Kolmac Clinic's outpatient program is made up of the three traditional phases of drug and alcohol treatment: detoxification, rehabilitation and continuing care.

1. Detoxification from alcohol and/or drugs, when required, is accomplished safely and comfortably by one of the Kolmac medical staff. Patients can remain at the Clinic and be monitored for up to 10 hours a day. Hospitalization is rarely necessary, but can be quickly arranged if needed.

2. During the Rehabilitation phase, patients initially attend five times each week, Monday through Friday, for three hours of group therapy and education. The frequency of these sessions is gradually reduced as progress is made over a period of eight weeks, typically totaling 20 to 30 sessions by completion.

3. The Continuing Care phase consists of a group therapy session once weekly. Specialized groups are available to focus on particular issues.

Structured intensive outpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs are just as effective as hospital rehabilitation and are more effective than non-intensive outpatient programs.

The Kolmac Treatment philosophy and method is outlined in the section of our web site called Straight Thinking©.

Who is treated at Kolmac?

People come to Kolmac for many reasons, including our reputation for success. They prefer to remain on their jobs and with their families rather than enter residential treatment. They come from all walks of life, and the severity of their alcohol and drug problems range from early to late stages of addiction.

Is the family included in the treatment process?

Definitely. Weekly group sessions for relatives and close friends are conducted by Kolmac family therapists. In addition to learning about alcohol and other drug dependence, they have an opportunity to discuss their own experiences with both the illness and the recovery process. Kolmac has also recently introduced its Family Education Series. This is a free education program for anyone who cares about someone who is abusing alcohol and/or drugs. This program is aimed at answering some of the questions that surround alcohol and drug treatment.

Alcohol Treatment

The Kolmac program began in 1973 as an alcohol treatment program and alcohol continues to be the most common substance used by our patients. Because the physical addictive properties of alcohol are relatively low, only a small percentage of our patients with alcohol problems require detoxification. Because the withdrawal syndrome can be dangerous when it does occur, all patients are screened for this possibility by one of the Kolmac medical staff.

Antabuse has allowed us to substitute a chemical separation from alcohol for the geographic separation provided by residential rehabilitation. Recently, naltrexone (Revia, Vivitrol) and acamprosate (Campral), have also begun to be used in conjunction with alcohol treatment and have led to additional reductions in relapses.

Drug Treatment

Kolmac Clinic has provided drug treatment for the full range of drug problems for over 25 years. Patients who have used opioid drugs such as heroin and pain medications, as well as those who have used benzodiazepine tranquilizers, usually require detoxification because these substances are so highly physically addictive. For opioid patients, buprenorphine (Suboxone) and naltrexone (Revia) provide chemical separation from heroin and prescription opioids.

Patients who come for drug treatment are treated in the same groups as the alcohol patients, because of the high incidence of overlapping use between alcohol and other drugs. The one exception is one specialized continuing care group that is available for patients taking Suboxone. These patients often have issues in common that make such a homogeneous group a useful option.

Kolmac Clinic