Alcohol Addiction Rehab Treatment & Therapy Recovery Center in Los Angeles, California

Alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are not the same things. If someone is addicted to alcohol, they have both a physical and psychological dependence on it. As with other addictive substances, they build up a tolerance to it, meaning that it consistently takes more alcohol to achieve the effects they are used to.

If someone who is addicted to alcohol stops drinking, they experience withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Most will continue to drink despite the negative impact it has on nearly every aspect of their life.

Alcohol abusers may not drink consistently, but when they do, they drink enough to cause problems for themselves and others, such as:

• Poor decision making
• Risky behavior
• Drinking to the point of sickness
• Alcohol poisoning

Someone who abuses alcohol is usually a heavy drinker, but not necessarily a frequent drinker, who continues to consume the substance even when it negatively affects them.

There is a fine line between casual drinking and addiction – so fine that people who abuse alcohol or drink daily often become addicted. Some of the signs of alcohol addiction include:

• Once they start drinking, they can’t stop.
• They recognize that they need to cut back or stop altogether.
• They’ve tried to stop drinking but experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
• Friends and family have voiced concerns about their drinking.
• They feel guilty or try to hide their drinking.
• They experience blackouts or memory lapses when drinking.
• Alcohol is affecting their job, family, and relationships.
• They have health issues due to overconsumption of alcohol.

Here’s a typical scenario when an addiction is likely developing:

Someone is acting strange, and loved ones can’t quite put their finger on it. Recently, they stopped affiliating with the usual people. Their hours at work have changed, keeping them away from home more often. When they are home, they demand to be by themselves, taking long periods of time in the bathroom, locked away in a study, or sleeping in the bedroom. None of their normal activities seem to interest them, and when others bring that up, they don’t seem to care.

As concerns grow, loved ones ask more questions, which infuriates them. They argue about being entitled to privacy about how they spend their time. Small quirks and behaviors lead their family and friends to believe they are unwell. They seem sick more often and are constantly tired, exhausted, sniffling, and falling asleep during untimely moments. Also, they frequently visit doctors and pharmacies or are just “out” during these times.

Increasingly, people feel like they are being pushed out of their loved one’s life by an imaginary wall they cannot see. Sadly, the wall is addiction. These personality and lifestyle changes are signs that a loved one might be abusing drugs or alcohol, and it’s having a negatively destructive impact on their life.

What to do if a Loved One Shows these signs?

When alcohol addiction starts to spiral out of control, it is a mirror for shame spiraling out of control. The more painful shame someone feels for being out of control, the more out of control they will become. Rather than push someone further away, approach with caution, love, and honesty – and follow these tips:

• Try not to judge, criticize or punish a loved one for what they’ve been doing. Why they’ve developed an addiction has little to do with others. In treatment, they will spend copious amounts of time investigating the underlying causes of their addiction.
• Confront the situation with honesty and love, as with any other issue in their life. No one can fix or stop their addiction for them. This is the time to use statements such as, “I love you,” “I know what’s going on,” and, “We are going to find help.”
• Expect resistance and hysteria in the name of addiction. The erratic behaviors are efforts to protect their addiction by hiding the truth and pushing their delusional reality that they need drugs or alcohol and can manage it.
• If a loved one says they are ready for help, be prepared to help. Before confronting the loved one, call insurance to find out about their behavioral health coverage. Make a list of desirable treatment facilities, and if necessary, make the choice for a loved one.

When someone realizes they are addicted to alcohol, it is scary to open up to friends. These are four of the most common reactions someone is likely to experience:

They Already Knew 

True friends will recognize when a friend isn’t being themself. Rather than telling friends that they were having a problem, their friends were telling them. After what might have been months or even years of friends encouraging them to get help, they are finally seeking treatment.

They Had No Idea 

Alcoholism can be well hidden. Studies have revealed that most Americans are unaware of how much they drink, as well as how much they are supposed to drink. Someone may catch many friends
by surprise with news of their alcoholism. Some weren’t sure how bad the problem might be. Yet, because they are friends, they encourage them to keep recovering and staying sober.

They Don’t Think There is a Problem.

OWhen someone openly tells their friends it is a major step in recovery. Vulnerable, honest, and raw, it’s a moment of heightened emotional sensitivity. How their friends react will leave a lasting imprint on their recovery.

Damaging responses in this situation would sound like this:

• “You’re not an alcoholic.”
• “You don’t look like an alcoholic.”
• “You don’t act like an alcoholic.”
• “You can’t be an alcoholic.”

Typically, when people are in denial of a friend’s problem with alcohol, they are masking a problem of their own. Don’t look at these friends to give  the love, support, and inspiration needed throughout time in treatment or for the rest of sober living.

You Don’t Have Friends Anymore

The ultimate mark of alcoholism is having only alcoholic friends. Regulars at the bar start to feel like family when they are all you have. When you finally get sober, you might find that those “friends” don’t want to talk to you, hang out with you or be around you anymore. If you aren’t drinking, how could they be around you?

The party isn’t over when you get sober. You’re about to have more fun than you’ve probably had in a long time. Though drinking and drug use can be and usually is fun for a while, it isn’t so fun when full chemical dependency takes over. Withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and perpetual sickness aren’t much of a party.

Making the most out of a social occasion isn’t so hard to do when drugs and alcohol aren’t involved. It is always a good idea to avoid places that may trigger the urge to drink and cause a relapse. If someone must attend a social function where alcohol is available, it could help to have a supportive friend or family member tag along 

Here at Harmony Place, we understand that struggles with alcohol often co-occur with mental health disorders. We’ve found that many individuals with mental disorders go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to their need to self-medicate. Because alcohol is so accessible, it is the first choice for many who are suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.

Common mental health conditions found in conjunction with alcohol abuse include:

• Depression (all forms, including bipolar disorder and dysthymia)
• Anxiety (including panic disorders)
• Trauma Issues (including PTSD)
• Eating Disorders (especially binge eating; we have an eating disorder specialist on staff)
• Phobias
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Though widely misunderstood, it is not often the alcohol itself that causes alcoholism. Of course, alcohol does play a large role. However, it is not the only contributing factor. Numerous underlying issues of genetics, psychology, and environment are at play as well.

Alcoholism Is Hereditary

Some are predisposed to alcoholism. There is a genetic reason as to why one person can drink alcohol without getting addicted while others can’t. Therefore, a normal drinker can even get excessively drunk and still return to a state of normalcy. While an alcoholic will seek to get drunk over and over.

Alcoholism is considered a mental health disorder, albeit one that affects the body directly, as well. Parents with a mental health disorder create four times the likelihood in their offspring.

Alcoholism Is A (Poor) Coping Mechanism

Alcoholism is a commonly listed side effect of many mental health disorders and conditions, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and trauma. Coping mechanisms are born from a lack of information on handling one’s emotions.

Often, mental health diagnoses go undiagnosed, leaving someone lost in their disorder without direction. Whether trying to not feel as much, to feel more, to fit in, to forget, or to remember, alcohol serves a purpose to those who abuse it. Unfortunately, alcoholism is not a medication and is not a sustainable coping mechanism. After the intoxication wears off, the problems still remain, often worse.

Alcoholism Is a Social Activity

Social drinking can quickly turn into problem drinking, though there are usually underlying issues. Typically, if one is consistently involved in an environment of alcohol and excessive drinking, the trend is likely to catch on. So, what starts as an innocent attempt to fit in can become a problem later.

Let’s go into a little detail on four of the top benefits of ceasing alcohol abuse for good:

The Body Will Change

Alcoholism affects the mind, body, and spirit. Physically, alcohol can affect the body in many different ways. Metabolism changes, improved skin, and even the way someone looks to other people changes. It will be hard f to see it at first. Trust that it will be there.

You Will Think More Clearly

Cognitive functions are severely damaged during alcohol abuse.  Short-term memory is affected, and people have difficulty processing new information. As time goes on and someone stays sober, they can perform simple cognitive tasks.

Over long periods, the brain heals itself. By teaching the brain new skills, it grows stronger.

You Will Improve Your Immune System

Studies have found that one’s immune system is significantly lowered after an episode of binge drinking. Also, someone is more likely to experience a heart attack or stroke in the week following problem drinking. If a person is getting intoxicated consistently, they are at a higher risk.

Building up the immune system is much easier when someone isn’t dousing it with the chemicals used to produce alcohol as well as the high levels of sugar naturally produced in the process of creating alcohol.

You Will Find Happiness

Most importantly, people will find happiness that they’ve never known before. Feeling peaceful and serene, life will start to take on new meaning. As the brain continues to heal, it will open up new channels of memories to come through. Clearing out the blockages for fresh space and cleaning brain tissue is part of recovery.

All areas of wellness are compromised by the chronic and abusive presence of mind-altering substances. Chemically, drugs and alcohol change the way a person handles and relates to emotions. In early recovery (the first six months), learning to feel, live with feeling, and cope with emotions is both a challenge and a focus in treatment.

Emotions are a “new again” experience in recovery. Consequently, prolonged drug and alcohol use means men and women have gone many years without fully connecting to their emotional selves or being emotionally well.

Inhibitors to Emotional Wellness

Drug and alcohol abuse in adolescence halts emotional development. Some say that the age you started abusing drugs and alcohol is the age at which you essentially stopped developing. Therefore, most adults who come to treatment are emotionally immature and lacking in emotional wellness because their brains could not mature.

So, they are unable to identify what their true emotions are as they are experiencing them. Commonly, addicts and alcoholics grow up in homes where emotions are not well defined, are stale and unavailable, or are used as abuse tools.

Embracing Emotional Wellness

Embracing feelings and being emotionally well are two of the most critical components in addiction recovery. Too many people relapse because their emotions start to come up again. Without any tools or emotional maturity to handle the feelings, people run away from them and react in the way their brain has been trained to react: seeking and using drugs and alcohol.

Ultimately, the reason many feelings seem overwhelming and intimidating is that the brain has lost its endurance in regulating emotion. Addicts and alcoholics in recovery often cannot embrace emotional regulation and understand the learning process. Finally, emotional wellness takes time and practice to make the feelings less severe, less out of control, and more manageable.

Relapse is unfortunately common during recovery from alcohol addiction. Studies show that relapse rates can be as high as 60% in the first year of sobriety. This is because recovery is challenging and triggers or cravings can arise anytime.

The risk of relapse is highest during the early stages of recovery when withdrawal symptoms are most severe. However, the risk does not disappear after the initial detox period and people in recovery must remain vigilant against triggers for a long time.

Some of the common triggers that can increase the risk of relapse include:

• Stress from work, relationships, or finances can lead to cravings for alcohol to cope
• Hanging out with drinking buddies or in environments where alcohol is present
• Anniversaries of drinking events or trauma can bring up unpleasant memories and cravings
• Not having a strong support system or recovery plan in place to help deal with triggers and cravings

The more a person in recovery is aware of these potential triggers and has strategies to manage them, the lower the risk of relapse. Staying committed to sobriety, attending support groups and counseling, and making lifestyle changes can all help reduce the risk of relapse on the journey to long-term recovery from alcohol addiction.

Detoxing from alcohol addiction should always be done in a professional setting. Here, a licensed team can monitor symptoms and respond accordingly. Above all, we don’t recommend doing self-detox because alcohol is one of the few addictions that can lead to fatal withdrawal symptoms.

A professional team will be able to assess the severity of someone’s alcohol dependence. Then, administer supplements and possibly medication to help manage the withdrawal symptoms. It’s a process much too dangerous and complex to attempt at home or alone.

Medications are commonly used as part of a comprehensive treatment program for alcohol addiction. Medications work by reducing cravings or negative effects from alcohol withdrawal. Some of the most common medications for alcohol addiction include:

– Naltrexone: Blocks the effects of alcohol and reduces cravings. A person takes it daily as a pill or monthly injection.

– Acamprosate: Reduces cravings by affecting chemicals in the brain that regulate mood and stress responses. It’s taken three times a day as a pill.

– Disulfiram: Causes unpleasant effects like nausea and headaches when combined with alcohol. This drug deters drinking by making the effects of alcohol very unpleasant. It’s taken daily as a pill.

Medications are most effective when combined with counseling and behavioral therapies to address the root causes of addiction.  In addition, they should develop coping strategies for sobriety. Also, the specific medication and dosage are determined based on a person’s health, alcohol use history, and other factors. Close monitoring and adjustment of the treatment plan are often needed to ensure the best outcomes. Harmony Place offers safe and comfortable alcohol rehab in Los Angeles.