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But that advice changes if you’re living with alcohol use disorder. Alcohol abuse and addiction doesn’t just affect the person drinking—it affects their families and loved ones, too. Watching a family member struggle with a drinking problem can be as heartbreakingly painful as it is frustrating. But while you can’t do the hard work of overcoming addiction for your loved one, your love and support can play a crucial part in their long-term recovery. While getting sober is an important first step, it is only the beginning of your recovery from alcohol addiction or heavy drinking. Always think about the
benefits of quitting alcohol and how they will improve your life.
- Your health care provider or mental health provider will ask additional questions based on your responses, symptoms and needs.
- There may be medications that can ease the process for you and increase your chances of success.
- Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation.
It is vital to realize each person’s situation is unique and influenced by many factors. When asked how alcohol problems are treated, people commonly think of 12-step programs or 28-day inpatient rehab but may have difficulty naming other options. In fact, there are a variety of treatment methods currently available, thanks to significant advances in the field over the past 60 years. Therapy can help you understand why you drink and learn new habits so you can live a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t rely on alcohol as a crutch. It can also help you gain a new perspective as you consider how your life will change without alcohol.
Change your environment
Fear of cancer is a good reason why one might want to reduce their alcohol intake, but that’s only half of the story. The second prong of attack focuses on how to minimize drinking. According to the research, simply counting your drinks honestly and consistently is a powerful how-to strategy. The first thing you have to do is take a step back and evaluate your habits.
- Preparing and anticipating questions will help you make the most of your appointment time.
- Addiction psychiatrist Akhil Anand, MD, offers these tips to help you persevere.
- Among the features of ReviveAR, the app offers access to live written and audio instructions on administering the life-saving drug, Naloxone, if someone around you is experiencing an overdose.
- Working to stop alcohol use to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal.
People often need to address past trauma or familial issues during this time. While the abstinence stage of withdrawal causes mostly physical symptoms, post-acute withdrawal is very psychological and emotional. During this stage, most people focus their energy on coping with cravings and resisting the urge to drink.
Groups for family and friends
If you are developing your own symptoms of depression or anxiety, think about seeking professional help for yourself. Remember that your loved one is ultimately responsible for managing his or her illness. If your body is used to a certain amount of alcohol, you may feel certain effects when you stop. How you feel when you stop drinking is largely based on how often and how heavily you drink.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns. The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain. Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors. Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
Help for Alcoholics: Where to Find Sobriety Resources
People with alcohol use disorder can’t stop drinking even when it causes problems, like emotional distress or physical harm to themselves or others. That said, If you’ve been drinking excessively, then stopping drinking cold turkey can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Cravings for alcohol can be intense, particularly in the first six months after you quit drinking. Good alcohol treatment prepares you for these challenges, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ helping you develop new coping skills to deal with stressful situations, alcohol cravings, and social pressure to drink. Support can come from family members, friends, counselors, other recovering alcoholics, your healthcare providers, and people from your faith community. Most people with alcohol problems do not decide to make a big change out of the blue or transform their drinking habits overnight.
You have the greatest chance of success if you adopt all five steps. This article discusses what you will need to do to overcome an addiction and offers tips that can help. It also covers the symptoms of withdrawal that you might experience and some of the effective treatment options that are available. Instead, these are groups of people who have alcohol use disorder. Examples include Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and other programs.
What to expect from your doctor
As we fall in love, we experience a rush of dopamine, adrenaline, oxytocin and serotonin. This triggers feelings of happiness, euphoria and a drive for relentlessly pursuing one’s partner, who elicits this chemical cocktail. Intense passion that overshadows one’s sense of self can indicate love addiction. It involves constantly craving the feelings of euphoria and joy that come from connecting romantically with someone new, regardless of their suitability or availability. In some people, the initial reaction may feel like an increase in energy. But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions.
If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option. Through therapy, support groups and medication, you’ll be supported on your path to recovery. Talk therapy is an important part of treatment for alcohol use disorder, but Dr. Streem says just about anyone who is making a life change, like quitting drinking, can benefit from therapy. Talk with a healthcare professional if you’re concerned you may experience detox symptoms when quitting drinking or cutting back.
Cutting back on alcohol is a popular New Year’s resolution — and studies show that about 25% of people who commit to giving up drinking each year are successful in the long term. If you want to end up in that 25%, it’s important to identify why you’re drinking in the first place. You should also surround yourself with people who will help you quit and celebrate your wins along the way. Whether you’re trying to quit drinking entirely or just cut back, these simple tips will help you achieve your goal. Around 40% to 60% of people working to overcome a substance use disorder will relapse at some point. However, it is important to recognize that this rate is comparable to relapse rates for other chronic health conditions such as hypertension and asthma.
If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer. A support group such as Al-Anon Family Groups may also be a helpful source of support when you have someone in your life with a drinking problem. The group can give you a place to get social support and encouragement from others going through a similar situation. For example, if your loved one passes out in the yard and you carefully help them into the house and into bed, only you feel the pain.
It may also help to think about the negatives
that alcohol causes. With a realistic strategy, support and faith, you can quit drinking and begin
alcohol recovery. The app store on your cellphone has several sobriety apps that can inspire you to quit drinking and stay sober.