Facts About Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcoholism is a serious condition that has far-reaching consequences on the individual suffering from it. Not only does it have both immediate and long-term effects on health, but it can also affect personal and professional relationships eventually.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that there is actually a thing such as alcohol use disorder. It is a medical condition wherein the person affected is impaired or unable to control or minimize their consumption of alcohol, despite the very real and serious consequences of it. Because of this inability, they become more prone and vulnerable to more serious and long-term effects of alcohol consumption, from physical to mental, or even emotional effects.

Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder

There are many telltale signs of this disorder, but a thorough examination must be conducted first before an official diagnosis can be given. For example, factors such as intensity of craving, frequency of craving, and amount of drinks consumed at any given time are strong indicators of the disorder.

Taking the investigation further, the amount of time you actually spend drinking versus the amount of time you first intended to drink will show how much you usually go beyond your own set limitations.

Even your attempts at quitting or cutting back on the amount of consumption are a telling sign of the disorder. The fact that you make efforts to cut back on your alcohol indicates that you are aware of an existing problem. As to whether or not you will be successful in your attempts, and how many it will take for it to be successful, is a different matter altogether.

That is why it is highly advised for alcohol use disorder sufferers to get into a rehabilitation facility such as Villa San Miguel Detox & Wellness, so they can partake in a comprehensive program. A VSM detox for all patients, for example, can help kick-start their road to wellness by ridding the body of the accumulated toxins from all the alcohol consumed. It will take an honest recognition of the problem first, though, before any rehab program can even have a shot at being successful.

Treatments

There are a variety of treatments available to address alcohol use disorder. Their application, however, will vary depending on a case-to-case basis. There is no one exact, same situation or context for those participating in the rehab program, after all, and so these treatments will have to be custom-fit, so to speak, for each of the patients.

Essentially, the treatments may include controlled medication, which can assist in mitigating the side effects of withdrawal, for example. There are also behavioral treatments available that delve further into one’s capacity to identify triggers and, consequently, how to properly handle them.

This is crucial to the success of the program because it can help the patient maintain a healthier and more realistic approach when it comes to dealing with their life issues in general, too, and not just their alcohol use. After all, one of the reasons they ended up being in this state is their denial or refusal to acknowledge an issue, thereby leaving it to grow and get out of hand.

Aside from these, there are also group therapy sessions or mutual-support groups, which can greatly help lessen the feeling of isolation. The road to recovery from alcoholism is going to be a long and tedious one. Knowing that there is a support system that fully understands what the patient is going through, because they have or are going through it themselves, is a big help in keeping patients on the track to sobr