To prevent alcohol relapse, one needs more than just inpatient counseling. How many times we have seen scenarios where a person goes back into alcohol relapse after alcohol rehabilitation addiction treatment? A media professional in Florida, who had turned habitual drinker after a few rounds of socializing in a gap of 3 months, found himself getting married to the bottle.
Things went to such an extent that he was asked to leave the company because he had found ways to shirk work and drink alcohol. He was taken to an alcohol rehabilitation center in Florida and after a course of treatment for four months, he seemed back to leading a normal life. But then he found himself getting back into addictive behavior. He had turned into an alcoholism relapse mode even after treatment for his addiction
Keith Summers from alcohol rehabilitation San Diego, has an answer to alcohol relapse, “The success rate in alcoholics being cured is 20 per cent. It would have been 100 per cent if such patients follow the regime and treatment given to them, but unfortunately that does not happen.”
Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a disease that includes intense craving for alcohol and continued tendency to drink despite health, social and professional problems.
How do you know if I suffer from alcohol addiction? If you think you are just another ‘non-drinker’ but have four or five glasses of drink in a party, this is known as binge drinking. This can have adverse affects on the body and mind. Moderate drinking is known as ‘having two drinks per day’ Read how much alcohol can a woman drink. But if you are someone who drinks 14 drinks a week, then you are a risky drinker.
Diagnosis and Treatment for alcohol addiction: Keith at alcohol rehabilitation San Diego adds, “ The first thing in alcoholism addiction diagnosis is to find out how severe the problem is. The patient is sent for bio-chemcial tests to find out his or her physical impairment. Depending on the results, the patient is prescribed medication to neutralize alcohol addiction and dependence.”
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms: Jude at alcohol treatment Florida touches upon ‘withdrawal symptoms’ that is the most importance challenge in alcohol addiction recovery. He says, “Well, it is never easy on the patient who is going for alcohol addiction treatment. Since the nerves in the brain are ‘dependent’ on the external stimulant alcohol, when the patient goes without alcohol, the brain starts to rebel and we have withdrawal symptoms like high pulse rate, loss of sleep, sweating, angry outbursts, irritation etc.”
Neutralizers, treatment for alcohol withdrawal symptoms: Jude says, “ Neutralizers are mood stabilizers that decrease the patient’s craving for alcohol. When the patient takes a neutralizer, a chemical secretion similar to serotonin goes in the blood stream, which makes the patient feel good, but without having a craving for alcohol.
Alcohol relapse Cure: The doctor from alcohol rehabilitation San Diego says, ‘There is surely a possibility to be alcohol free. I had a friend who was a big-time alcohol addict but now he does not even touch one, he is turned a total teetotaler. The magic word is ‘will power’. We can treat you as much as we can. But there is a time when you have to go back home. This is the time when your willpower and your ability to stick to the regimen come to the fore. You have to remind yourself of the devastation that you caused in your family,to the loved ones, to your social life, to your professional life when you get an urge to drink. It is possible to quit alcohol completely, my question is do you have the will power?”
Jude at alcohol treatment Florida adds, “We need to understand that the human body can metabolize only one drink per hour. People ask me how in some cultures like France, people drink alcohol and not get addicted. Well they drink slowly. In some cultures, wines and beer in cafes are common but they drink slowly, they know that the body can metabolize only one drink per hour. So yes, the competition of drinking four drinks in one hour has to stop!”
Other reasons for alcohol relapse: In alcohol rehabilitation programs, patients are advised to keep in touch with their doctors and visit them even after the counseling is over. But patients like the media professional, mentioned above, stop visiting the alcohol rehab clinic, as pointed by the representative at alcohol treatment in Florida
Apart from counseling and medication, patients need to go for holistic therapies like Yoga and meditation. This is the reason why Christian alcohol rehabilitation has a better track record in preventing alcohol relapse. “We make the patient spiritually aware, as a result he or she gets in touch with the Higher Power. He or she submits themselves to God and are aware of the consequences of their addictive behavior to alcohol, which is why they do not indulge in such self-harming things. “ says a Christian alcohol treatment representative.
Jude says, ‘The drop out rate or alcohol relapse is as high as 50 percent. This defeats the very purpose of the treatment. For instance, the medication has to go on for a year, but 90 percent patients stop it the moment, they go out of inpatient treatment centers. “
The representative from San Diego alcohol treatment center adds, “Also we neeed to consider how committed an alcohol is to tackle alcohol relapse issue. For instance, in how many cases, have you seen an alcoholic himself or herself coming to the alcohol rehabilitation clinics? It is often their spouse, loved ones or parents accompanying them. So the person himself is not intrinsically aware of his alcohol addiction and do not proactively seek remedial measures. If the spouse humiliates instead of offering support, it can be quite a problem for even the ‘cured alcohol addicts’
“I am feeling so stressed today, a peg or two should make me feel better’ is what these treated alcohol patients feel, when they are in an angry or stressed out mood. And they go down again, in the deep, angry waters of violent behavior and spouse humiliation after downing drinks. Alcohol addiction and aggression both return with a vengeance. An alcoholic thinks that his loved one (mainly spouse) victimizes him and most of his frustration, tirade and suspicion, not to mention violent behavior is turned against that person. However, as Keith from San Diego alcohol treatment center has mentioned will power and staying in touch with one’s alcohol rehabilitation center, can definitely prevent alcohol relapse and make the patient feel absolutely sober and happy in life.
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