Cedar Rapids, Iowa and their Fight on Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a prevalent part of all societies and has been for many years. In today’s day and age it seems like everywhere you go, there’s alcohol. It seems impossible to break away from the bottle. You can encounter alcohol at grocery stores, gas stations and around town. A study done by the Foundation for a Drug Free World in 2005 found that 3.9 million Americans received treatment for substance abuse problems. 2.5 million Of them were treated for alcohol abuse.
Alcoholism can happen to anyone, it does not discriminate. People fear that they will remain helpless because of the strong hold alcohol has over their mind, body, and soul. A Better Today offers treatment programs to help your loved one in their struggle with alcohol.
What are the Risks?
Alcohol, like other substances, filters through the liver and other organs –including the brain. Alcohol can alter the cerebellum portion of the brain making it difficult to control speech, memory, judgement, and movement. Alcoholism also comes with a multitude of consequences including liver inflammations, steatosis and cirrhosis. The consequences of drinking are not limited to health. The also include financial consequences, legal repercussions, and tension among family and friends.
Steatosis is the earliest stage of alcohol-related liver disease. Everything you put into your body is filtered through the liver and excessive drinking can cause buildup of fat. Several alcohol abusers have steatosis and it could be reversed with abstaining from alcohol.
Cirrhosis is the most advanced type of alcohol-related liver disease, caused by scarring. Unlike steatosis, cirrhosis cannot be reversed by abstaining from alcohol. Nevertheless, abstaining from alcohol could prevent further damage to the liver.
Alcohol abuse has been looked at as an unlawful act for many years. Consequently, those suffer with alcoholism are institutionalized, which has proven to be ineffective and inhumane. Recovery usually entails a complete makeover of mind, body, and soul. Therefore, alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease and recovery is a lifetime journey and does not have a final destination.
Cleansing the Body with Detoxification
Withdrawals are symptoms that occur while abstaining from alcohol. Withdrawals occur when an individual has become mentally or physically dependent on alcohol. The severity of withdrawal symptoms your loved one may experience will depend upon how they abused alcohol and the frequency of their drinking.
Withdrawals from alcohol could result in death if not medically supervised. Some symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include but are not limited to difficulty concentrating, sweating, anxiety, shaking, vomiting, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, irritability, and depression. If symptoms occur seek medical attention immediately.
Detoxification allows the toxic chemicals from alcohol to leave the body and is vital in every treatment plan. It could be difficult for the suffering person to participate in what would be required to help them stay in treatment while experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Once the alcohol abuser is clear headed, they will be able to reach the co-occurring issues that may have triggered their drinking because they are no longer masking emotions with alcohol.
Why A Better Today?
When your loved one decides they want treatment and arrives at our facility they will meet with an educated therapist with a master’s level degree or higher to receive a physiological evaluation. This evaluation helps them create a personalized treatment plan to effectively treat the mind, body, and soul of each client. A Better Today is a dual-diagnosis facility and we understand alcohol abuse is a symptom of a deeper problem. Our goal is to get to the root of all co-occurring issues that centralized in the alcohol abuser, allowing a lifetime of happiness and health.
An individual struggling with alcoholism typically develops patterns in their life on how they are going to get that next drink and how they will prepare it. It is normal for these patterns to continue just like the mindset they had in active drinking. Subsequently, alcohol usually has a strong hold over the suffering person causing them to think they need alcohol over everything else. Breaking these harmful patterns and exchanging them for new ones is vital when someone is recovering from alcohol addiction. That said, traveling for treatment is highly recommended in your loved ones treatment plan. Having familiar surroundings may be a huge temptation for the suffering person to resort back to the bottle. However, taking away what is familiar, such as their lifestyle, daily routines, and drinking buddies could be beneficial and key to a successful recovery.
A Better Today aims to save the lives of people struggling with alcoholism. Your loved one will participate in various therapy methods including one-on-one and group sessions. We also offer music and art therapy, exercise, and yoga during the time of their stay .Our focus is to create a better healthier version of themselves.
Group therapy sessions will teach the person abusing alcohol they are not walking the path of recovery alone. It is possible your loved one lost the ability to communicate normally. Group therapy sessions can help rebuild their confidence that was lost in active alcoholism. Regardless of the situation, group therapy sessions will develops skills without the use of alcohol.
We offer individual therapy sessions as well. This is where we can address your loved one’s personal issues one-on-one. We comprehend that alcohol has affected each individual in various ways. All our clients have their own strengths and issues. Individual therapy also will allow the therapist to create a personalized aftercare plan. Having a solid aftercare plan is vital because with the structure aftercare provides the suffering person is less likely to undergo a relapse. At A Better Today your loved one will receive quality care and will be worked with one-on-one so each them can feel confident and have a strong foundation when growing in their recovery.
Life Goes On
When an individual struggling with alcoholism leaves inpatient treatment and goes into the real world where there is more temptation and struggle, it causes stress-levels to be high, instigating a possible relapse. That said, our facility will work closely with the suffering person giving them the education and tools needed to prevent relapse and continue recovery after inpatient treatment is completed. A successful aftercare usually includes taking a step down from the structure of inpatient rehab into transitional living, sober living homes, as well as working in our intensive outpatient programs.
Sober living and transitional living homes are in supervised environments that allow your loved one to rebuild their life and learn to live life on their terms in a safe environment. Aftercare allows the suffering person to practice living sober outside of treatment, utilizing the tools learned in inpatient ensuring a lifetime of sobriety. It is important to feel confident in and ready to handle daily responsibilities without drinking. A Better Today hopes to help the suffering person have a better quality of life, not just teach them to put down the bottle.
How would an Intervention be Beneficial?
Although seeking treatment is a first step in the right direction, it may be difficult for the alcohol abuser to come to terms admitting to their struggles with alcohol. Alcoholism usually branches from co-occurring internal controversies. Those co-occurring issues could include mental illness, abuse, neglect, and a feeling of failure. Alcoholism is progressive and it did not happen overnight. It is common to find that your loved one is afraid to stop drinking. This is where an intervention would be helpful.
When staging an intervention, it is best the person is coherent enough to obtain information and be able to engage in the process. Also, it is beneficial to choose a strong team and leave out family members who may have had an abusive past with the suffering person. An effective team would include but is not limited to close friends, parents, spouses, children, and other family members. It might be difficult to reach out to some individuals because of the history they have with the alcohol abuser. Consequently, relationships have been strained, but if you explain to them it is time to take action and get your loved one help, you may be amazed at all who are willing to get them the help they need. The intervention should be as stress-free to the alcohol abuser as possible. The goal is to get them into treatment and an intervention may be an obligatory step in the suffering person’s treatment plan.
What if I cannot Afford Treatment?
Seeking rehabilitation for alcoholism always starts with finding the best treatment plan for your specific needs. Regardless, the financial situation our facility will work with you and find the best plan possible. A Better Today accepts most private pay insurance companies that will cover the majority of your costs of alcohol treatment. Insurance is not the only option A Better Today offers. That said, we accept private pay and have scholarships available which are discounted rates for those not financing treatment with insurance. Do not wait until it is too late. Call A Better Today for a better tomorrow:(520) 288-8484
