April is Alcohol Awareness Month: Prevention Alcohol Abuse with Treatment
Alcoholism is a silent monster that hunts millions of people around the world.
A big part of supporting the victims and raising awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse is through April alcohol awareness month. The program initially targeted educating teenagers and college-aged youth about the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse. However, with the knowledge that alcoholism spreads across different age groups, it is important to spread large-scale awareness and share the role of rehab centers in alcohol treatment.
If you are consuming alcohol a lot frequently, this blog will help you determine if you have developed alcohol dependency and how it can impact your health and social relations. We’ll further share treatment options to beat the addiction and route back to a healthy and rewarding life – let’s dive in.
Factors to Determine the Person is Abusing Alcohol
The symptoms of alcohol addiction are often mild, unlike other hard drugs where you can tell the person is addicted just by looking at the flushed color of their skin or bloodshot eyes. However, when abused, alcohol creeps into your system, slowly killing your vital organs, including your heart, liver, and your digestive system. This, in return, leads to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems, including liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer.
That said, let’s look at the factors that determine whether a person is abusing alcohol:
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms When Not Drinking
Withdrawal symptoms are one of the quickest ways to know that an individual needs to seek professional rehab ASAP. You are experiencing the symptoms because your body system entirely depends on alcohol to function well.
Most people, after failing to make a stop at the bar, will have trouble sleeping, holding objects without their hands shaking, excessive sweating, and nausea, which leads to vomiting. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
It gets worse for individuals who are severely addicted. They experience more dangerous symptoms like delirium tremens, which are characterized by confusion. The April alcohol awareness month makes a significant difference as individuals can easily access information on such early symptoms.
Poor Judgement and Destructive Behavior
Most of us have seen this warning on alcohol containers: “Excessive consumption of alcohol may lead to impaired judgment,” or perhaps “Don’t drink and drive.” Sadly, that’s precisely what happens if you take excessive alcohol for a long time.
When intoxicated, you make poor decisions, like increasing your speed while driving on a highway, resulting in fatal accidents that may take away innocent lives. Moreover, alcohol abuse can lead to aggression, which can result in injuries to your loved ones or those around you. If you have such episodes, you could benefit from addiction treatments, including medical detox, just to get rid of the substance.
Regular Blackouts When Drinking
If you are always blacking out every time you drink, it’s time to look for a rehab facility and hit that stop button on alcohol consumption. While your party friends may have already made fun of it, calling you a lightweight, this isn’t the case.
A blackout means that you are drinking more than your body can handle. Yeah, that’s how bad it is. Blacking out limits your ability to create new memories. When your brain is in such a state, you are at a higher risk of succumbing to injuries, especially when your senses are not enlightened in the surrounding environment.
Poor Grades or Poor Performance at School
We all know that the aftermath of alcohol consumption is negative, from hangovers and vomiting to severe headaches. When your body is experiencing such side effects, it becomes hard to focus or even concentrate on finishing pending tasks.
Individuals suffering from alcohol abuse will display low concentration, which eventually leads to poor work performance. The same applies to students; if you can’t focus on finishing that pending essay or you are too hungover to get to that 9 am class, your grades will eventually drop.
Common Health Problems Associated With Alcohol Consumption
While healthy problems are long-term effects of alcohol abuse, that doesn’t mean that going to a rehab facility won’t make a difference. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver damage, anemia, various types of cancer, and brain and nervous system problems.
Now, if you take the April alcohol awareness month lightly and fail to seek medical support, these symptoms will worsen, leading to death or severe mental health problems like dementia, depression, and anxiety.
Hiding Alcohol Addiction From Loved Ones
Locking yourself in the room just to take a sip of beer or hiding those empty bottles when you are expecting someone is a clear indication that you are struggling with alcohol addiction. Also, lying about the amount of alcohol you take or avoiding social situations where your drinking will be noticed is a sign that you need professional help.
Failed Attempts to Beat the Addiction
Trying to beat the addiction alone is usually the last resort for people suffering from alcohol abuse. You will feel the urge to avoid using that street that leads to the liquor store, but eventually, you will find yourself there. Not to beat yourself up for this; it’s a sign that there is still hope to regain your sobriety.
Battling with alcohol addiction alone can be overwhelming and draining; you need professional help and, most importantly, a support system that encourages you to take control of your life.
The Effects of Alcohol on Your Social Life, Family, and Overall Health
High Risk of Aggression, Injuries, and Accidents
While alcohol is always deemed as a social lubricant, it can cause pain and suffering to those around you. Excessive alcohol consumption depresses the central nervous system, leading to impaired judgment. Moreover, your entire body loses coordination, concentration, and focus. This, in turn, makes it difficult for you to defend yourself in the event of an emergency, make sound decisions, or control your behavior.
Uncontrolled aggression can also put a risk to those around you. You may be prone to violence, accidentally hitting or inflicting other forms of injuries, including sexual assault. A 2018 study estimated that between 50-70 percent of sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption by either the victim or offender.
Financial Problems
As mentioned earlier, the side effects of alcohol abuse include a decrease in concentration. Poor concentration always adds up to poor work performance. When this is the case, it’s hard to find or sustain employment. Victims end up losing their jobs, and the repercussions are bankruptcy.
There is more; the loss of employment also negatively affects family and friends as the victim engages in poor behavior, like stealing to buy a bottle of alcohol, which could lead to increased legal expenses. Not to mention the medical costs too.
Family Issues and Relationship Problems
Alcohol abuse can destroy meaningful relationships and family ties. There have been many cases of divorce, especially when the partner is addicted to alcohol. Also, alcohol-related aggression potentially leads to domestic violence, which can negatively impact a marriage or a romantic relationship.
Kids, too, can be negatively affected by a parent’s alcoholism. Children learn by observing their surroundings and those around them. If a child grows up watching you get drunk till you can’t feel yourself, there is a high chance they will likely copy this behavior from you and are likely to indulge in alcohol abuse once they grow up. Further, they may also develop emotional and psychological problems if your alcoholism leads you to be absent in their lives.
Treating Alcohol Dependence – Role of Alcohol Abuse Treatment Centers
It’s evident that there are grave consequences of alcohol addiction. Its long-term misuse can impact your personal and professional life, making you feel isolated, lost, and unhealthy.
The good news is that such fatal damages can be avoided if you seek professional help. Most substance abuse rehab facilities offer a comprehensive range of treatment options that integrate therapy and evidence-based approaches. The most general treatment method includes the following;
- Outpatient Care: If you still want to have control over work or school life during your journey to battling addiction, then there is a medical treatment option you can get in most rehab facilities. The outpatient program allows individuals suffering from alcohol rehab to get the treatment needed during the day and manage other aspects of their lives at night.
- Inpatient Care: Inpatient care is mostly suited for individuals with a high severity of alcohol abuse, meaning they can’t manage to go a day or two without it. The program involves an intensive level of treatment care, from medical detox to medical-assisted treatments, which combine approved medication with counseling and behavioral therapies.
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Dual diagnostic treatment is mainly offered to individuals who have an underlying mental condition and still suffer from alcohol abuse. So, this type of treatment program will seek to address the individual’s mental health condition and addiction.
Start your Recovery Journey with Stillwater Wellness
As we continue to raise awareness on April alcohol awareness month, let’s not forget the side effects of alcohol abuse can negatively affect an individual’s life. It’s never too late to take that turning point.
At Still Water Wellness, we await you with warm, open hands, ready to provide you with the best care possible. We offer a comprehensive range of treatment plans, from intensive outpatient programs to intensive inpatient programs. With a skilled, committed team, we will help you attain a happy and sober life. Contact us today for admissions or more information.