Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Ohio

Leora treats alcohol use disorder on an outpatient basis at two facilities in Ohio, one in Columbus and one in Dayton, and by video anywhere in the state through virtual IOP. You live at home and come in for treatment. Leora has no beds, no overnight care and no residential program, so it is not the place for someone who needs inpatient or residential alcohol rehab.

Care runs from ambulatory detox through partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient treatment, with medication assisted treatment where it fits. One assessment sets where you start. Both facilities run every one of these levels, so moving up or down a level as your needs change does not mean a new provider.

Stopping abruptly after heavy daily drinking can be dangerous. Symptoms usually start within about eight hours of the last drink, though they can start days later: shaking, sweating, nausea, broken sleep, a fast pulse and raised blood pressure. They peak one to three days after the last drink. Seizures, where they occur, usually fall inside the first forty eight hours. Delirium tremens usually appears two to four days in, and sometimes later, with confusion, hallucinations, fever and unstable blood pressure. It is a medical emergency, and untreated it can be fatal. If someone in alcohol withdrawal has a seizure, confusion, hallucinations or a fever, call 911 or go to an emergency department. Risk runs higher with daily heavy drinking, previous withdrawals, older age, or another medical condition alongside.

Get assessed before you stop rather than after symptoms start. If you also take a benzodiazepine, say so, because that withdrawal carries the same seizure risk and can run for weeks rather than days, which changes the plan.

Both facilities offer ambulatory detox, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient rehab and medication assisted treatment. The buildings are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and both welcome walk-ins. Each facility's phone number is answered 24/7.

• Columbus, 5432 N High St: ambulatory detox, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient rehab and medication assisted treatment
• Dayton, 948 Patterson Rd: ambulatory detox, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient rehab and medication assisted treatment

Virtual IOP meets by video, so it reaches people in every part of Ohio, including people far from Columbus and Dayton. Its substance use program meets in the evening, and a separate mental health program meets during the day. The assessment settles whether a video program is the right level of care for you.

Partial hospitalization runs a dual diagnosis track at both facilities, for people whose drinking and a mental health condition need treating together. Intensive outpatient keeps the substance use track and the mental health track apart. The page on dual diagnosis treatment in Ohio explains how Leora treats the two at once.

Three medications are approved by the FDA for alcohol use disorder. The list below is general information about each. Ask admissions which are offered at the facility you would attend, and the prescriber decides with you whether one fits.

• Naltrexone, a daily tablet or monthly injection, lowers craving and blunts the reward from drinking. It is not started while someone is still using opioids.
• Acamprosate, taken three times a day after you stop, targets the restlessness and poor sleep that persist for months. The dose is lowered in moderate kidney disease, and it is not used in severe kidney disease.
• Disulfiram causes flushing, nausea, sweating and a racing heart if alcohol is taken, which suits someone who wants that barrier in place.

Leora accepts every Ohio Medicaid plan and all major commercial insurance. Admissions can check your coverage while you are on the phone.

What you pay depends on your plan. The insurance page covers checking your coverage, and separate pages cover Ohio Medicaid and UnitedHealthcare.

Both facilities welcome walk-ins. The assessment sets the level of care. Where withdrawal is a concern, a nurse practitioner and a registered nurse assess whether ambulatory detox is safe for you. Bring:

• photo ID
• your insurance card
• a list of your current medications
• a discharge plan if you are coming from another program

Leora accepts all major commercial insurance and Medicaid. Depression, anxiety, PTSD and insomnia often run alongside heavy drinking and are treated by the same team in one plan.

Before discharge, the team plans the next step: a lower level of care, outpatient therapy, and community recovery support such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. The article on Alcoholics Anonymous covers how AA works and the alternatives to it. If you are reading this for someone else who drinks, the family page is written for you.

References for this page:

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, treatment for alcohol problems
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, TIP 45
• American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR alcohol use disorder criteria