A new treatment program at the University of North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital began seeing patients August 20. The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), a new service of UNC's Department of Psychiatry, provides intensive outpatient treatment to those struggling with addiction and abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program offers individual, group, and family therapy, including programs designed for adolescents and people convicted of DWI. Other ASAP services include drug testing and substance abuse education intervention programs. Family members are recognized as a key part of treatment. They are encouraged to participate, both to help the recovery of their loved one, and for their own support.
 ASAP Director William Renn, MSW (center) with colleagues Alexey Kampov-Polevoy, MD, PhD (left), and JC Garbutt, MD. |
William Renn, MSW, Director of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program, has brought together clinical staff with diverse experience in substance abuse counseling. Their approaches to treatment are supported by the most recent scientific research and outcome data available. "We want to use the best of the medical, psychiatric, scientific and spiritual approaches to recovery," Renn explains.
Joining Renn in the new program are substance abuse counselors JC Garbutt, MD and Alexey Kampov-Polevoy, MD, PhD both researchers with the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. Renn will soon be expanding his counseling staff, adding two Clinical Social Workers with substance abuse counseling experience.
The program includes much of the 12-step approach to recovery exemplified by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Like AA and NA, it is grounded in abstinence, and focuses on peer support and community. Renn also hopes to reach those people who aren't looking for a 12-step program. "My experience in this field has shown that some people will not go to AA or NA. Those people also deserve professional treatment. We would like to reach them, too."
ASAP can provide a higher level of care than a traditional outpatient program. The ASAP approach is flexible, fitted to each patient's individual needs. Many people in treatment for chemical dependency have multiple addictions or other medical or psychiatric conditions that complicate recovery. ASAP's base in the North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital provides many resources for addressing these issues. Patients who can't be treated through ASAP, those who are suicidal, homicidal, actively psychotic, or in need of acute medical detoxification or stabilization, can be referred to the Department of Psychiatry for inpatient treatment.
Renn knows that the longer people stay in treatment, the better their chances for recovery. "We like to hold onto people from thirty to ninety days, six months if possible. The longer in treatment the better." His program encourages patients to find support for their recovery after treatment, in family, peer groups, and after-care.
The program staff sees patients from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm Monday through Friday. The facility is on the first floor of the North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital in the UNC Hospital Complex on Manning Drive in Chapel Hill. Call (919) 966-5005 for more information and referrals. The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program is on the web at www.med.unc.edu/alcohol/asap/ .
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| Updated December 9, 1998 | Comments to web developer |
