Alcohol Addiction in Howell, NJ
Of all the addictive substances that people use, alcohol is the most common. Alcohol may technically count as less dangerous when compared to street drugs. At the leading alcohol addiction rehab in Howell, NJ, however, our experts see each day that it proves to be just as great a threat in the real world.
The challenge with alcohol, even though it is a drug, is that its use comes with social acceptance. While you may not be able to shoot drugs or sniff glue at an office party, for example, you could drink glass after glass until you pass out. The fact that heavy drinking often makes people seem fun to be around, makes even an excessive fondness of alcohol easy to pass off as normal behavior.
What is Alcohol Addiction?
If you have seen the way you consume alcohol to lead to problems in your own life, and yet, you have found it hard to bring under control, it's safe to say that you are at risk of addiction. There are other ways to define or understand addiction, as well.
If you have tried alcohol addiction recovery on your own in the past, but have had to abandon your plans due to the emergence of tremors, cramps or even seizures, it's a sign. Your body and brain have clearly become so accustomed to the unhealthy influence of alcohol that they are no longer able to function normally without it.
It's also possible to define alcohol addiction in terms of level of use. While everyone responds to alcohol differently, experts are of the opinion that a person who knocks back as many as 14 12-ounce beers in a week or who drinks 5 or more 1 ½ oz. shots of hard liquor at one sitting, is either close to addiction or is already addicted.
Looking for physical symptoms of addiction can help, as well. If you are addicted to alcohol, you will experience one or more of these symptoms:
- You seem to spend a lot of time either drinking alcoholic beverages or recovering from its effects.
- You often end up drinking more than you planned to.
- You often find yourself drinking alone.
- Drinking seems to have replaced many of the activities that you used to take part in.
- You've experienced an improvement in your ability to hold your liquor, but are aware of memory blackouts at times, when you've had too much.
- You've been in trouble with the law as a result of your drinking.
- You tend to become irritable when you haven't had a chance to have a drink.
Difficulty functioning well at home or at work as a result of alcohol abuse, could certainly point to a state of addictiveness. Experts at our alcohol addiction rehab in Howell find, however, that ability to function at a high level, alone, is no assurance of a healthy relationship with alcohol. Many people who abuse alcohol are able to keep up. If you can check off one or more of the symptoms in the list above, you should be concerned.
The Dangers of Alcohol
It can be hard to understand how dangerous excessive alcohol use is without access to hard facts. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism released the following statistics in January 2017, on the level of the loss that excessive alcohol use causes to communities in this country.
Close to 2,000 adult college students die each year from drunken-driving, half a million are assaulted by drunken college students, 100,000 experience abuse during dates, and 25% of all college students report alcohol-related reasons for poor academic performance. More than 30,000 people die of alcohol-related liver disease each year. The World Health Organization reports alcohol as the primary cause in over 200 diseases seen at hospitals. In percentage terms, more than 5% of all diseases and injuries treated are attributable to alcohol abuse.
Understanding how often alcohol is able to ruin lives can help you gain appreciation for what your own habit may do to your health. Our drug detox centers in Howell will make sure that the detox process is both safe and comfortable for the patient. Because alcohol withdrawal is so dangerous, we will monitor the patient 24/7 and ease the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol addiction.
Why Should I Enter an Alcohol Addiction Rehab in Howell?
It can be very hard to admit, sometimes even to yourself, that you're having trouble keeping your use of alcohol under control. To admit it can feel as if you've failed, somehow. It's important to understand, however, addiction to alcohol isn't weakness or failure. It is, in fact, a psychiatric condition that is recognized as such.
Even if you are strong enough to admit to yourself that you need to make changes, it can be tempting to try to retain control over your own life, and attempt to get better yourself. Addiction being a clinical disorder, however, quitting is not about willpower. The causes of alcoholism are outside of conscious control.
There is another pertinent reason why people need professional alcohol addiction treatment to alter their relationship with alcohol — it is dangerous to attempt to quit on your own. Dependence on alcohol changes the way the brain functions. Attempting to withdraw can send both the brain and the body into shock.
Not only are the pain, discomfort, seizures and tremors difficult to take, they are able to cause permanent injury or even death. It takes close professional oversight at an alcohol addiction facility to gently, painlessly and safely exit alcohol addiction. There is no more reason to attempt do it yourself than there is to attempt surgery on yourself in order to "retain control."
We would love for you to visit our alcohol addiction rehab in Howell, simply to be able to talk to an addiction expert about what addiction is, and why it's important to seek professional intervention. You will learn a great deal about how alcohol affects the brain, the mind and the way you think. You will also gain an appreciation of how best to use modern medical science to get back to the life that you hope for.
If you or your loved one is suffering from alcohol addiction, then don't hesitate to learn more about our alcohol addiction rehab in Howell, NJ. Call Howell Drug Rehab Centers at (877) 804-1531 to speak with an addiction specialist now.