Alcoholism
Alcoholism is typically used interchangeably with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse typically leads to alcohol dependency, which is the precursor to alcoholism. Alcoholism is characterized by a set of addictive behavior patterns that are persisted in over time in spite of increasingly negative consequences.
Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease that is fatal if left untreated. While the common stereotype of someone with alcoholism is that of a tottering street person with a brown paper bag, alcoholism crosses all barriers and afflicts every socioeconomic class from the homeless to the hard-working professional to the high profile celebrity. Alcohol treatment has varying degrees of success because the success of alcohol treatment ultimately depends upon the individual’s willingness to receive help.
The Nature of Alcoholism
The nature of alcoholism dictates that most people have difficulty arresting it without professional help. Typically by the time people cross the line from alcohol dependency into alcoholism, they’ve lost the ability to control their drinking no matter how hard they try. Alcoholism is an obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body. One drink sets off an intense craving that can only be satisfied with more alcohol. Alcohol becomes more important than maintaining school or work responsibilities, relationships and even personal appearance. The major symptom of alcoholism is denial, which means the individual will defend their drinking in spite of continued negative and often devastating consequences.
Someone who is struggling with alcoholism is physically and psychologically dependent upon alcohol and will suffer withdrawal symptoms when it leaves their system. Some of these symptoms can be quite severe, resulting in anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, insomnia, night terrors, night sweats and even convulsions. At this stage of alcohol dependency, people may hide how much they actually drink or have bottles hidden to ensure they always have “enough”. Not all people with alcoholism drink daily or to the point of intoxication. Some may maintain a constant level in their system and still manage to function to the point of holding down a job. Others may binge-drink and white-knuckle through the withdrawal symptoms only to pick up again as soon as certain responsibilities have been met.
The question that needs to be addressed is whether drinking is resulting in negative consequences in your life. If you are struggling with alcoholism, your relationships, your education, your work and work opportunities, and your ability to live a happy, productive life will all be affected – most likely all of them already are.
Alcoholism affects everyone differently and this is why alcohol treatment needs to be tailored to each individual. At SouthCoast Recovery, this is how our alcohol treatment program is designed. Every person who enters our doors receives a clinical evaluation to determine alcohol and drug history, family dynamics, health concerns and any underlying emotional issues or chemical imbalance that may be contributing to alcoholism. From this, we tailor a personalized alcohol treatment plan that combines the finest medical and clinical care with advanced holistic treatments and innovative workshops for mind, body and spirit renewal.
We offer state-licensed, medically safe and comfortable alcohol detox to ease you through the withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholism is progressive and it will only get worse – not better. Don’t wait until it’s too late! We have 24 hour intake coordinators who can answer any questions you may have about alcoholism and our alcohol treatment program. Call today!
