Step By Step Guide On How To Recover From Alcohol Addiction
Alcoholism is a misunderstood disease. Individuals unfortunate enough to suffer from it are regularly ridiculed and told that it does not exist, it is a creation of their minds. Telling an alcoholic they do not suffer from an illness is no different from telling a cancer patient that their symptoms are in their head.
If you are an alcoholic then immediate actions need to be taken. Ignoring your symptoms and continuing to drink will devastate your health. Liver disease, depression, and many other health conditions can be caused by alcoholism.
Here is a step-by-step guide for overcoming your addiction:
Identifying Problem To Recover From Alcohol Addiction
Until alcoholics recognize their addictions they will not be able to move on from them. Many alcoholics are in total denial about their drinking, thinking that it is normal. While it may indeed be normal to drink every now and again if it is becoming a daily thing or you are doing it to escape from your issues then you have a problem. To be an alcoholic one does not have to drink extreme amounts of alcohol. Somebody who consumes no more than a glass a day can still be considered one.
Residential Treatment
Individuals suffering from alcoholism should consider signing themselves up for residential treatment. Studies indicate that quitting is a lot easier when done under the supervision of a team of experts in rehab than it is independently in the community. According to the specialists from Summit alcohol detox center, detoxification is the process that happens when substance use comes to an end and drugs or alcohol leave the body. Detoxing can be very hard as people tend to experience intense flu-like symptoms. Rehab is the best place to go to detox.
Community Support
Not everybody is able to afford to sign themselves up for rehab. Some rehabilitation clinics charge thousands of dollars. Such individuals are recommended to join a community group. In large towns and cities, there are usually lots of different community groups comprising former and current alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous being the most notable of them. These groups are safe spaces where addicts can openly discuss their problems without ridicule or judgment.
Most of them favor an anonymous setup, meaning you do not have to tell the people there your name or where you are from.
Building Network
Experts in alcoholism say that addicts with support networks are in much better positions to quit than ones without. A support network can be made up of friends, family, or community members. It can even be comprised of people met on the internet. Building a support network for yourself will give you people to fall back on and express your problems to in times of hardship. Quitting alcohol is not an easy thing to do. There will be hard times and moments where you doubt yourself, so people to support you will make the process much easier.
Making Apologies
It is not uncommon for addicts to lie, cheat, and steal from their loved ones and relatives. More often than not this behavior is perpetuated in efforts to extract money or alcohol from these people. A person’s loved ones are naturally going to be more sympathetic toward them than strangers are.
Therefore, it is easier for alcoholics to manipulate and use their loved ones. Treating friends and family members badly can ruin relationships. If you are guilty of this kind of behavior then reach out and explain you are trying to get sober and need their support. Apologize for any past wrongdoing to rebuild your relationships.
Healthy Lifestyle
Alcoholism can wreak havoc on the human body. As referenced in the introduction to this post alcoholics sometimes develop liver disease. Liver disease is something that cannot be effectively treated with medication. This illness can usually only be treated with a liver transplant, which will be dependent on the organs currently available at the hospital the patient is treated in. Immediately begin changing your life and living more healthily once drinking concludes. Eating well, exercising, and staying hydrated will help to reverse the damage you have done to your body and hopefully clean toxins out of your liver.
Negative Influences
It can be very difficult to recover from alcoholism when negative influences are hanging around. Alcoholics surround themselves with people who enable and facilitate their addictions. If you have a drinking problem then there is a very strong chance you have friends that encourage it. Removing such individuals from your life is important if you want to make a full and total recovery. Explain to these people that their alcoholism is the problem, not them. Cutting them off outright could upset them which is not probably something you want to do to your friends, however negatively they are impacting your life.
Positive Attitude
Cultivating a positive attitude will make your recovery a lot easier. Being positive is a lot easier said than done, however. Many recovering alcoholics find that working towards ‘normality’ helps them to be more positive, i.e., finding a job, getting a girlfriend, and immersing themselves in their communities. Others find that religion or spirituality helps them to feel more positive. Spend some time thinking about what your life lacks and then pursue that. Filling out the vacancies in your life will make you more positive and a lot more resilient. Resilience is key if you want to withstand the temptation of alcohol.
Finding Normalcy
Achieving normalcy in life can be difficult for even the most straight-laced individuals. For alcoholics, it is usually an insurmountable task. Alcoholics tend to live on the fringes of society, never really engaging in the things that ordinary people do. As a recovering alcoholic, however, it is important that you still try and achieve normality in your life. The easiest way to do this is to find a job and start hanging out with friends or community members. Keep away from people who drink in the early stages of your recovery as exposure to such folk can cause a relapse. Do not rush back into normal life, however. Stagger your return so you do not overwhelm yourself.
Conclusion
Overcoming alcoholism is no easy feat. Millions of Americans suffer silently with this condition, unable to get themselves out from under their thumb. Immediate action is required if you want to save your mind and body. Continued drinking can cause serious mental and physical health problems. Rehab is the best option for alcoholics.
