If you cannot stop drinking on your own you may need treatment.
Alcohol is an easily attainable, legal drug which makes many people believe it is safe and even harmless. But alcohol is often abused in excessive amounts by people who do not realize that they have a problem. This can lead to many issues like family and social problems, illegal actions and lawsuits, and serious health effects just to name a few. Here are some signs that you may need alcohol abuse treatment.
What is Alcohol Abuse?
According to the OWH, “alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that is harmful to the drinker or others.” It is usually an issue that occurs more than once and causes the same problems over and over, as well as new problems over time. If you consider the problems that alcohol has caused you, you may be able to pinpoint whether or not you are abusing alcohol.
Alcohol abuse causes issues in all areas of life, but the NLM states that “you are not physically dependent” on alcohol if you are classified as struggling with alcohol abuse. This is why many people tend to think that their problems with alcohol are not serious, as alcoholics experience withdrawal symptoms. But alcohol abuse is also very serious and could require treatment.
Signs You Need Alcohol Abuse Treatment
Many people do not stop to realize just how much their abuse of alcohol is affecting them and those around them. According to the OWH, these issues occurring “repeatedly in a 12-month period” are signs of alcohol abuse:
“Missing work or skipping child care responsibilities because of drinking,” or otherwise neglecting important issues in order to drink
Drinking in a dangerous situation or making your situation dangerous by being intoxicated
Getting arrested for an alcohol-related issue (i.e. driving while intoxicated)
Continuing to drink even if you feel guilty or you know it is a issue for your loved ones
Making poor decisions because you want to drink alcohol or choosing to drink alcohol above all other things
Any time your drinking begins to interfere with your life on a continuous basis, there is a possibility that you may be abusing alcohol. Tolerance, cravings, and physical dependence are signs of alcohol addiction (or alcoholism), so when searching for the presence of alcohol abuse in your life, you should consider your behavior and the consequences of your drinking.
Why Seek Treatment for Alcohol Abuse?
Treatment for those who abuse alcohol can be just as important and beneficial as treatment for those who are alcoholics. Alcohol abuse is a very serious problem and sometimes, people can only get better with treatment. Seeking treatment for this, less intense alcohol use disorder (or AUD) can also help to prevent a person from getting worse in the future and possibly becoming an alcoholic.
Treatment for alcohol abuse starts with an assessment of what the individual needs and how intense the problem already is. Its aim is to help you break the bad pattern that you have taken on when it comes to drinking by using behavioral therapy and medications. These same methods are used in alcoholism treatment, but it is much easier to start with and change alcohol abuse than it is to change addiction.
There is mixed evidence as to whether drug addiction is actually predisposed by the genes or not but one thing that is known for sure is that addictive behavior is predisposed. What this means is that although actually being addicted to drugs may not be genetic there are genetic factors that play a role in….
Although according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety may lead to drug addiction, it does not ALWAYS lead to addiction. There is a correlation between anxiety disorders and substance use but anxiety does not always result in substance abuse. Anxiety Medications Most medications given for anxiety even in childhood are benzodiazepines. These….
If you have never been to inpatient rehab, you probably do not know what to expect from it. There are a lot of things that are standard across all inpatient rehabs such as detoxification, withdrawal, counseling, and medication. Fortunately, that is not all there is to it. Many people find things they would not expect….
We’ve always heard the phrase, “addiction isn’t prejudice, it affects the young the old, the rich the poor, black and white – it doesn’t matter.” However, in the recent years studies have shown that individuals who are over the age of 50 are increasingly finding themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol and in need of help. In….
Christian drug rehab helps individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol to both recovery physically from their addiction and also to restore their faith and recover spiritually. Anyone who has been addicted to drugs or alcohol realizes how difficult it can be to overcome the addiction and heal from the pain that is caused….
If you or a loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol then you already know how difficult it is to quit. Unfortunately, some people need more than just one reason to seek help before they actually make the call and the commitment to getting sober. If you’re one of those people who needs a….
Addiction, regardless of what the addiction is to, is a deeply psychologically based condition. The roots of addiction’s causes, beginnings, and overall control over a person often are based within the person’s mind. Even if the addiction requires a physical act and has a physical response, it is largely mental. Having an understanding of addiction’s….
People affected by dual diagnosis conditions struggle with the combined effects of addiction and one or more psychological disorders. When considered separately, both addiction and mental illness can greatly compromise a person’s ability to function in daily life. When combined, people living with dual diagnosis stand to experience the worst of what these two conditions….
According to the NIDA, “Addiction treatment must help the individual stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society.” It’s easier to achieve these goals while you are being led by counselors and held accountable for your behaviors throughout the drug addiction rehab program, but,….
You may be wondering what you can expect if you enlist in counseling at drug rehab centers. What really happens in those therapy sessions and how come some of them are one on one individual sessions with a counselor while others are given in a group format? If you are unsure about the way that….
