Alcohol is an organic chemical derived by fermentation enabled by addition of yeast to extracts from rye, barley, corn, grain or any beverage containing ethyl. What makes it unique is its almost instantaneous effect in alleviating moods and senses at the expense of physical coordination. Anyone trying out alcohol as a mode of relaxation, celebration, enjoyment or unwinding is likely to turn to it time and again, often landing up getting addicted to it. These can ruin one’s professional and personal lives and take its toll on his physical and emotional well-being.

A person addicted to alcohol has to be weaned off this habit with tender, loving care, counseling and occasional therapeutic healing. These most often, have to be initiated by a close relative, spouse or other family member, who is also forced to play an active role in the recovery. Expert advice is available from organizations and implementation involves self-motivation and family support.

Self motivation is possible if the alcoholic is torn by guilt for misbehaving after drinking, getting the realization that he must try and cut down, is unable to face family especially his children, or feels he is losing in his road to success due to his drinking. This works positively in helping him exercising his will power and determination to take professional help and follow it till he is ready to give up alcohol completely.

Often alcohol addicts lack the strength of character or determination to fight this addiction alone. In such cases, family members, most often a spouse, have to play the role of companion, counselor and friend, who has to make them aware of all that is going wrong in each person’s life because of his alcoholism, the health repercussions, financial distress, if any and the general deterioration of family life. The most difficult part of the problem is the individual’s acceptance of the fact that he has a drinking problem. His acceptance of this fact along with his admitting that he needs help, is half the battle won. The next step is to initiate him into a group like Alcoholics Anonymous. Since it is a self-help group that also respects he person’s desire to remain anonymous, the social stigma attached to such problems, disappears and makes the environment more conducive to recovery. The organization has members who have been through such problems directly or indirectly, and through their experiences help each other. The advantage here is that the process is taken from start to finish, and the emotional upheaval faced by the alcoholic is handled sensitively.

Successful intervention is never lifelong, and efforts have to be made that the strategies adopted to cure the addiction are somehow reinforced time and again so that the individual is not tempted to turn to alcohol again.

Equine Therapy for Recovering Addicts
Percocet addiction is insidious and can occur within three weeks of taking the drug in those susceptible to the addiction. “For some people, like me, if you tried it once, you're hooked,” explained Howell. According to the National Survey on Drug Use …
Read more on Cape May County Herald (press release)

Guns, Drugs, Money Seized From Doctor's Office: D.A.
Investigators said Holca was distributing Percocet and Xanax, illegally. … Over the last six months, Ocean County officials, advocates and recovering addicts have been looking for ways to address a rapid rise in the number of drug overdoses in their …
Read more on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

Question by denveryay: How is it possible to absolutely categorize Alcoholim as a disease and not an illness?
“Disease” is a very loosely defined term in many respects. There are multiple disorders, infenctions, and symptoms that can be typical of a definable disease. Also, a disease must have specific and constant cause(s), which in the case of Alcoholism is the CHOICE to drink ethyl-alcohol. The cause of the “disease” is the recurring and disregarding CHOICE to drink. A choice, however pathological or illogical, doesn’t seem to be appropriate as a cause or a condition of any disease. Despite the negative psychological, physiological, and other results of long-term alcohol abuse, it seems that it shouldn’t be classified as anything more than a treatable mental disorder.

“Illness, although often used to mean disease, can also refer to a person’s perception of their health, regardless of whether they in fact have a disease. A person without any disease may feel unhealthy and believe he has an illness. Another person may feel healthy and believe he does not have an illness even though he may have a disease” – Wikipedia on ‘Disease’

It is true that if some Alcoholics didn’t have a disease to blame for their disorder, they would not be able to stop drinking. It is also true that because of Alcholism-as-a-disease, many people who ABUSE alcohol are led into misperceptions about their drinking habits. In fact, it is only alcohol DEPENDENCE that could possibly even begin to be categorized as a disease.

An individual who is alcohol-dependent exhibits behavior indicitive of addiction. Drink-seeking, withdrawal and tolerance, and psychological malfunction among others are the results and symptoms of addiction. My father and friends have struggled with alchohol and drug addictions and I have seen the both successful and unsuccessful treatments implemented in their lives.

It seems that Alcoholism and drug addictions are psychological disorders that in a vast majority of instances could be cured by a conscious choice (however difficult) to STOP using the cause of the addiction. It has been proven in many instances that an addict can stop using the object of their addiction without any complications, as long as they are commited to quitting.

It seems that diseases should only be those such as Cancer, Diabetes, Hepatitis and the like. People who have these diseases cannot make a choice to simply stop a behavior to ease their pains. Whereas, although undoubtedly difficult, an addict can ease his or her addiction by making a powerful choice to stop using.

By allowing alcoholism to be categorized as a disease, it seems that negative stigma is removed from addicts’ behaviors and people who drink are given an excuse to justify their behavior. Instead of feeling like they’ve let themselves and their families down, they are able to blam their behavior on a cause outside of their control, which is simply not true.

“Neither the U.S. Veterans Administration nor the Social Security Administration makes payments to individuals, whose disabilities stem from substance abuse, including alcoholism.” – From Shoutwire

I am NOT pro- or anti- any of this I am looking for factual objective evidence and ideas that could lead to helping me understand why Alchoholism is given reprieve by its disease classification.

Best answer:

Answer by kentuckyredhead5353
Well about half way through I had a problem and I developed this question. What is the difference with what you were saying in comparison to a cigarette smoker for some it’s the habit and the motion and some get physically sick for the lack of nicotine is it not similar. emotional vs physical and different for different personality types? 🙂 Guess I could read on have a good one:-)
OK I’m finally done now i get it, it’s all in there head so all they have to do is get it out of their head and it will all go away. They just will it away. Take 2 aspirins have a sucker and call me in the morning:-)
oh excuse me revision: update-read the last part. it was taken out as a disease because social security was being drained by leagal alcoholics that the government makes good taxes off of. The only help and recourse for a recovering alcoholic, drug user, vet, is a mental health clinic because why did they drink in the first place. Now uncle sam pays for their drugs and kills them off with a lousy health plan. looks who is on all the class action suits that will never collect anything. Trust me I have done my homework on this subject. I know many vets and low income disabled people. Nothing has changed but the name of the disease.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by Vosta: What are some examples of human traits that can be changed by human intervention?
Also, Name some traits that might fall into genetic and enviromental factors and explain why you think they do.

And benefits of human genetic variation?

Best answer:

Answer by I Hate Report Nazi’s
You are asking for a lot…

The biggest thing I can think of is the Human desire for Intoxication.

Animals know to seek out fermenting fruit for the caloric increase of the fermented sugars AND for the intoxicating effects of the natural alcohol.

The difference between someone that likes to drink and an alcoholic is the genetic variation of the combination of factors of “The Addiction Gene”.

As with the gay gene, there is no “One Gene”, but a series of biological factors and how your brain responds chemically to substances that leads one to go from “I like alcohol” or “I like opiates” to “I CAN’T STOP DOING THIS!”

Look up Doctor Drew’s website for a LOT more info on this topic.

You can become ‘Dependent’ upon alcohol or opiates, but if you do not have the series of factors, mental and biological, that make up a propensity for addiction, you can detox from the substances and walk away, never to do them again.

The same chemical and biological factors in Addiction work for both the “Obvious” like alcohol and meth but also other things that trigger a chemical reaction in the brain but are not innately intoxicating like food, extreme sports, shopping, gamboling, etc. etc. etc.

PBS: NOVA ScieceNow – Topic: Obesity
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3313/03.html

Add your own answer in the comments!

There are many instances where it has been seen that a person who comes out of a private treatment center maintains a longer recovery. Rather they are cured permanently of the addiction. Hence it is advised that if a person close to you suffers from any kind of addiction or you need the help of a professional treatment center to come out of the addiction it is better that you enroll into a private treatment center for achieving the best results.

In the first place you should learn about the facilities offered by the private addiction centers. There are several ways with the help of which you can get to know about the facilities. You can browse through several sites, blogs and review of the patients to know about the facility. Only after having a fair idea of the facility you can get yourself or your closed one enrolled in the treatment center.

The program for which you are opting in order to come out of the addiction should suit you in all respects. It is necessary that the patient feels comfortable during the entire treatment process. Moreover it has to be something which is trustworthy. You should only go for such a program which has been tried and tested in the course of time.

The first step followed by addiction centers as it starts treatment is detox. This is the most complicated and important step in the entire treatment center. So when you are going for a private treatment center you should be certain about the fact that detox facility is the best in that particular center. Detox is the process of physical cleansing of the addict and unless this is done properly it is not possible that an addict will come out of the addiction.

An important factor which you should consider as you are choosing a treatment center for yourself is the credibility of the rehab center. There may be many spurious advertisements with regard to the treatment center. You should never follow those ads blindly and instead should go for a center which offers a long period of treatment and also promises of after care facilities.

Sometimes cost becomes a deterring factor when it comes to the choice of a private treatment center. They are generally more costly than the government treatment centers. But that should not be a cause of worry because there are options where you can make the payment in installment and part of the payment can be made with the insurance policies. Hence if you are getting a better treatment in a private center you should go for it instead of foregoing it for the sake of money.

It is also recommended that before you finalize a particular treatment center you should gather all the necessary information about it. You may also seek the advice of your doctors and counselors to get the proper information.

Related Top Treatment Centers For Addiction Articles

Long Term Alcohol Rehab offers treatment programs that allow an alcoholic woman to address not only the addiction but also the underlying causes of the addiction. These rehab facilities offer a safe haven for women who have come to the end of their rope with addiction. Long term alcohol rehab programs offer many services to the recovering alcoholic woman such as: medical care, counseling, psychological support and educational training. In fact many of the staff members and long term alcohol rehabs are actually recovering addicts who serve as role models. Many long term treatment programs are inpatient treatment facilities that offer food, shelter and clothing while the individual is going through treatment.
Alcoholism is defined as drinking alcoholic beverages to a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, social, family, and job responsibilities. Men and women both suffer from addiction and many treatment centers offer a co-gender approach to the treatment of addiction. It is important to note that while the symptoms may be the same, the way that the addiction takes hold is more often than not very different. Women who abuse alcohol have higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies, many of them have been exposed to trauma as a child and some sort of domestic violence. Many times in treatment a woman will admit to coming from a family who abused alcohol. It is also not uncommon for a woman who grew up in an abusive household to gravitate to that type of life as an adult.
When searching for a program that addresses women and alcohol the individual should seek a treatment center must understand that is fully staffed by women. This increases the chance of success when women are able to recover in an all female treatment center. In a gender-specific treatment facility, women can open up more about the past, their relationships and feelings in a safe nurturing environment without worrying about what men are thinking.
When searching for a long term alcohol rehab facility it’s important to choose the right geographical area for treatment. Many times an alcoholic will find it very easy to relapse when they are going to a rehab program in the same area in which they live. Unfortunately with alcohol and any other drug the reasons for addiction are caused by the living and work environment, therefore it is more conducive to the recovery process to find a treatment program out of area. For instance many addicts find drug rehab in California to be a great place to start over. With its golden sunshine and close distance to the Pacific Ocean it is a very peaceful and serene place to start a new and sober journey. Using a facility out of state also allows for stronger bonds to be formed between the patient and staff members which helps aid in the recovery process.

Safe Harbor Treatment Center located in Costa Mesa, California is a gender-specific treatment center specializing in long term drug rehab and alcohol rehab. Safe Harbor addresses the specific needs of women and alcohol, is a women only staffed facility that offers many services to aid in recovery. Do you or someone you know need help with addiction? Please visit our website safeharborhouse.com or call us today for more information 877-660-7623.