Alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are health crises that affect millions around the country. These habits can not only wreak havoc on the life of people directly affected, they can ruin their families, and also their communities — alcohol is known to play a role in 1 in 3 crimes. If you are aware of a problem in your relationship with alcohol, the best thing that you can do is to call us right away at Union Drug Rehab Centers. Our alcohol addiction rehab in Union offers some of the most advanced defenses against this condition.
Alcohol addiction is a condition where chronic exposure to the toxic effects of alcohol causes changes both reversible and irreversible. Two effects are seen: they lose the ability to function day-to-day without the presence of alcohol in the system, and loses self-awareness in relation to its consumption of alcohol. The former effect is reversible; the latter is not.
Not everyone who uses alcohol to an excessive degree is addicted. It isn't hard to tell when a person is addicted, however. The following qualities are usually evident:
Often, having people tell you that you have a problem with drinking is a very good indicator of problem alcoholic behavior, as well. A visit to the general practitioner can help establish where you stand. Our alcohol addiction rehab in Union offers patients excellent expertise in this area, as well. Our experts can also help plan and stage a drug intervention in Union.
Since the state of addiction to alcohol involves a certain kind of brain damage, it is recognized by the medical community as a mental disorder, and is treated as such. In most cases, it isn't possible to escape addiction simply through willpower or resolve. Instead, it takes a multi-pronged treatment approach involving intervention with pharmaceutical products, psychiatric therapy and psychological therapy. Many people addicted to alcohol have a preference for taking things into their own hands, however.
Attempting to quit addiction without medical aid and supervision can be a dangerous exercise. Depending on how long the addiction has lasted and how deeply established the habit is, quitting cold turkey can bring up extremely harmful brain disruptions that result in seizures and delirium tremens, among other symptoms. Some research exists to indicate that 5% of those who try such unsupervised processes die in the attempt.
Attempting to quit alcohol in this way does not make sense for another very good reason. Subjecting the brain to seizures, while harmful on its own, also comes with the risk of relapse. When the brain has been subjected to seizures, a mental process known as kindling makes sobriety that much more difficult to maintain over the long term.
Treating any addiction safely and for long-term sobriety requires addressing the two components of addiction adequately: physical addiction and psychological addiction. Many addicts tend to address physical addiction alone. They quickly relapse.
Treating physical addiction: Physical addiction comes from the brain's dependence on the presence of alcohol for everyday function. Since removing alcohol produces dangerous physical reactions, it takes pharmaceutical intervention at an expert detoxification center under medical supervision to proceed safely. In alcohol medical detox in Union, medications ensure that withdrawal symptoms are safely suppressed or prevented. The process lasts between one and two weeks.
Treating psychological addiction: While the intolerable cravings, pain and convulsions of physical addiction pass relatively quickly, the effects of psychological addiction tend to stay, often for decades. Unless fully addressed, psychological addiction can surface unpredictably, and cause recovered addicts to helplessly return to addiction. Among those who do not accept relapse prevention therapy, the relapse rate is as high as 90%.
Relapse prevention in Union includes psychiatric care, cognitive behavioral therapy, twelve-step programs and individual therapy among other programs. These therapeutic approaches help recovered addicts maintain sobriety by giving them the psychological tools that they need to both avoid and resist temptation.
There is no one easy way to find good, scientifically designed rehab programs. Self-education is the only sensible route to take. When you feel that you've learned enough about the addiction and relapse to make good choices, call our center for alcohol addiction rehab in Union at (877) 804-1531. We would be happy to help you.