Alcohol Abuse Treatment - Alcohol Rehab Directory

California

Alcohol abuse in California is often influenced by peer pressure is most common in people aged between 15 and 24 years. However, most of the influence of peers is due to inaccurate perceptions of the risks of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse in California and nationwide is associated with disabilities and death, accidents, fights, driving offenses and unprotected sex. Alcohol is responsible in the world for 1.8 million deaths and results in disability in approximately 58.3 million people. Approximately 40 percent of the 58.3 million people disabled through alcohol abuse are disabled due to alcohol related neuropsychiatric disorders. Due to increased unsafe sex associated with alcohol, there is a doubling of the risk of HIV infection in alcohol abusers. Additionally alcohol abuse increases the risk of individuals either being the victim of sexual violence or being the perpetrator of sexual violence.

Alcohol abuse and dependence frequently go hand in hand with other mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, and bipolar disorder. In many cases, the alcohol use is an attempt to self-medicate. When these problems co-occur, recovery depends on treating them both.

As you seek help through alcohol abuse treatment, it is also important to get care for any other medical or psychological issues you are experiencing. Your best chance of California alcohol abuse treatment recovery is through integrated treatment for both the alcohol abuse problem and the mental health problem. This means getting combined mental health and addiction treatment from the same alcohol abuse treatment provider or team.

Once enrolled in a California alcohol abuse treatment program, it is very likely you will go though alcohol withdrawal.  Alcohol detox is intended to relieve physical symptoms of withdrawal such as:

• Shaking or tremors
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Sweating
• Restlessness
• Loss of appetite
• Sleeplessness
• Delirium Tremens (DT’s)
• Hyperactivity
• Convulsions

Some alcohol detox professionals believe the withdrawal phase is related closely to one’s alcohol addiction - the worse the withdrawal, the more likely the continued use of the substance to prevent withdrawal. Numerous factors are key to a successful alcohol detox:

• Acknowledge that there is a problem and decide to do something about it.
• Get rid of all the alcohol, drugs and paraphernalia.
• Drop friends and associates that are tied to your alcohol problem.
• Seek and accept spousal support, or support from friends, or relatives.
• Prepare for symptoms with the support of an alcohol detox and rehab professional.
• If tranquilizer drugs are needed for a few days or longer, they must be handled sensitively, as one addiction can easily replace another.

Recovery from alcohol abuse requires that you repair relationships damaged through years of drinking and taking drugs. There may be feelings of shame and self-hatred. You may have to give up the "addict mentality" that is suspicious, secretive, manipulative, and self-centered. Making a recovery from alcoholism often means entering into alcohol rehab once one’s detox program has been completed.

Here are a few vital points about alcohol rehab and addiction recovery:

• Remaining in a California alcohol rehab for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness. The appropriate duration for an individual depends on his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about three months in alcohol rehab. After this threshold is reached, additional treatment can produce further progress toward recovery. Because people often leave rehab prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.
• Counseling (individual and/or group) and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective alcohol rehab. In therapy, patients address issues of motivation, build skills to resist alcohol and drug use, replace alcohol and drug using activities with constructive and rewarding nondrug-using activities, and improve problem-solving abilities. Behavioral therapy also facilitates interpersonal relationships and the individual's ability to function in the family and community.