number of people who received treatment is called the treatment gap. The AUD treatment gap is huge:
92.2% of people with AUD didn’t receive any treatment at all, and 98.1% of people with AUD didn’t receive medication-assisted treatment for AUD.
At Kolmac, our goal is to close that treatment gap by offering effective, convenient, and affordable addiction treatment programs tailored to meet your schedule and your needs.
Continuing Care: Your Lifelong Recovery is Our Goal
Treatment is the first step toward a new life.
The skills you learn during your program will last your entire life – but the end IOP, PHP, or outpatient program is really a new beginning. It’s the beginning of a new life – one you choose to live on your terms, free from the disruptive and painful cycles of behavior associated with alcohol addiction.
To help you live that new life, we provide continuing support to help you move forward in your recovery journey. Upon completion of your treatment program at Kolmac, you’ll have access to:
- Access to 50+ support groups
- Services at convenient locations
- Day and evening support
- Organized feedback for referral sources
Seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder is a critical first step toward long-term recovery. We can help you set and achieve your goals for recovery and give you the tools you need to live without drinking alcohol. The evidence-based therapies we use at Kolmac will help you learn, grow, and thrive – in recovery and in life.
