Search Results

  1. Are treatment records confidential?

    Health care providers are required to comply with federal and state laws, as well as their professional code of ethics, regarding patient privacy and the confidentiality of treatment records. There are extra laws in place that specifically protect patients and their records when it comes to addiction treatment. A patient must be asked, and explicitly agree, before their treatment records can be shared with anyone else.

  2. When a person has an alcohol problem, his or her willingness to recognize it, seek help, and follow a treatment plan can be significant issues. How can concerned families help?

    NIAAA’s website, Rethinking Drinking, can help people who drink and concerned others assess their level of drinking and the risks it poses. The site also offers practical tips for reducing risk and for getting help.

  3. What if I'm seeking treatment for an adolescent?

    The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator® is designed to find help for adults with alcohol problems. Adolescents have many different issues that need to be addressed in different ways, and the treatments themselves are often different.

  4. What Types of Alcohol Treatment Are Available?

    There are more treatment options for alcohol problems than you may think. Learn about the different options, including different outpatient services led by health professionals.

  5. How did NIAAA choose which provider directories to use in the Navigator®?

    Each of the directories for you to search in Step 1 covers the entire United States. They contain providers with training and credentials to treat addiction. Within each directory, the user can identify providers with the recommended credentials by using our step-by-step guidance. While more directories are available, we aimed to simplify the search process by suggesting that you start with the directories with the greatest coverage.

  6. Why doesn't the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator® just include a list of providers who meet the "five signs" and have all the preferred credentials? Why do I need to search these directories myself?

    As a government agency, NIAAA cannot endorse or promote any particular provider, service, or organization. In addition, credentials such as licenses and accreditations can lapse over time, meaning directories need to be constantly refreshed. This makes it difficult for us to create and maintain a curated list of treatment providers that will always be current and accurate.

  7. What's the difference between the terms “licensed,” “certified,” and “accredited”?

    These terms apply somewhat differently depending on whether you are talking about a doctor, therapist, or treatment program.

  8. What credentials should I look for when seeking an alcohol treatment provider?

    This table describes the major types of providers that offer addiction treatment services. For each, you can see the minimum credentials that the provider should have. These basic requirements should be considered the bare minimum. For example, nearly all treatment providers will have a license, but that does not necessarily mean they have the expertise you need.

    Ideally, you will want to find a provider that goes above and beyond those minimum credentials. These “above and beyond” credentials, shown in the right-hand column, indicate that the provider has obtained a professional specialty through additional formal training and has passed a rigorous independent review of their expertise. If you’re choosing among several providers, try to choose one with these “above and beyond” credentials.

  9. Someone has suggested the name of a treatment provider to me. How can I find out if they offer higher-quality treatment?

    You may already know the name of an addiction treatment provider, perhaps from one of these sources:

    • A recommendation from a doctor or another health professional.

    • A list of “in network” providers from your insurance plan.

    • A recommendation from a friend or family member.
    • An advertisement you saw on television or online.

  10. I am searching for treatment for someone who is a US veteran. Can the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator® help me find addiction treatment offered by the VA?

    The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator® focuses on treatment providers that are available to the general public. The best resource to find treatment in the Veterans Health Administration is the VA’s online treatment locator.