My experience with alcohol use disorder treatment

But taking the step to access treatment wasn’t easy. 

“I had concerns about people knowing I was an alcoholic,” he says. He says he was also afraid that once he started treatment he would need to immediately start talking about all the challenges in his life that were behind his drinking. Treatment including medication and counselling have been key in his recovery. 

“I’m growing. I’m 43 years old and I’m such a different person than I used to be. Here I am, I’m alive and happy. I’ve never been this happy,” he says.

This story is part of a five-part series called In my experience, where people share first-hand experiences and information about accessing a variety of substance use services at Interior Health.

Read other In my experience stories

Alcohol use treatment and recovery services can include day treatment (educational and discussion-based groups), counselling, medications, withdrawal management (detox), and referral to other supports and services.

Learn about substance use treatment options