New York, New Life

New York is one of the most recognized and notorious states in the nation. It was one of the original colonies established in the dawn of the United States. In many ways it was seen as the entry point into the New World. It is home to Ellis Island where millions of immigrants were processed and granted access to all the United States had to offer.
The state has seen several history defining moments and when you think of America, you probably think of New York. With a population of approximately 19 million people, it is the fourth most populated state in the nation. New York City itself has more people in it than 39 of the states in the nation. It is a cultural, artistic, and creative hub where ideas are born and beliefs are challenged.
Despite the glory, in New York there are a lot of cracks in the concrete and people are falling through them left and right. There is a real alcohol abuse issue undergirding the state. If you or your loved one is seeking treatment from an alcohol addiction, traveling out of New York might be your best option. Removing yourself from the environment that spawned alcohol abuse could go a long way in the journey towards sobriety.

Alcoholism: The Sneaky Assassin

Alcohol abuse is not something that happens immediately and in many ways it can sneak up on those who use it. There is no timetable determining when someone has turned the corner and found themselves in full blown addiction. Addiction is a slippery slope that leads to death. According to the World Health Organization, Alcohol kills approximately 2 million people every year.
There are several factors that can lead someone to abuse alcohol. Some of these are environmental or behavioral factors and others are more genetically based. It has been reported that genes play a 50 percent role in determining whether someone develops an addiction. Regardless of the factors that play into addiction, it is important to remember that addiction is a disease.
When someone is addicted to alcohol their brain chemistry is altered in ways that takes away their capacity to choose not to use. They are enslaved by the bottle and it is important to intervene when it has reached this point. This is a crucial stage as there are lethal consequences if it goes unchecked. In a lot of situations alcoholics will not get help because they are in denial that they have a problem or they are afraid of the reactions from their friends and family. In order to mediate this, it is important for the family to try and intervene and help the addict get their life back.

What’s an Intervention?

An intervention is a great way to get your loved one help. Studies have concluded that 90 to 95 percent of interventions motivate the person to go into rehab if done right with a professional interventionist. When trying to schedule an intervention it is important to remember that the purpose is to get the addict into recovery—not necessarily healing for the family. The family may heal through the process of the addict getting help but the intervention is not designed as a therapy session for the family.
Before the intervention, the family will have to write a script for how they want it to go. It is important that people stick to the script, since emotions run high during the intervention and things could get out of control if there is not a script. If there is an intervention specialist, they will need a lot of information about the addict in order to figure out the best way to organize the intervention. The intervention needs to be filled with people who care about the person abusing alcohol. If the intervention is full of people who are contentious or disinterested in the health and stability of the addict then it will not be successful.
Again, the goal of the intervention is the get the person who is struggling help and that should be the only barometer. If the intervention goes well, then the loved one will go to therapy and get the help that they need. Thought intervention is an important component of treatment, it is not the final step. It is the first step in the process towards recovery. If you are looking for a place to get treatment for yourself or your loved one, consider A Better Today. At ABT, we are dedicated to the process of saving lives and healing families.

Detox and Withdrawal

Detox is the process of cleansing the body of the harmful toxins in the substance abuser’s body. It might seem harmless enough, but it is one of the more feared aspects of recovery for a lot of people and that is because of the withdrawal symptoms affiliated. At ABT, we practice medically supervised detox in order to counter-act the withdrawal symptoms.
It is important for the detox process to be supervised as the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol abuse can be lethal. Before the actual detox, there will be a medical examination to determine how to best treat the patient. It is important that the patient is completely honest about his or her abuse history so that the medical team can come up with the right treatment plan. After the examination, they will begin the detox, which could take up to 14 days depending on the severity of abuse.
The withdrawal symptoms from alcohol abuse range depending on the person and their abuse. However, some of the common, more mild withdrawal effects are shaky hands, anxiety, headaches and insomnia. The more serious withdrawal symptoms are characterized by hallucinations or seizures.
Thankfully, there are a lot of medications that can help mediate these symptoms. The most prescribed medications are benzodiazepines, which calm the body during the process. The brain during alcohol abuse adjusts in order to have a balance and when someone stops drinking completely it will go into a state of shock, which are a cause of the withdrawal symptoms. After the detox process, the patient will go to treatment where they will tackle the underlying problems have influenced their addiction.

Alcohol Treatment

Though the body is cleansed of the toxins during withdrawal, the real healing comes in the treatment that follows. There is outpatient and inpatient treatment. The most successful stories happen when someone chooses inpatient. The success rates are much higher because the person gets more intensive care when they are at a facility. Some people choose to have outpatient therapy and it can work in certain situations.
At the ABT facility, we take on a cognitive behavioral approach and focus on helping people through group and individual therapy sessions. In the individual therapy sessions, the patient will be paired with a professional to parse out the factors that have caused them to abuse alcohol and learn new coping mechanisms.
In group therapy, the patient will re-connect with a community of peers who are all going through the same process of recovery. When someone is abusing alcohol they isolate themselves in many ways from their family and friends, so this process of connecting them to community is of vital importance. In the group therapy the patient will go through the twelve step process and learn coping mechanisms.
The amount of time the person is in treatment depends on the person and there is no one-sized-fits all approach to treatment. ABT makes sure that all treatment plans are tailored to fit the individual situation. Though rehab is not meant to cure people of addiction, it does help people cope. Addiction is a disease and people who are afflicted will always have to deal with that reality. However, when someone goes through treatment they are equipped with the various tools to handle the real world in ways that do not make them want to get high or drunk.
After rehab, the recovery process continues as the person is encouraged to go to meetings, seek out a sponsor, and maybe even find a therapist. Making the decision to go to therapy is a scary one. A lot of people want to continue in their addiction or they feel like they are physically or psychologically unable to quit. For some, they believe that it is too pricey for them to go. But, at ABT we make sure that affordability is not a road block. If you have insurance, rehab will most likely be covered under your plan. The best thing to do is call your insurance provider and find out.
Therapy is a call away. You do not have to suffer anymore. Addiction may be a lifelong affliction but it does not have to be surrendered to. Your life is worth living to the fullest and alcohol abuse disconnects you from the possibilities of the world and those contained within you. If you or your loved one is in need of help, then call this number and start the recovery process now:

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