Alcoholism and Treatment Jersey City, NJ (201) 492-6604

Alcohol addiction is a chronic illness that causes physical and chemical changes in the brain, affecting the way it functions. Alcohol addiction also affects an individual’s behavior, often in a destructive way. Alcohol addiction, or alcoholism, is a condition wherein a person indulges in persistent, compulsive drinking even when that activity has negative consequences. Alcoholism can cause many problems, including trouble with the police, financial difficulties, relationship issues, family discord and damage to mental and physical health.

Why Alcoholism Needs to be Treated

Dealing with an illness as complicated as addiction is not simply a matter of willpower. The chemical and physical changes that occur in the brains of people affected by alcoholism result in a dependency on alcohol. When people develop alcoholism, alcohol becomes the central focus of their lives. They need professional help to deal with these issues.

Many people use alcohol as some type of emotional crutch to help them cope with their lives, even though they may not be aware that’s why they drink. In nearly every case of alcoholism, there are complex underlying factors that make people turn to alcohol. Drinking becomes a destructive behavior and people with alcohol addiction need to develop an understanding of why they engage in that behavior. They need to be self-aware to understand their thought processes and motivations. They are unlikely to reach this level of self-awareness without professional help.

A Holistic Approach to Treatment Works Best

At Drug Detox Centers Jersey City, people experience a holistic approach to treatment. That is because we have connections to traditional and alternative therapies to improve their knowledge of addiction. Where needed, they get help and support to sort out issues in their lives that contribute to their alcoholism.

Relapse Prevention

Addiction is incurable, so the goal of treatment is not to rid people of addiction but to guide people to a state where they remain abstinent. People with alcoholism who get treatment will discover the nature of addiction and relapse. They will learn techniques and strategies to help them ward off the urges to relapse. They will also learn that if they should relapse, that is a setback and not a failure.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reveals that roughly have of those who get treated for alcoholism will relapse, but points out that the relapse rate is similar to that for other chronic illnesses. NIDA stresses that relapse should be seen as a fairly common part of the recovery process from which lessons can be learned. People who relapse can work with addiction specialists to investigate the reasons why the relapse occurred. They can then fill in the missing bits in their relapse prevention strategies to help them cope with similar situations if they arise in the future.

Relapse does not mean that treatment failed, but simply that a person needs more treatment to reinforce positive behaviors. While individuals may be disappointed that they relapsed, they should take encouragement from the fact that they did manage to get sober, and what they have achieved in the past they can achieve again, hopefully with a longer period of abstinence. Drug Detox Centers Jersey City is your ultimate recovery guide. Please just give our recovery advocates a call today at (201) 492-6604 today.