Recovery from alcohol use disorder isn’t just about giving up drinking — it’s about restoring overall health, according to Dr. Amy Swift of Silver Hill Hospital, a private mental health hospital in New Canaan.
“Recovery isn’t just abstinence,” said Swift, the hospital’s deputy chief medical officer. “Recovery is about finding wellness, finding mental wellness, physical wellness…all the things that go into the whole person. So yes, sobriety could be a piece of it, but it’s actually about achieving a road towards restoration of health in general.”
More than one path
Alcoholics Anonymous has long been a common recovery entry point.
“That's the lowest level of care we have, because it's free, it's accessible to everyone,” Swift said. “It doesn't have to be prescribed by a physician.”
But according to The Recovery Village, 30-percent of people who find sobriety through AA relapse within the first year. Some never return to the program.
“What we know about the disease of alcoholism is that it is a relapsing and remitting disease,” she said. “So sometimes, the thing that worked may not be enough to keep quiet the noise around you. There are so many other ways that we could address alcohol use disorder that people could try. They shouldn’t feel discouraged.”
The first step toward help
When people relapse, Swift recommends turning to a trusted professional rather than giving up.
“It actually might be their primary care physician on their yearly visit when they say, ‘Hey, listen, I actually hadn’t used alcohol in 10 years, and I found myself returning to it. What should I do?’” she said. “It may be a counselor, it may be a physician that’s trained in addiction, it may be a social worker. But from that point, we could have a really candid conversation with that person, see where they’re at with their alcohol use, and what we could provide to help them.”
Barriers and Resources
Getting into treatment isn’t always easy. Swift acknowledges that months-long waitlists and closed practices frustrate many people.
“it’s going to be so bad, you might be in the ER by then,” she said.
Still, she points to resources that can connect people with care more quickly. The federal website samhsa.gov provides a treatment locator, and some facilities even offer walk-ins.
“Even just finding a live person on the other end of the phone could be a first step,” Swift said.
Why rehab matters
Swift stresses that rehab centers play a unique role by offering both time away from alcohol and tools to handle cravings once patients return to daily life.
“The focus of rehab is two things,” she said. “One, literally the time it gives away from the substance for your brain to make different choices. Then, the second function is being able to teach you how to combat the urges in the moment.”
Those urges, she noted, often stem from everyday struggles like anxiety, low mood, or poor sleep.
“When we learn how to tolerate them in a rehab without choosing alcohol or drugs or whatever, then we can take that pattern of behavior and apply it when we get out.”
Note: John Henry Smith interviewed Dr. Swift in conjunction with National Recovery Month in September.
