Although a large portion of the population believes that alcohol treatment is ineffective or unnecessary; statistics prove that thousands of lives have been saved or improved due to professional alcohol treatment programs. The stigma surrounding alcohol treatment is the result of completely uninformed opinions about the serious physical and emotional side-effects of alcoholism and a lack of understanding about how addictions occur.
Similar to drug addiction, alcoholism causes chemical changes in the brain and body that create uncontrollable cravings and withdrawal symptoms when alcohol consumption is suddenly ceased. Addiction to alcohol has occurred when these withdrawal symptoms prevent the individual from being able to control their consumption regardless of negative physical or life-altering consequences.
Not everyone who drinks alcohol will become an alcoholic, but for some individuals, social drinking can lead to a lifetime of compulsive drinking. Once the addiction takes over, professional alcohol treatment will be needed to cleanse all traces of alcohol from the body, followed by enrollment in a rehabilitation program to address the psychological aspects that contributed to the addiction.
Professional alcohol treatment centers are staffed with compassionate, highly-trained counselors or physicians that understand the complexities of addiction and have created methods and programs to effectively purge all aspects of alcohol addiction from the individual’s body and mind. The first step in the program, medical detoxification, is conducted under medical supervision with 24-hour monitoring or medications to alleviate traumatic or dangerous withdrawal symptoms.
After successful detoxification has been achieved, the individual should participate in an alcohol treatment rehabilitation program. Behavior modification classes, group or individual counseling, cognitive/coping skills training, family support sessions and aftercare programs prevent relapse by helping the individual learn cope with day-to-day activities or stressful situations without using alcohol as a coping mechanism or escape tool.
If you have made the decision to eliminate alcohol from your life, call today and speak with one of our counselors to learn how we can help.