Alcoholism Is a Disease

Alcoholism is a disease that most people don’t quite understand. When one thinks of alcoholism, they picture someone realizing they have a problem and seeking help with detox or alcohol addiction rehab once. Yet, like any disease, it is a condition that is more complicated than that. Alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (the term alcoholism is no longer preferred in treatment circles because of its negative connotations) is a chronic disease. This means addiction needs to be managed and monitored throughout recovery to maintain sobriety. At Beaches Recovery, our counselors, therapists, and medical professionals have designed an alcohol addiction treatment program to help individuals lay the foundations for a lasting recovery.

Alcoholism Is a Chronic Disease

A person diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, will instinctively see a doctor and get help. These health concerns are also chronic, but individuals know that they need ongoing treatment.

This misunderstanding that alcohol use disorder can be treated once is a much different situation. In fact, those who have a problem often are in denial, and they don’t think they need help. This makes treatment difficult for an individual under the influence. It also hurts family members to see treatment being ignored. Understanding the disease may help you get some answers and also help your loved one recover.

Understanding Alcoholism is a Disease

The family of a person with drinking issues needs to realize alcoholism is a disease. Otherwise, it can make children, parents, and spouses feel as though they are to blame. The misconception that alcoholism is a choice also deters people from having their loved ones seek help. Families often believe that they can provide someone with enough love and support after they notice symptoms of alcoholism, that they’ll want to stop drinking. When you realize that you’re dealing with a powerful illness like cancer, you’ll understand that loving a person won’t solve their problem.

In an alcohol addiction treatment, the individual with an alcohol use disorder and their family gains access to resources to understand alcoholism is a disease. One of the more impactful programs is family therapy. This addiction therapy program helps family members understand their loved one is going through and what lies ahead.

Proof that Alcoholism is a Disease

Sometimes friends or family refuse to believe that a person has lost control of their drinking. They believe that someone should stop when they want to, but this is not often the case without alcohol detox and other treatment programs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) are government organizations that research addiction and have been able to provide evidence that addiction is a chronic brain disorder. If you were to put a normal person’s brain next to someone who suffers from addiction, you’d see that the person with an addiction has abnormal brain reactions to alcohol. This reaction causes a person to crave alcohol and feel as though they need alcohol to survive.

Evidence-Based Treatment Helps

Due to the findings of the NIDA and NIAAA, there have been years of research that have resulted in treatment methods scientifically proven to help heal the brain. Although there is no cure for addiction, Beaches Recovery uses evidence-based treatment methods to help your loved one recover from alcoholism. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic process that retrains the brain to replace old behaviors with new ones. Some of the other therapies clients can take part in across all our treatment programs include:

• Motivational interviewing
• Rational emotive behavior therapy
• Recreation therapy
• Solution-focused brief therapy
• Stress management to stay sober
• Support groups

These are just some of the therapeutic options available. It takes time to heal fully, but the treatment process will provide your loved one with the tools they need to maintain their sobriety post-treatment.

Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder at Beaches Recovery

Our alcohol rehab center provides the following services to promote lasting recovery from alcohol abuse:

• Alcohol detox program at Tides Edge
• Men’s and women’s alcohol rehab program
• Inpatient alcohol rehab
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
• Dual diagnosis treatment program
• Addiction aftercare programs

Contact Beaches Recovery for ongoing support. Call an addiction specialist today at 866.605.0532, or contact us online. We’re ready to help you get back on track.