Looking for Help in Buffalo, NY
Buffalo sits on the eastern shore of Lake Erie and acts as the seat of Erie County in Western New York. Since 2014 it has been the second most populated city in the state with over 258,000 citizens. As a result of the Erie Canal, Buffalo experienced profound growth during the 19th and 20th centuries, providing fresh water and trade routes throughout the Midwest of the United States. Despite its continuous growth as a city, however, alcoholism finds a way to inhibit the glory of its rapid expansion.
It doesn’t seem to matter where you look, alcohol abuse is everywhere in our society. It is even mocked and joked about in Hollywood sitcoms and movies, making it difficult sometimes to take the issue seriously. Alcoholism is a disease that does not discriminate and shows no mercy. Fortunately, like most diseases, it can be treated, cared for, and vigorously fought with the right tools and knowledge. The problem is sometimes addicts are incarcerated instead of sent to clinics where they can get help. Jail is not very therapeutic in fact it is just the opposite.
The Dangers of Alcoholism
At A Better Today we know that there is a significant difference between having a glass of wine or a beer with dinner and alcohol abuse. Alcoholism, much like drug abuse, is now considered a disease, which means the way we look at and treat it are profoundly different. Despite the advances made in treatment for alcoholism, it still presents a wide variety of problems for anyone in its clutches. There are both short-term and long-term side-effects, any of which can be hazardous to your physical and psychological health.
There are different ways that alcohol can be abused: continuous consumption, and binge drinking. The first is probably one of the most overlooked methods of alcohol abuse: having one drink after the other without end, builds up a stronger tolerance and a stronger dependency. This seems to be most prevalent in people who have a high stress level, resorting to alcohol for relief.
The other common form of alcohol abuse is binge drinking, a method of alcohol abuse among ages 17-28 and in party scenarios, though not restricted to either. Binge drinking is defined as ingesting more than four alcoholic beverages in under two hours. This particular form of alcoholism is especially dangerous as it presents a significantly higher risk of alcohol poisoning. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include seizures, clammy skin, vomiting, shaking, and significantly subdued reflexes. If you notice someone with any of these symptoms, then they need medical attention immediately.
When it comes to the long-term side-effects of alcoholism, they are much more hazardous, sometimes even fatal. These symptoms can include heart attack, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and even some neurological conditions like dementia and stroke.
Getting Treatment with A Better Today
This is not an infomercial: there is no such thing as a magic pill to cure addiction and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. This knowledge is what has allowed A Better Today to lead the industry in substance abuse treatment. We create individualized treatment plans that are tailored to each client’s specific circumstance in order to create a life-long lasting solution. All of ABT’s therapists have Master’s level educations in substance abuse counseling and co-occurring disorders.
Addiction affects everyone in a different way depending on the severity of the substance dependency and their own personal circumstances. Knowing this, ABT offers various methods of therapy designed to give you an approach to recovery that works best. The primary methods that are used are group and individual therapy, which are designed to help you discover the underlying factors that cause your addiction as well as develop strong communication skills. In group therapy you will be around other recovering alcoholics, all trying to kick their drinking habits, sharing experiences and drawing strength from one another, similar to a mutual support group.
Individual therapy is where you sit in one-on-one sessions with a licensed therapist and work together to achieve the same goals as group therapy, gaining insight into the clients’ lives. This method is sometimes recommended to some if they have difficulty sharing or opening up in a group setting. This type of therapy often goes hand in hand with cognitive behavioral therapy, which works to help give you a new perspective on life as well as uncovering the issues that fuel the addiction.
Once you and your therapist are clear on the underlying issues factoring into your substance abuse, then they can begin the process of building a skillset for resisting relapse. The skills you learn will be practiced in a safely controlled environment until you are confident and strong enough to use them once you are out of treatment and living life.
Other methods of therapy employed by ABT are music and art therapy, strength and yoga therapy, equine therapy, and family therapy. Music and art have always held therapeutic value throughout society, and the use of it in recovery has shown success in providing our clients with a way to express their emotions. Strength and yoga therapy is used to create a healthy, physical outlet for our clients’ stress, as well as helping them to regain health. Equine therapy gives clients the opportunity to work with horses, helping them understand compassion and care while learning how to better interact with others after treatment. Addiction often ruins families and relationships with others, so family therapy is used to help open the channels of communication for family members once again.
The goal ABT seeks to accomplish is to help you become sober and stay that way for the rest of your life. Our plan is to give you the necessary tools and skills for tackling this addiction through clear eyes, and to be able to resist future triggers and potential temptations.
A Fresh Start in a New Environment
It can be difficult sometimes to get out of your comfort zone and leave home, but we want you to know that it is more beneficial to leave home and travel for treatment than it is to recover and detox from home. Once your body is dependent on alcohol the disease takes away your ability to choose not to drink. This same dependency relies on triggers to keep you in its vice grip and prevents recovery. You may consider home to be safe, but it very well could hold a lot of the triggers that are making your recovery and detox harder. Anything can be a trigger: a familiar drinking buddy, a familiar bar, a stressful situation, a dramatic family member, or even seeing your favorite shot glass. These are all things that can bring up the sensation of wanting to drink. If you don’t have the skills to resist these triggers, relapse is almost imminent.
However, if you were to travel to a new environment, one free of triggers and stressors, then your recovery has a stronger foundation. At A Better Today’s inpatient facilities, we aim to give you as stress-free an environment as possible to make your recovery safe and plentiful. You will be around others like you: recovering alcoholics trying to live a free, healthy, and sober life. You will be around others that you can draw strength and inspiration from, there is, after all, safety in numbers.
Nothing should ever get in the way of your healing process, which is why ABT accepts most forms of insurance that will often cover most or all of the treatment expenses. Even if this is not available, we also provide affordable payment plans so that you can get started right away. We want to get you the help you need and the life you deserve as soon as possible, so call (520) 288-8484 now to speak to a member of the ABT team and get the information you need. Begin your life anew now, with A Better Today.
