Alcohol addiction is a progressive disease which can prove fatal without the proper treatment of the core causes. Alcoholism’s symptoms can be quite evident when a person has physical withdrawal symptoms, noticeable cravings, a lack of control when around the substance, becoming physically dependent, and gaining an increased tolerance through frequent usage.

Sometimes will power is not enough to get to the point of recovery from alcohol dependence as there are many personal battles that can become unbearable for the addict. Professional assistance is often necessary to help the addict recover from substance abuse completely and with lasting positive effects.

There are many rehab centers which offer various alcohol addiction treatment programs, including intervention services, detoxification protocols, one on one counseling sessions , therapy, and medication. The initial stages of recovery include alcohol intervention programs during which the core problems of the patient is sought and analyzed. This is followed by the detoxification process which eliminates the most toxic substances from the addict’s body.

Counseling and group therapy are used to help the patient deal with emotional and mental aspects of addiction. Any treatment regiment involves both physical body and psychological side of treatment. The medication stage involves improving the physical health of the patient by prescribing medication.

Alcohol addiction treatment centers employ health and addiction specialists to address the needs of the patient. The rehab center offers in patient programs, individual support, exercise, and clinical facilities for the full care of the individual in order to facilitate a quick recovery. With so many addiction treatments available, the addict should be able to find one cautiously planned to efficiently improve the person’s health physically and psychologically for a more productive and alcohol-free life.

Docs can safely treat alcoholism, PTSD together, study shows
Despite fears that exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would worsen alcoholism, a new study found that doctors can safely treat both conditions at the same time. Researchers found that people with PTSD and alcoholism benefited the …
Read more on Fox News

Doctors May Safely Treat Alcoholism And PTSD — Together
… traumatic stress disorder, often comorbid conditions, may be treated safely at the same time. Doctors may safely treat co-occurring alcoholism and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) together with no worries of worsening either condition, a new …
Read more on Medical Daily

Alcohol abuse, eating disorders share genetic link
Part of the risk for alcohol dependence is genetic, and the same is true for eating disorders. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found it's likely some of the same genes are involved in both. In the …
Read more on Washington University in St. Louis News

Treating PTSD and alcohol abuse together doesn't increase drinking, study finds
Contrary to past concerns, using prolonged exposure therapy to treat patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid alcohol dependence does not increase drinking or cravings, Penn Medicine psychiatrists report in the Aug. 7 issue of …
Read more on Medical Xpress

Turkish state to cover alcohol, drug addiction treatment expenses
The costs of drug and alcohol Addiction treatment will be covered by the state as part of a new joint initiative by the Health Ministry and the Social Security Institution (SGK). The SGK, which used to cover only a limited part of alcohol and drug …
Read more on www.worldbulletin.net

Alcohol addiction is a progressive disease which can prove fatal without the proper treatment of the core causes. Alcoholism’s symptoms can be quite evident when a person has physical withdrawal symptoms, noticeable cravings, a lack of control when around the substance, becoming physically dependent, and gaining an increased tolerance through frequent usage.

Sometimes will power is not enough to get to the point of recovery from alcohol dependence as there are many personal battles that can become unbearable for the addict. Professional assistance is often necessary to help the addict recover from substance abuse completely and with lasting positive effects.

There are many rehab centers which offer various alcohol addiction treatment programs, including intervention services, detoxification protocols, one on one counseling sessions , therapy, and medication. The initial stages of recovery include alcohol intervention programs during which the core problems of the patient is sought and analyzed. This is followed by the detoxification process which eliminates the most toxic substances from the addict’s body.

Counseling and group therapy are used to help the patient deal with emotional and mental aspects of addiction. Any treatment regiment involves both physical body and psychological side of treatment. The medication stage involves improving the physical health of the patient by prescribing medication.

Alcohol addiction treatment centers employ health and addiction specialists to address the needs of the patient. The rehab center offers in patient programs, individual support, exercise, and clinical facilities for the full care of the individual in order to facilitate a quick recovery.

With so many addiction treatments available, the addict should be able to find one cautiously planned to efficiently improve the person’s health physically and psychologically for a more productive and alcohol-free life.

Question by Tom: I have a love/hate relationship with alcoholics anonymous. Anyone else feel this way?
I like the fact that its a place where I can meet others that understand and support, but that’s about it. As far as almost everything within the big book and most of the steps, i think their bunk and cult-like. Does anyone else feel this way?

Best answer:

Answer by raysny
Sure do, except for the love part.

I bounced in and out of the rooms for years, never able to stop drinking for more than a few months at a time. I had to turn my back on AA and take responsibility for my alcoholism and my recovery. I had to unlearn the powerless nonsense, forget that I’m supposed to have a lifelong disease that I can never recover from.

I never received any support from members because I’m an atheist. They loudly predicted that I would die drunk in a gutter for refusing to find their God. Don’t believe their claims that your “Higher Power” can be anything you want, by their definition, their Higher Power is a pretty specific god, and one that is not entirely compatible with the Christian God or the God of any mainstream religion that I’m aware of.

I felt that if I could get help for the depression that fueled my drinking, I’d be able to stay stopped, but for years I couldn’t find anyone who would help unless I had a chunk of sober time through AA. So I’d try, I’d go to AA, get treated like dirt while my clinical depression merged with the chemical depression of early sobriety and I’d be suicidal.

Next month will be 11 years sober for me. I co-own the Yahoo group “without_aa”:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/without_aa/
which is about deprogramming from AA, alternatives, and the general weirdness of the rooms.

AA does NOT improve on the rate of natural remission, people quitting on their own. The vast majority of people quit without ANY type of treatment.

The NIAAA’s 2001–2002 National Epidemiolo­gic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions interviewe­d over 43,000 people. Using the criteria for alcohol dependence found in the DSM-IV, they found:
“About 75 percent of persons who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking any kind of help, including specialty alcohol (rehab) programs and AA. Only 13 percent of people with alcohol dependence ever receive specialty alcohol treatment.­”
http://www.spectrum.niaaa.nih.gov/features/alcoholism.aspx

Anyone having doubts about AA should do some poking around at this site:
The Orange Papers
http://www.orange-papers.org/

What do you think? Answer below!

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Why She Drinks: Women and Alcohol Abuse
A.A. was founded in 1935 by two men who believed that alcohol dependence could be tamed by regular attendance at group meetings with other recovering alcoholics. Its doctrine calls for members to tame their egos, abstain from all drinking and …
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