As a Treatment Professional, one of your most important roles is keeping your client’s morale high. Treatment and recovery for those with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are complex, and many times, a client’s confidence will ebb and flow. For a better chance at sustaining recovery, most clients benefit from a clinician whose treatment plan is effective, positive, and tailored to the individualized experience.
Having a rolodex of resources at your disposal ensures you and your client can keep morale and momentum high through recovery. One of the most beneficial and successful tools your clients can utilize is alcohol monitoring.
Voluntary alcohol monitoring has proven to keep those in recovery on the right track while improving motivation, momentum, outcomes, and morale.
What is Alcohol Monitoring?
Dating back to 1954, alcohol monitoring works by having an individual blow into a device as it measures their Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). While at one point, they were most often used as a tool to punish transgressions, it has evolved into a treatment tool utilized by countless addiction practitioners committed to improving client outcomes.
Many people are now voluntarily utilizing alcohol monitoring systems in conjunction with other treatment resources to assist their recovery as there is a high success rate.
The Importance of Improving or Sustaining Client Morale
Because AUD recovery is a non-linear process, it is not uncommon for your clients to experience a drop in morale at some point in their journey.
As Addiction Treatment Professionals understand, resistance to change is common and seen often in Addiction Recovery treatment. However, it is proven that motivation in recovery is key to its success; without it, achieving long-term sobriety can be much more arduous.
Clients navigating treatment alone can present challenges, especially if they struggle with AUD. Therefore, as a Treatment Professional, it is key to keep improving and sustaining your client’s morale and motivation over the course of their treatment and recovery plan.
How Monitoring in Conjunction with Treatment can Help Improve Client Morale
When working with clients, each individual needs a unique plan specific to their disease and desired outcomes. When assisting clients in treatment, alcohol monitoring is a tool that can work in conjunction with other resources or help encourage the consistent use of other recovery resources. Typically, many resources are required to help a client successfully manage their addiction or alcoholism.
For example, in a case study by Soberlink, 90 percent of users stated alcohol monitoring helped keep them accountable. However, they also cited the importance of utilizing other resources with the device, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or a strong support circle, as a reason for their success.
Utilizing Soberlink
Soberlink’s remote alcohol monitoring system has helped thousands of Treatment Professionals increase their client’s morale and improve overall Recovery Capital. More than just a sleek and discrete remote breathalyzer, Soberlink’s system allows clinicians to track client progress through scheduled tests and real-time results. The system also improves communication between a client, Treatment Provider, and their Recovery Circle, further aiding in the client’s progress.
Designed for ease-of-use, Soberlink allows clinicians to see daily, weekly, or monthly reports following an easy-to read color-coded system. In addition, it combines wireless connectivity with facial recognition and tamper detection upholding each test’s integrity.
The color-coded system reflecting positive results can specifically help boost client morale. When your client uses Soberlink and submits a Compliant test, it is a moment for you to celebrate their success, helping boost their self-worth and self-esteem. Celebrating in a positive light keeps client morale high as they achieve the goals you have helped them set out to accomplish.
It is not just celebrating Compliant tests that can help boost client morale. When clients test positive for alcohol, they may feel like all their previous hard work has gone to waste, impacting their motivation to continue with treatment. However, this is a moment where you can refer to Soberlink’s Advanced Reporting and remind your client of their past success. Sometimes being able to visualize progress can help spearhead future success. For instance, if the number of green dots (Compliant tests) outnumber those red (Non-Compliant tests) or yellow (Missed Tests), a client’s confidence may be restored as they can see their continued growth.
It’s important to remind your clients that a relapse or slip does not make them a failure. Recovery is not linear, slips happen, but that does not mean it is impossible. Utilizing previous Compliant test results or reminding them of future opportunities to demonstrate their commitment to recovery may help them feel less guilty about a Non-Compliant test. Additionally, it may encourage them to stay motivated as they know you are not there to judge them but there as support even if they experience a relapse or slip.
Soberlink Testimonials
In a recent Soberlink study, the system’s success is evident.
Over 90 percent of participants agreed that they would recommend the system to those looking to manage their alcoholism. The same number claims it helped them stay accountable during early recovery.
Even those users who submitted Non-Compliant tests in the study stated that it did not limit or deflate their progress. In fact, it encouraged them to reach out to their Recovery Circle for additional support, continuing their work towards recovery. So much so, that at multiple follow up points in the study, over 70 percent of users had not used any substances.
In conjunction with other treatment resources and a robust Recovery Circle, Soberlink proves to be beneficial for clinicians helping clients manage AUD. If your clients lack motivation, confidence, accountability, and/or morale, alcohol monitoring may be for them.