What Is Alcohol Use Disorder? Your Guide To Alcohol Addiction In Yorktown Heights
September 24, 2024
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder? Your Guide To Alcohol Addiction In Yorktown Heights
Many people indulge in alcoholic drinks from time to time. But alcohol can be habit-forming. If you start to use alcohol to get through life or cannot limit your drinking, you could have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This condition can quickly overtake your life and severely affect all the pursuits you enjoyed before.
But there is hope. If you suspect you or a loved one have alcohol use disorder near Yorktown Heights, treatment and enduring recovery are within reach. Find out more about AUD and what you should do if you require support right away.
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition where you feel the urge to ingest alcohol in spite of the adverse repercussions of overconsumption. Your brain craves alcohol’s mind-altering qualities and fails to operate adequately without them. AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe. At its severest, you are at risk of overdosing with potentially deadly consequences.
As part of AUD, you could become addicted to alcohol and suffer uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if you cease using. Without specialized help, you can’t prevent yourself from ingesting alcohol to lessen the unease your body endures when you try to detox from alcohol. If you are able to quit “cold turkey,” you still have to counter the practice of consistent drinking. AUD needs skilled treatment to recover from.
Why Are Some People Impacted By Alcohol Use Disorder?
Lots of people in Yorktown Heights drink, but not all of them develop an alcohol use disorder. Several factors influence your probability of experiencing AUD:
- Drinking early in life
- Underlying mental illness
- Background of trauma
- Insufficient coping mechanisms
- Genetics
- Family history of alcohol use disorder
Numerous individuals begin binging on alcohol in response to major stressors. In the absence of healthy coping mechanisms, it’s easy to counteract the uneasy feelings that result from trauma and mental illness with the chemical stimulation of alcohol. When those unwanted feelings come back, you rely on alcohol to block them again. You experience a temporary reprieve under the influence of alcohol.
But, alcohol is never the solution. When you consume it consistently, you can become reliant on those chemicals to live your daily life. Without them, you feel worse than you did before and are compelled to drink more. Over time, drinking alcohol dominates your life and negatively infuences your career, relationships, well-being, pastimes, and finances. Once you’re trapped in this endless spiral, you cannot quit drinking without expert care.
What Are Common Alcohol Addiction Symptoms?
Frequent drinking doesn’t automatically indicate a disorder. Alcohol use progresses into a disorder when it begins interfering with your life. Various behaviors linked to drinking can indicate an alcohol use disorder.
You may have AUD if you:
- Frequently drink more or longer than you were expecting
- Are not able to cease drinking even when wanting to
- Spend much time seeking and using alcohol, even though it makes you feel bad or disrupts other parts of life
- Cravings are so powerful you are unable to concentrate on other things
- Have engaged in risky behaviors while drinking alcohol
- Need to drink more than you did previously in order to attain the desired effect
- Have forsaken activities you once enjoyed to make time for drinking
- Persistent drinking despite its impact on loved ones
- Have withdrawal symptoms when you cease drinking
The intensity of your AUD generally relates to the number of symptoms you have. But anyone who’s demonstrating signals of alcohol addiction symptoms near Yorktown Heights has a right to specialized treatment and care. You don’t have to confront alcohol use disorder on your own.
What To Know About Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
If you are addicted to alcohol, your system must have it to operate. If you stop drinking, you get sick. This is called withdrawal.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms vary from person to person and reflect your degree of alcohol usage. If you enter withdrawal, you may face any combination of these symptoms:
- Insomnia
- Shaky hands
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Feelings of anxiety
- Hallucinations
- Seizures
- Delirium tremens
- Delusions
- Confusion
- Rapid heart rate
- Fever
- High blood pressure
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are a sure-fire sign that you or a loved one has AUD and requires help. Withdrawal may be distressing and, in rare cases, even lethal if not controlled by medical professionals. If someone close to you| desires to stop using alcohol but experiences withdrawal if they make an attempt, contact a Yorktown Heights substance use treatment provider for help.
Can You “Cure” Alcohol Addiction?
Alcohol use disorder and addiction are considered chronic conditions. Technically speaking, there isn’t a cure. Even so, there is a possibility for long-term recovery. With a customized combination of medical and mental health care, you can discover how to navigate the compulsion to drink and reach your goal of sobriety. It’s a difficult process, but numerous people overcome alcohol use disorder in Yorktown Heights and reclaim their lives.
Getting Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment In Yorktown Heights
Nobody can attain sobriety by themselves–and you don’t have to! Getting alcohol use disorder treatment near Yorktown Heights may feel daunting, but you are entitled to professional support to help you get your life back together.
Alcohol use recovery may feel less overwhelming when you view it as a progression of steps. There is no single pathway to sobriety. Countless people endure relapses and repeat parts of the process more than once. But rest assured, you can get help from family members and accredited practitioners over the course of your recovery.
Alcohol detox: Your initial step is to detox from alcohol. When your system removes the alcohol, you need medical supervision that keeps you safe and relaxed. Whenever you’re prepared to end your alcohol dependence, enter a residential detox center near Yorktown Heights. You’ll benefit from 24-hour guidance for a week or two as you overcome withdrawal.
Alcohol rehab: After detoxing, your mind and body will still crave alcohol. You must transfer to residential alcohol rehab where medical staff can assist you in handling post-acute withdrawal. Alcohol rehab focuses on repairing your brain from the impact of alcohol usage. You’ll participate in therapy each day to look at the mental facets of AUD. You’ll stay in rehab as long as necessary.
Outpatient addiction support: Rehab will stabilize you enough to go back home, but you will still require ongoing support to keep on a path of sobriety. Don’t leave rehab without entering an outpatient addiction program that offers therapy and medication-assisted treatment. You are able to reside at home or at a sober living facility, but you still need to engage psychotherapists and a doctor during the week.
Sober living: Over time, your need for addiction services will subside. However, recovery is an ongoing endeavor. Rely on the network of addiction experts, family, and new friends you have built to keep up your healthy way of life. Avoid people or activities that compel you to use. Get assistance whenever you need it. Enduring recovery can be achieved!
Get Help Now For Alcohol Use Disorder Near Yorktown Heights
You don’t need to battle alcohol addiction alone. Talk to The Counseling Center At Yorktown Heights to get caring, professional alcohol use disorder treatment near Yorktown Heights. You can reach us at 914-977-0608 or by completing the form on this page. One of our team members will answer you immediately, regardless of the day or time. Every call is free and confidential. We’ll help you get the treatment you require now.