If there is one substance that has ingrained itself into the fabric of our society, it is alcohol.
When most people are celebrating a special event, what do they do? Toast with drinks. When most families throw a holiday party or family event, how do they typically mark the occasion? Toast with drinks. When you are attending a get together with friends and family, what do you do at some point throughout the gathering? Toast with drinks.
That’s why trying to quit a substance like alcohol on your own can often prove so problematic. It is everywhere, and, as a society, most people consume it often without any negative responses or repercussions. Understanding the severity of your drinking and enlisting the help of a qualified treatment facility can help you accomplish your goals of sustained sobriety.
Why it’s Hard to Quit Drinking
When a person makes the decision to occasionally consume alcohol in reasonable amounts, the experience is usually relaxing. The chemical changes that occur in the brain are temporary and the effects are limited because the amount being consumed is moderate. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to limit their alcohol consumption.
While a recent survey showed that 86 percent of people drink to this moderate level on a consistent basis, over 14 million adults reported a serious alcohol problem. This is due to the way alcohol stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked with pleasurable and rewarding activities.
The artificial release of this neurological chemical affects the brain’s reward center, stimulating your interest in and enjoyment of alcohol, causing you to continue your addictive impulses in order to achieve that same pleasurable feeling.
Consequently, the brain learns to associate alcohol with positive experiences and, thus, establishes an addictive pattern – forcing you to continue drinking in order to get your fix.
3 Things to Consider Before Quitting Drinking on Your Own
If you’re addicted to drinking and want to stop, you absolutely can. However, deciding to handle your recovery on your own is no small task and requires tremendous insight and understanding of the disease before going that route.
Three questions to consider before making the decision to quit drinking on your own include:
• How long have you struggled with excessive alcohol consumption?
Before coming to the conclusion that you can handle your recovery on your own, it is imperative to consider how long you have been drinking excessively.
With an estimated 88,000 people dying annually from alcohol-related causes, it is critical to know the severity of your alcohol use disorder so that you can avoid unforeseen medical complications throughout the detoxification process.1
• What does your support system look like?
Having a strong sober support network to assist you along your recovery journey is imperative. Nearly 60 percent of people who begin the process of detoxification and rehabilitation will, at some point, experience a relapse.
During times of stress and social unrest – such as the ones we have experienced just this year – having a network of sober friends and family who not only support your sobriety, but also encourage your success is essential to weathering the temptation to relapse.
• How do you plan to manage the inevitable stress associated with sobriety?
One major component that treatment facilities provide recovering addicts is a structured environment to manage their recovery. By working with qualified clinicians to establish an individual treatment plan, techniques for managing personal stress and emotional hardships is elemental to the rehab process.
That increased level of accountability ensures you not only have a plan to face potential roadblocks, but you also have clinical guidance to help you maneuver those setbacks when they arise.
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Drinking on Your Own
No matter how you cut it, alcohol recovery is a hard road to travel. The potential to relapse is ever present and the social pressure to consume alcohol is everywhere you look. Making the choice to handle this process on your own is not only unnecessary, it can also be both physically and emotionally hazardous.
Finding a treatment facility that is able to address your personal needs in a safe and secure setting can provide you with the clinical support required to stop drinking and achieve long-term health and happiness. During times when everything may seem increasingly chaotic and uncertain, it’s important to trust an addiction treatment center. Places like these know exactly what you need to re-establish the personal structure necessary to overcome your alcohol addiction safely and effectively.
Life-Changing, Holistic Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery
Regardless of whether you abuse alcohol more than you should or you’re contending with a
full-blown alcohol addiction, you must know that your alcohol use and addiction can stop for good and
you can get your entire life back on track.
Don’t let alcoholism claim your life or hurt those you love the most any longer. There is life-changing
Support available and a sober future is possible. At Ranch Creek Recovery, your precise withdrawal and treatment needs are our main priority; your successful recovery and sober re-entry into society is our utmost mission.
At our non-12 step rehab and holistic recovery center, our alcohol abuse treatment program delivers all-
encompassing methodologies of medical and physical treatment, holistic and experiential
therapies, and preparation to forge the drug free future you desire.
Learn more about Ranch Creek Recovery, including our alcohol abuse treatment program and dedication
to individualized care.
