Update: Dr. Shannon Crawford helps unlock the power of alcohol abuse and addiction. There is hope for you.
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Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder, is a term that is used for the heavy and frequent consumption of alcohol that leads to a distortion of one’s mental capacity and physical health. Medically, this condition is said to exist when an individual consumes a large amount of alcohol, for a long period of time, and doesn’t have control over its rate and quantity of consumption. Alcohol is intoxicating and has a way of limiting one’s ability to fulfill his/ her responsibilities. In addition, this condition can lead to social problems, abnormal health conditions, risky situations. Some of the risky situations associated with alcoholism include sexual abuse, physical abuse, road traffic accidents and so on. On the other hand, diseases that can occur as a result of the uncontrolled consumption of alcohol include mental imbalance, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, arrhythmia, liver diseases, and a significant increase in the risk of having cancer. In addition, pregnant women, drinking while pregnant exposes the fetus to the risk of developing the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. However, women tend to be more affected by the side effects of alcohol than men.
The side effects and risks associated with alcoholism has made it important for the emergence of treatment centers. According to statistics released by the American National Institute Of Drug Abuse, about 6.8% Americans said they had consumed more than 5 drinks at least five times, in a month. There is clearly a drinking in the society, that has to be tackled. If you have difficulty stopping yourself from drinking, or you find yourself drinking excessively, multiple time a week, then you might have a different problem. Alcohol treatment centers can provide an effective medical support, and treatment. The centers can help you get your drinking habit under control. In addition to this, they also offer inpatient and outpatient treatment. Patients placed on inpatient system are those that have developed an addiction to alcohol, and can’t stop drinking. This kind of patients develops withdrawal symptoms if they don’t drink for a period of time. On the other hand, those given outpatient treatment are those that have a drinking problem but are not yet addicted to it.
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Alcohol Counseling
Alcohol counseling is an integral part of the treatment and management of alcoholism. A counselor will offer guidance and support throughout the journey of rehabilitation. A lot of people find it difficult to stop alcohol addiction by themselves. However, regardless of how long you’ve been drinking, or how bad the dinking situation is. A counselor can carefully help you through it. The most alcohol rehabilitation center makes use of comprehensive recovery plans. This kind of plans to evaluate and treat the patient entirely. This might include both inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation, medication-assisted therapies, counseling sessions, an organization of support groups and so on. This treatment plan might be completed over some few months, while others are prolonged, depending on how responsive the patient is. Alcoholics shouldn’t feel helpless. This medical condition can be treated, especially with the help of a counselor. Below are some of the things a counselor can help with;
- Provide information about alcohol use disorder
- Provide information about the recovery and rehabilitation process.
- Help plan a rehabilitation plan that would be suitable for the patient, and also based on the needs of the patient.
- Help reveal any problems that might be associated with the drinking problems of the patient.
- Provide assistance and support to the patient, to improve and assist the recovery.
- Provide occasional assessments, and help monitor the progress of the patient.
- Give moral and emotional support to the patient, throughout the recovery journey.
How To Choose An Alcohol Counselor?
It’s important to find a counselor you’re comfortable with, before settling for just anybody. The recovery journey is a long one, and an alcoholic need someone he/she can open up to. A counselor can be of immense help in this journey, however, there has to be some good chemistry, trust, and understanding between the two people. However, it’s important to know that a counselor can only guide and support. It’s up to the patient to follow the counselor’s directive and guidance. Patients should take time in searching for alcohol counselors. It’s best to find 3 to 4 counselors that you like, then talk to them, before selecting the right one for you.
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Alcohol Addiction Rehab Treatment Steps
Alcohol rehabilitation usually takes from a month and above. The severe cases could take many months before the patient recovers. Longer duration of treatment is usually recommended for those with bad conditions. The longer the period of stay, the more the effective the treatment. Below are the steps involved in rehabilitation;
- Evaluation: This is the first step, and it involves the psychological and medical evaluation of the patient. Patients must open up to the doctor and counselor about their habits, and how much alcohol they consume. The provided information will be used to create a plan for the patient.
- Detoxification: This is the process whereby the patient’s body is forced to be used to not drinking. Patients are fed, given medications that would help with any form of withdrawal.
- Therapy: Patients are placed in support groups, where they can share information, on how they’ve been coping. Patients do feel comfortable, and they open up about their struggles. Some rehab centers also offer personal therapy.
Depression and Alcohol
There is a link between depression and alcoholism. It has been observed that those affected by depression, also have a drinking problem. In most cases, the depression comes first, before alcoholism. In addition, it has been noted that teenagers affected by depression, tend to have alcohol problems as they grow. Alcohol is a depressant. Therefore, drinking a large quantity of alcohol for a long time can lead to depression.
Is Alcohol Ruining Your Marriage?
Alcohol intoxicates people, and make them behave irrationally. This is a bad recipe for marriage. Considering how difficult it is to manage someone who’s always not in the right state of mind, due to excessive alcohol consumption.
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References
Ekendahl, M. (2000). Book Review: Is compulsory treatment effective? Is compulsory treatment effective?GerdnerArne: Compulsory treatment for alcohol use disorders. Clinical and methodological studies of treatment outcome. Department of Clinical Alcohol Research, Lund University, Lund 1998. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 17(1_suppl), pp.122-126.
Lemke, S. and Moos, R. (2003). Treatment and outcomes of older patients with alcohol use disorders in community residential programs. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64(2), pp.219-226.
McMurran, M. (2017). Treatment of alcohol-related violence: Integrating evidence from general violence and IPV treatment research. Drug and Alcohol Review, 36(1), pp.13-16.
