Alcohol Abuse and Finding Alcohol Rehab
Alcohol can be found anywhere in your community; from your local liquor store, to a large supermarket, to your favorite restaurant right down the street. While most people do not see alcohol as any sort of threat, including it too often in their lives could bring on some unwanted consequences for the future. People argue that there’s no harm in alcohol because drinking a few beers can help make you more sociable, relaxed, and confident. So what’s the growing problem?
The prominent issue comes in the statistics of negative events following frequent alcohol abuse. Recent studies on alcohol consumption estimates that up to a whopping seventy percent of all Americans will drink at some point in their lives and seventy percent will drink at least once each year. While that may come as no surprise, many people can manage their habits by being a high-functioning addict every day.
Addicts must be made aware that they can find help if they just look for it. Whether someone needs support to gain back their independence from alcohol or want to find resources for recovering, joining a support group is a great way to find effective alcohol rehab. Traditional methods like Alcoholics Anonymous is the go-to group to talk amongst a group of people who will lend support. In recent years, social media has allowed that method to evolve into an impactful online community to keep people highly motivated and stay focused to become fully healthy again.
Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Almost a fifth of all young adults, especially college students who often consume alcohol, can be considered a high-functioning addict and show signs of alcohol abuse. High-functioning alcoholics are hard to notice since they expertly conceal any tell-tale signs of abuse. Chronic drinking also leads to a negative change in how they look, act, and feel throughout their day. Some usual signs of one, especially if they’re a college student, is if that they frequently use drinks to relax after stressful days or become more confident at parties, drink by themselves, black out often when they choose to drink, run into problems with the campus police, often joke about having an addiction online or in person, and sound upset when they are asked about their alcoholic lifestyle.
As a college student, I’ve witnessed many of my peers start their taste of alcohol with a few drinks here and there and eventually become a high-functioning addict. There’s nothing wrong with a drink to celebrate here and there. The point is that copious binge drinking to manage stress or to self-medicate leads to alcohol abuse and addictions to other negative substances.
Drinking lots of alcohol is socially acceptable in college and doesn’t exactly have the same stigma attached to it as harder drugs like marijuana, cocaine, or Adderall. What seemed like a subtle action can snowball into a daily wine night, endless rounds of beers at happy hour, and overdoing vodka shots on the rocks. Rarely are such nights filled with truly wholesome memories, as many people I have come across in college thus far have experienced worrying blackouts, threw up from feeling sick, or even getting lost on campus by themselves. Recognizing these habits as a problem is the first step to gaining control of your life and preventing worse consequences from happening.
Finding Support
Even if a person acknowledges that they have a problem and attempt to self-medicate themselves, doing so is incredibly risky and can bring an onset of tough withdrawal symptoms. It’s important for any high functioning alcoholic to seek professional treatment and a support group to keep accountable during their daily life. Although people in a peer support group may come from different backgrounds, all need each other as a fellow lifeline to stay on track and be successful in the long run. Every person involved knows exactly what it’s like to be an addict in our alcohol obsessed world today, and are overcoming the overwhelming sadness, guilt, and remorse that sometimes comes going through recovery. Most are trying to also rebuild their self -confidence, their relationships with friends and family, and their professional careers. Placing yourself in such a group increases your likelihood immensely to stay in recovery mode. You will gain emotional support with caring mentors, support from seminars that teach important skills, a sense of belonging, and tips for socializing with others that don’t revolve around drugs or alcohol.
Usually a support group precedes a person entering their rehab treatment to help them build an organized mindset to begin making incremental lifestyle changes. If they’re already enrolled in a specific treatment program, support groups can accompany it and provide an important link to a community of people going through the same thing. Within each stage, members of peer support groups will be building their leadership abilities to use in the future. These skills are crucial to become a positive influence for other addicts going through recovery as well!
Reach Out
There’s no doubt that having a peer support group reaps enormous benefits to the body, mind, and spirit. If you have a very busy schedule and can’t find enough time to find what’s right for you, seek online alcoholic recovery resources that help guide you to the best treatment plan and learn more about support groups like AA. Facebook has many such forums and groups that are open to AA members for free, and welcome them with open arms. A lot of colleges throughout the country also run their own discussion forums for their students to join on a weekly basis. You can also easily Google search for AA groups that suit your lifestyle and personal goals. Starting a change can be scary at first, but recovering with a supportive community will help you win your battle!
