Alcohol Treatment Programs

Alcohol affects the body in many complicated ways, contributing to an assortment of physical diseases, health complications and psychological problems. Perhaps the most well-known consequence of alcohol consumption are liver diseases such as steatosis (fatty liver), alcoholic hepatitis (liver irritation), fibrosis (formation of excessive tissue within the liver), and cirrhosis (hardening). A non-functioning liver can result in a slow and painful death because the liver is responsible for cleansing toxins from the body.

Other organs can also suffer significant damage, such as the pancreas, which produces poisonous substances when alcohol is consumed and can lead to pancreatitis. Cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breasts can be a result of alcohol consumption. Furthermore, drinking — even excessive drinking on a single occasion — incapacitates the immune system and will make users prone to illnesses like pneumonia, tuberculosis and influenza. Other common medical problems that afflict alcoholics and alcohol abusers are heart damage, stretching of the heart, abnormal heartbeat and stroke. Both the body and the brain are negatively impacted by the consumption of alcohol. Even occasional binge drinking has unhealthy consequences such as reduced inhibitions, motor impairment, confusion, coma, breathing complications and death. Other risks of consuming alcohol include vehicle accidents, violent and hazardous habits, and even homicide. Excessive alcohol use very often accompanies mental and emotional disorders. According to reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 37 percent of alcohol abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Additionally, of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse either alcohol or drugs. Those with depression or anxiety often self-medicate with alcohol unaware that they are exacerbating their mental illnesses. Suicide by alcohol is not uncommon. Detoxification based on the severity of the alcohol use is often needed before rehabilitation can begin.

Risks of Alcoholism and Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol can have a serious impact on the body and heavy will lead to many medical problems and psychological conditions. All drinking — even rare incidents of binge drinking — cripple the immune system, causing users to be more susceptible to infections such as influenza and pneumonia. Alcohol addiction puts many different organs at risk, including the pancreas, which can make toxic substances in the presence of alcohol and lead to pancreatitis. Other prevalent health problems among alcoholics and alcohol abusers are heart damage, stretching of the heart, irregular heartbeat and stroke. Also, heavy consumption of alcohol can lead to cancers of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breasts. Liver damage is probably the best-documented result of drug and alcohol abuse. Liver problems include steatosis (fatty liver), alcoholic hepatitis (liver inflammation), fibrosis (formation of excessive tissue in the liver) and cirrhosis (hardening). The liver processes and cleanses toxins from the body, so a damaged liver can result in an agonizing death.

Alcohol is responsible for countless unwanted side effects on the body and the brain. Even the occasional binge has side effects such as:

• Reduced Inhibitions
• Motor Impairment
• Confusion

• Coma
• Breathing Complications
• Death

Other dangers of drinking include:

• Vehicle Accidents
• Violent and Dangerous Behavior

• Suicide
• Homicide

Medically supervised detox is the safest option.

Before entering rehab, a person addicted to alcohol must go through detox. Many people addicted to alcohol avoid going into rehab because they are scared of dealing with withdrawal symptoms. For those addicted to alcohol, medically supervised inpatient detox is the safest option. Alcohol detox should never be attempted “cold turkey,” especially alone at home. For chronic or severe alcohol abusers, detoxification without medical supervision can be extremely painful, hazardous and in some cases, life-threatening. The physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal range from moderate to extremely serious and include seizures, tremors, agitation, heart palpitations, hallucinations and blackouts. Most modern rehab facilities offer inpatient detox cycles. Attending an inpatient detox cycle will put you under medical supervision 24-hours a day. You will also be provided with special medication prescribed by professionals to help alleviate some of the pain of alcohol withdrawal. The medications not only lessen the pain, but they also help avoid health problems. In addition, this treatment  prevents other physical and mental conditions that occur while withdrawing suddenly from alcohol.

Medically supervised withdrawal is strongly suggested for any person who has ever experienced hallucinations or seizures in the past. Patients suffering from a serious illness or diagnosed with particular psychological illnesses should also use medically supervised withdrawal. Substance Abuse Care Treatment offers a safe and controlled setting to detoxify from alcohol that is supervised by a professional medical staff. Detox must only be used to assist the addict in physically withdrawing from alcohol. It is not a replacement for rehab. Treatment or rehab is the only real way to actually achieve recovery. For more information regarding alcohol abuse disorders, treatment program locations or advice for dealing with alcohol abuse, contact Substance Abuse Care Treatment at 802-327-8254. Recovery experts will also provide more information about alcohol detox.

 

Safe Medical Detox

Depending on the seriousness of the alcohol use disorder, a detox procedure may be required before rehabilitation can start. Particularly for severe alcoholics, detox without clinical help can be tremendously harmful, or even deadly. Side effects of alcohol withdrawal can vary from mild to severe, including:

• Shakiness
• Agitation
• Headache

• Vomiting
• Trouble sleeping
• Irregular heart rate

• Hallucinations
• Loss of consciousness
• Death