Over seven percent of American adults need alcohol addiction treatment, according to the latest research. These people suffer alcohol use disorder, meaning they drink too much and too often. They also drink in harmful ways, damaging all aspects of their lives.
Through the right treatment, people with alcohol use disorder can gain lasting recovery. But what is the “right treatment?” How do you know if someone you love needs to enter rehab? These are some of the most common questions about alcohol addiction treatment.
Signs You or Your Loved One Need Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Alcohol provides a legal high for adults over the age of 21. This means the substance is easily available for any adult who wants it. Responsible drinking doesn’t cause problems, but problematic drinking can ruin your life. This proves that just because it’s legal, it doesn’t mean alcohol is safe.
One of the most dangerous drinking behaviors is binge drinking. Binge drinking involves drinking alcohol for the purpose of getting drunk. Binging includes men drinking five or more drinks in two hours, or women drinking four or more alcoholic beverages in the same period.
Binging is easy to see if you know the signs. At almost any bar or party, you can find someone binge drinking. Simply look for people drinking one alcoholic beverage after another. Some places like college campuses include groups who make a sport out of binge drinking.
Other types of negative alcohol use leading to a need for alcohol addiction treatment include:
- Drinking and driving
- Using alcohol throughout each day
- Drinking to feel a buzz, but not necessarily binging
- Seeking alcohol to drink every single day
- Drinking too much alcohol in social situations
- Drinking to feel relaxed, stable, or confident
Problematic drinking is drinking without control. People who engage in any of the above drinking patterns have lost some control over their alcohol consumption. Alcohol influences their lives and behaviors on a regular basis.
Drinking in these ways changes how your brain functions, including changing your brain’s structure and chemistry. This takes even more control away from you, rewiring your brain to need alcohol for normal daily functioning. Once you suffer this dependence on alcohol, you need help from alcohol addiction treatment.
Causes of Alcohol Addiction
People with drinking problems rarely define themselves as addicted to alcohol. It usually takes other people pointing the problem out to them. Eventually, they realize their problem and learn to admit it. Until that time, alcohol addiction sneaks into your life and causes a wide variety of personal, professional and financial problems.
No one intends to become addicted to drinking. For many people, alcohol addiction begins with a mental illness. Drinking takes the edge off of many mental problems, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder and alcohol can be one of the most dangerous combinations.
But the more you drink, the more you need alcohol. Instead of taking the edge off your problems or mental illness, alcohol only feeds your problems. In reality, the symptoms of your mental health condition grow much worse with alcohol.
Besides mental illness, some people have a genetic connection to alcohol addiction. Their parents, grandparents, or others in the family likely suffered addiction before them. Parents drinking and having bad drinking behaviors around their children also influence their children into alcohol abuse. When parents abuse alcohol for stress or mental illness relief, their children often turn to alcohol for the same reasons.
Many reasons for alcohol addiction exist. Your root causes of alcohol addiction are unique to your situation and history. In alcohol treatment, you gain individualized help to end these behaviors and heal the underlying causes of your drinking.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Orange County, CA
Morningside Recovery in Orange County provides family-owned alcohol rehab for adults aged 18 or older. Through residential detox programs in Orange County, rehab, and aftercare at Morningside Recovery, you learn to make better choices every day. Programs of Morningside Recovery include:
- Alcohol detox program in Orange County
- Residential addiction rehab
- Intensive outpatient
- Aftercare
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Evidence-based therapies
- Experiential and holistic therapies
If you or someone you love suffer addiction to alcohol or drugs, call Morningside Recovery now at 855-416-8202 for comprehensive alcohol addiction treatment. With the right help in Orange County, you can gain the life you truly deserve.