Alcohol Recovery
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Alcohol addiction can put a great strain on people, and recovery is not always easy. Not only is the body affected, but your relationships and family will also have to suffer. Recovery can be a very long process, which can take months, even years. To maintain sobriety, a lot of steps are necessary. Thus, a detox and recovery program is essential in the process.
What is Alcohol Recovery?
One may think that alcohol recovery is the medical detox process that gets the alcohol out of your system. This is only half true. Indeed, alcohol recovery starts with the detox process, but it continues with behavioral treatment. In other words, alcohol recovery takes the substance out of your system and ensures that it stays out.
Alcohol recovery is often a lifelong process, but one that can significantly impact the life quality of the alcoholic. It will very often depend on the willpower of the alcoholic, as well as their ability to abstain from future consumption. In most cases, rehab can last a lifetime of pulling through temptation.
How To Know if Someone Needs Treatment?
Once it reaches a problematic stage, alcoholism may require rehab. Here are a couple of things that will tell you someone needs treatment:
Their Physical Health Is Declining
Alcohol addiction can lead to a variety of physical symptoms, some of which can turn fatal. If alcohol consumption puts a strain on someone’s health, but they still cannot seem to be able to let go of the bottle, then they may need treatment.
They Grow Restless
Someone who does not have an alcohol problem will not flinch if they find out they can’t drink that day. However, an alcoholic will grow restless and maybe even panic at the idea that they can’t get some drinks in their system. Their desire to use the substance every day is strong.
Their Alcohol Use Is Causing Trouble
Alcohol abuse can negatively impact someone’s life. It can wreck relationships, friendships, cause them to get into trouble with the law, or even injure themselves. If alcohol consumption leads to a fair amount of trouble in their life, then it’s a sign that they need treatment.
The Signs of Alcoholism
Alcoholism does not stay hidden for long. This is because the signs of addiction will show at some point and say whether you or a loved one is dealing with a problem. Thus, an alcoholic will typically:
- End up drinking more than they had in mind for the event or day, losing count of the number of drinks.
- Spend most of their time either drinking or feeling sick because of their drinking. An alcoholic will often have only two predominant states: drunk or with a hangover.
- Find themselves unable to cut down on their alcohol consumption, even though they promised they’d quit.
- Experience frequent cravings – a strong urge that will almost always lead them to the bar.
- Engage mostly in activities that revolve around alcohol consumption. Every event they go to needs to serve alcohol.
- Skip on important activities or even their hobbies, simply because they prevented them from drinking. An alcoholic will rather stay home and drink than go somewhere they cannot drink.
- Keep drinking, even though the quality of their life, their relationships, and their health are affected.
- Hide their heavy drinking, and if anyone questions them about it, they will get either angry or defensive.
- Have withdrawal symptoms even after the “hangover” stage was supposed to end. This can include nausea, irritability, sweating, or trouble sleeping.
- Find themselves having to drink more than usual because the regular amount no longer gives them enough of a buzz.
- Drink at inappropriate times of days, such as during work or important events, neglecting their responsibilities.
- Reaching for a drink first thing after waking up.
If you see most of these signs, the chances are high that the problem is related to alcoholism.
Asking For Help
Many alcoholics do not ask for help at the right moment, out of shame for what their friends or relatives might say about them. Some may even be in denial, saying that their alcohol consumption is no big deal. Because of this, alcoholism progresses, causing even more damage.
This is why asking for help at the right moment is essential. If a loved one is going through alcoholism, planning an intervention should be the first step. The one misusing alcohol might be surprised or possibly even angry at first. However, in the long run, it would benefit them.
If you are the one suffering from alcoholism, you should ask for help the moment you see the warning signs. If you’ve tried to quit before and did not succeed, get the help that you need as soon as possible.
Finding Treatment for Alcoholism
In an ideal world, every hungover person who says “I’m never drinking again” after their last drunken night should be able to stand by their word. However, with an alcoholic, that never happens. The moment they see a drink in front of them, they will forget all about their promise to themselves and drink again. Their dependence on alcohol may be too strong to hold off.
Depending on their stage of alcoholism, they need to find the right treatment to help with their condition. For some people, the best course is to be admitted to an inpatient rehab center, where they can get the alcohol out of their system with minimal temptation around.
Other people might only need medical detox to help them out. Someone who doesn’t have advanced stage alcoholism can simply take medication at home, helping them to quit the substance. Depending on the type of medication, it can help with the cravings or even make it unappealing for someone to drink.
A meeting with the doctor will determine which course of treatment works best for you. They will take in your health and your alcoholism stage, determining exactly how you should be treated.
Why Real Deal
Recovering from alcoholism has many challenges and it is also a process that might take a good part of your life. Therapy and medication are crucial in this process, which is why you should ask for the help of a good rehab center. Real Deal has all the tools that you need in order to recover from your addiction.
Left untreated, alcohol addiction can cause many long-term problems in your life. Contact Real Deal, so that we can help you with your recovery!