Despite an opioid epidemic proceeding in the United States, there’s a silent, but massive, long-standing battle against alcohol abuse. People struggle with alcoholism every day. Those showing signs of alcoholic symptoms often fail to get the necessary alcoholism treatment. Furthermore, its full social acceptance in cultures around the globe can easily disguise alcohol abuse. The unfortunate reality is some people lose control of their drinking, and that’s why Memphis Recovery is here to help.
Alcoholism Definition
One of the misconceptions that many people have is that you need to meet specific external criteria to have an alcohol addiction. People believe that you need to lose your job, spouse, children, and money to have alcoholism. Others think that even though they regularly drive drunk but haven’t received a DUI, they don’t have a problem. The fact is that the disease of addiction has nothing to do with what you have or don’t have because life circumstances can happen to anyone.
There are only two primary symptoms of addiction, which are a mental obsession and physical craving when it comes to alcohol. When you’re struggling with an addiction, the physical desire makes it difficult or impossible once you start. Even when you say you’re only going to have one or two drinks, you end up drinking until you’re drunk. The mental obsession is when drinking is consistently on your mind, and sometimes it’s difficult to focus on anything except for alcohol.
Dealing with Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Those who struggle with any form of addiction have nothing to be ashamed of because addiction is a legitimate illness. Those who require substance abuse treatment don’t realize changes occurring in the reward pathways in your brain. Typically the brain demands actions that bring pleasure. The problem is that when you struggle with addiction, the prefrontal cortex of the brain doesn’t allow you to stop when you want to. Since this part of the brain isn’t working correctly, you have many other symptoms as well.
Some of the other responsibilities of the prefrontal cortex include:
- Logical decision making
- Impulse control
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Emotional regulation
If you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, not only is it essential to realize that there is help through treatment, but you aren’t a wrong person. Dependence makes you begin to put your drinking ahead of friends, family as well as your career. When the prefrontal cortex isn’t allowing you to regulate your emotions or make logical decisions, it explains why people with an addiction hurt the ones they love the most. The solution comes in various forms of treatment that you’ll find right here at Memphis Recovery Centers.
Top-Notch Memphis Addiction Treatment Center
Here at Memphis Recovery Centers (MRC), we’re going to help educate you more about the disease of addiction and help you move forward. During your stay in treatment, we’re going to help you begin to realize that the drinking is only a symptom of your problem. Our Memphis, TN addiction treatment center will help you discover the root of your alcohol addiction. We do this through many different methods for drug and alcoholism treatment for anyone struggling with an addiction.
The recovery programs at MRC include:
- Adult treatment program
- Youth treatment program
- Family therapy program
- Outpatient rehab (OP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
- Music and art therapy
As a non-profit addiction treatment center, our top focus is to ensure you reach a complete and lasting recovery. Begin your new life by calling Memphis Recovery Centers today at 901-272-7751.
Did you know that one in 12 American adults suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence? This means you hardly stand alone when it comes to dealing with the risks and effects of alcohol abuse. These risks and effects include a wide variety of physical and mental problems. However, with the right help, you can end your risk and get back to great all-around health for a brighter future.
Drinking too much just one time can cause health risk or even death. But abusing alcohol for a long period means a lifetime of health problems, diseases, or early death. You also suffer from poor mental health when abusing alcohol, causing you to make bad decisions, suffer accidents, or harm yourself or others.
What Is Alcohol Abuse?
Do the effects of alcohol abuse apply to your drinking habits? Do you know what qualifies as “alcohol abuse?” Some people drink a lot with few negative effects, while others slip into alcohol dependence easily. Therefore, alcohol abuse does not fall under one simple definition for everyone.
You can tell that you abuse alcohol when your drinking starts causing problems. If your drinking leads to conflict in your life, relationships, work, finances, or emotions, you probably have a drinking problem.
Alcohol abuse, also known as alcohol use disorder, describes a pattern of unhealthy drinking. This condition ranges in severity. Over time, it leads to changes in your brain chemistry and structure. This eventually leads to alcohol dependence.
Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Your Body
Plenty of health problems begin as effects of alcohol abuse. As you continue to drink, these effects grow worse over time. Many of the effects of alcohol abuse on your body can be permanent.
Drinking too much over an extended period causes a variety of health issues. You can suffer high blood pressure, stroke, and irregular heartbeat. You also can suffer alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and fibrosis. Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease are other effects of alcohol abuse.
Your pancreas and immune system also suffer from alcohol abuse. These effects, in turn, cause digestion problems and a greater likelihood of contracting deadly diseases like pneumonia. Alcohol also has ties to cancers of the breast, throat, esophagus, mouth, larynx, colon, stomach, pancreas, and rectum.
How Your Brain Suffers from Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol abuse causes problems in your brain, primarily in its communication pathways. This means your mood and behaviors change. As a result, you struggle to think clearly and move around with coordination.
Drinking destroys your brain’s chemical balance. Your mood changes and you suffer depression, memory loss, agitation, and seizures. Heavy drinking for a long period can even eventually shrink the size of your brain. When combined, these changes cause problems with your motor skills, sleep, mood, and thinking.
However, the good news about changes to your brain is that these changes are not always permanent. You can return your brain and its functioning to normal with long-term abstinence.
Returning to Good Health after Alcohol Abuse
It is possible to return to good health after alcohol abuse. Of course, you just need the right help. This help includes getting you through alcohol withdrawal symptoms for a real chance of lasting recovery. You undergo a variety of therapies designed to help you gain long-term sobriety while rebuilding your life for better days ahead.
At Memphis Recovery Centers in Memphis, Tennessee, you gain the therapies and treatments needed for better health without alcohol. Memphis Recovery’s programs include:
- Residential rehab for youth and adults
- Phasing into PHP and IOP programs
- Six-month aftercare programs
- Individual, family, and group therapies
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Trauma therapy
- Music and art therapy
If you or someone you love suffer the effects of alcohol use disorder, the help you need awaits in Memphis. Call Memphis Recovery Centers now at 901-272-7751 for information about available programs. You can have the life you want. You just need to make this call.
