If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider. Other ways to get help include talking with a mental health professional or seeking help from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar type of self-help group. A common initial treatment option for someone with an alcohol addiction is an outpatient or inpatient rehabilitation program. It can help someone handle withdrawal symptoms and emotional challenges. Outpatient treatment provides daily support while allowing the person to live at home.
What Are Alcoholism Symptoms and Signs?
This causes the body to crave alcohol to feel good and avoid feeling bad. The problems relating to alcohol dependence are extensive, and its effects can be physical, psychological, and social. They spend a lot of time thinking about alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems financially and at home or work. The Healthline FindCare tool can provide options in your area alcoholism if you need help finding a mental health specialist.
Other chronic diseases
Discover why doctors rely on benzodiazepines and other proven treatments to protect patients. What begins as social or occasional drinking can evolve into dependency when alcohol starts to feel necessary for managing stress, escaping negative emotions, or just getting through the day. Over time, the brain adapts—making you crave alcohol more and making it harder to feel normal without it.
- If you are prone to alcoholism due to family history or previous addictions, any alcohol use is risky and should be avoided.
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other 12-step programs can offer that social support.
- One type, alcoholism or alcohol dependence, occurs when you no longer have control over your drinking; another type, alcohol misuse, occurs when your drinking has repeated significant consequences.
- The chance of developing any health problem is related to the genetic code we are born with.
- Treatment for alcoholism often involves a combination of therapy, medication, and support.
For More Information About Alcoholism and Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcoholism is a term that is sometimes used to describe what is known as an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Residential treatment programs typically include licensed alcohol and drug counselors, social workers, nurses, doctors, and others with expertise and experience in treating alcohol use disorder. Home therapy without supervision by a trained professional may be Halfway house life threatening because of complications from alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Usually an alcoholic will begin to experience alcohol withdrawal six to eight hours after cutting down or stopping alcohol consumption. Loved ones are an integral part of the addiction recovery process, but they need to balance their own needs in addition to providing support. To do that, they can set boundaries around their emotional, physical, and financial relationship, for example that the house will remain an alcohol-free zone.
What Are the Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder?
Rehabilitation programs are an excellent treatment option for people with severe symptoms of the condition. They remove you from your triggers and focus on helping you heal for the period you are in them. You are likely to engage in several forms of therapy, from individual to group therapy. Mutual-support groups teach you tactics to help you overcome your compulsion to drink alcohol. AA is a 12-step program that provides peer support and applies 12 spirituality-based principles.
Find a treatment center using the Psychology Today Therapy Directory. The biggest barrier to therapy of any kind that patients may face is shame and stigma; most programs address such concerns directly. Thanks to AlcoholAwareness.org, I navigated the complexities of recovery with their practical advice and empathetic support, leading me to a stronger, sober future. Discovering AlcoholAwareness.org marked a pivotal moment in my journey to sobriety; their insights and support brought a new level of clarity https://riosantohotel.com.br/2021/02/08/alcohol-and-allergies-does-it-make-them-worse-2025/ and hope, profoundly impacting my life. A doctor may order additional tests to find out whether alcohol-related damage to the liver, stomach or other organs has occurred.