Alcohol Rehab
Alcoholism
For many drinkers, the facts about alcoholism and alcohol addiction are not clear. How does it differ from just alcohol abuse? What qualifies someone as a binge drinker? When does my drinking become a problem rather then a pleasure? When should a person seek treatment for a problem related to his or her drinking problem? This website will begin to explain both alcoholism and problematic alcohol abuse, the symptoms of each and who to ask for help.
Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence", is a disease that includes these symptoms:
- Craving: A strong need, or compulsion to drink, that the ability to choose not to drink seems to have disappeared - "will power" is futile.
- Obsession: An overwhelming thought of alcohol and obtaining or maintaining a personal supply, which blocks someone's ability to engage in other activities.
- Loss of control: The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion.
- Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
- Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to feel comfortable in one's surroundings.
People who are not alcoholics sometimes do not understand why an alcoholic can't just "use a little willpower" to stop drinking. However, alcoholism has little to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful "craving" or uncontrollable need for alcohol, and this simply overrides their ability to choose to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the need for food or water.
Alcohol Rehabilitation and Treatment
The realisation that someone requires help with their alcohol problem is by no means simple and will normally take a fair amount of time and persuasion. But keep in mind that the sooner someone gets help, the better their chances for a successful recovery. While we hear stories about how someone needs to have "hit rock bottom" before they can accept help, this is may not actually be accurate. We wish to stress that most people with alcohol problems actually seek help for themselves long before they have lost everything and pushed everyone away from them. Moreover, taking steps to confront a possible drinking problem early on in a drinking career has enormous longer term benefits -a much higher chance for a healthier, more successful and rewarding life.
Alcohol Detox and Withdrawal
Not everyone who stops drinking will experience withdrawal symptoms. However, most people who have been drinking for a long period of time will experience some form of withdrawal symptoms once they do try to stop drinking.
The severity of these symptoms usually relates to just how dependent the person has become. When someone who has become "alcohol dependent" decides to stop drinking, they will experience some level of physical discomfort. For this reason, it is extremely difficult for them to merely stop drinking "on their own" without assistance and support.
The reality of the alcoholic problem is that with the onset of withdrawal symptoms, also comes the physical "craving" for more alcohol. The body is telling the drinker that it "needs" alcohol. As the physical symptoms of withdrawal begin to increase, taking another drink simply becomes less painful than not taking one. And so the cycle continues.
If the only treatment required to stop drinking was to just stop drinking and experience the detox process then why doesn't every problematic drinker stop? This is because an alcoholic's problem actually centres first and foremost in the mind. It is a psychological / behavioural issue. The physical side of things is a genuine concern, but no long term sobriety is possible unless the person address how they think. In doing so they are able to change how they behave, which in turn allows them to feel differently about drinking or not drinking - giving them the choice not to drink. This requires therapeutic assistance - treatment.
Statistics compiled after years of research have found that the vast majority of people that completed alcohol or drug detoxification, but then failed to continue rehabilitative treatment in a residential addiction treatment centre, ended up in relapse and no better off (often worse) than they were beforehand. Detoxification is a necessary component in the path towards recovery, but permanent change and positive recovery is generally achieved through a multidisciplinary of protocols that address the root of someone's addiction and not just their physical symptoms.
Getting Treatment
The good news for those who are alcohol dependent, looking to detoxify and to turn their lives around, is that all of these symptoms can be alleviated and even eliminated with proper rehabilitative treatment.
There are many different types of treatment for alcoholism. Generally it is accepted that a respite in residential care is the most effective.
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