Alcohol addiction is a powerful and highly destructive illness. If you’re addicted to alcohol, it’s likely ruining your career, your personal relationships, your finances, and your health. Although you might think that abstaining is merely a matter of mustering your will, detoxing from alcohol can be a painful, miserable experience when it isn’t done with the proper support. More importantly, if you’ve been drinking heavily for quite some time, “going cold turkey” could have disastrous consequences. Unless alcohol withdrawal symptoms are medically managed, they can result in permanent physical damages and even death.
The good news is that the journey to sobriety isn’t difficult to start. Rehab programs that offer medically assisted detox are designed to mitigate and manage the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal from start to finish. When you take part in these programs, your detox will be shorter, easier, and far more comfortable. You’ll also have access to a number of therapies and other services for helping you sleep well, regain your physical health, and maintain general mood balance. Countless studies show that detoxing from alcohol in a managed environment has a higher likelihood of leading to long-term success than does detoxing alone. With professional treatment, you won’t be tempted to relapse when things get hard, and you can make it through the most physically and psychologically challenging parts of detox without feeling overwhelmed or on your own.
Tackling Sobriety One Day at a Time
In addiction recovery, patients are regularly reminded to take each day of their journeys one at a time. Looking too far back or thinking too far ahead can result in unnecessary stress, difficult emotions, and temptation to use. There are no simple, one-off solutions for alcohol addiction. This is a long-term, chronic illness that doesn’t have a known cure. Addiction treatment is all about learning how to manage this illness so that doesn’t take control of your life. In treatment, you can identify the underlying causes of your addiction, develop better coping techniques, and discover how to prevent and manage stress with mindfulness and other all-natural strategies.
Address Alcohol Addiction Directly at Its Source
When people attempt to go cold turkey at home, they’re taking an entirely abstinence-based approach to recovery. With a self-managed, abstinence-based approach, there’s often a tremendous amount of pressure. Remaining sober becomes a matter of sheer will. Unfortunately, no matter how hard people try or how committed they are to getting well, these efforts rarely work. Not only is addiction a chronic, lifelong illness, but it’s also one that can have many underlying causes. For instance, although you may have started drinking to fit in, relax, or feel more confident, you likely continued drinking because getting intoxicated helped you deal with unpleasant emotions. Drinking trigger’s the brain’s reward system so that it floods the body with feel-good chemicals like dopamine. Drinking for long periods of time conditions people to reach for alcohol whenever they feel stressed, depressed, sad, or lonely. In rehab, patients learn new and healthier ways of dealing with challenging circumstances, and painful emotions. It also conditions people to stop expecting the instant relief that drug or alcohol abuse supplies.
During addiction treatment, you may discover that you have a co-occurring mental health disorder. For instance, some people who drink heavily have undiagnosed disorders such as:
- Bipolar disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
During rehab, these issues can be properly identified and treated in a safe, manageable way. By identifying and resolving the causes of your drinking, no matter what they may be, you’ll be setting the stage for a comfortable and successful recovery. More importantly, you won’t have to deal with the tremendous stress and pressure that comes with an abstinence-only approach and having to muster your way through sobriety by sheer will.
Start Planning for a Stable and Successful Life
There are many reasons why the best way to quit drinking is by attending professional rehab. Not only will you have access to medically assisted detox services and therapies for better understanding your addiction, but you’ll also have the opportunity to focus on building your life anew. Counselors in addiction treatment help patients establish solid career and housing plans, and identify resources for resolving any impending legal issues or financial problems that they’re facing. As rehab programs near their end, patients additionally draft clear plans for post-treatment support. Post-treatment support services can include:
- Spending time in a sober living facility
- Joining a support group
- Working with a sober sponsor
- Participating in a relapse prevention program
- Attending regular recovery meetings
This way, whenever you experience temptations or cravings, you won’t have to face them down on your own. Although becoming sober and staying that way isn’t easy, it’s guaranteed to be infinitely more rewarding than continuing to let alcohol rule your life. If you’re ready to get on the path to wellness and need help finding the right treatment environment for your needs, we’ve got you covered. Call us today at (833) 922-2653.
