Avoid Chronic Alcohol Abuse

Should you be concerned about binge or chronic drinking? The answer to that is an emphatic yes. While experts would not view all binge drinkers as alcoholics, chronic drinking is indeed a subset of alcoholism. Binge drinkers always seem to be just one more drink away from addiction. With that in mind, people should view chronic alcohol abuse as a warning sign things are heading in the wrong direction.

How to Avoid Chronic Alcohol Abuse

You like to hang out with your friends and have a few drinks. It seems harmless enough. However, the amount and frequency of your drinking warrants monitoring. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a binge drinker consumes more than four alcoholic drinks in one day or a total of 15 or more in one week. That adds up to about three days of some pretty stout drinking. You can’t argue with the fact that frequent drinking is one of the signs of an alcoholic.

You have now taken the first step towards avoiding chronic alcohol abuse, gaining awareness. Given the dangers of alcohol addiction, you should seriously consider taking more steps. Here are some ideas you can use to help avoid becoming an alcoholic:

• Cut back on both the frequency and amount of your drinking
• It’s acceptable to seek treatment before a full-blown addiction sets in
• Express your concerns to loved ones
• Plan more activities that don’t include drinking
• As a deterrent, learn the health risks of alcoholism

The Health Risks of Chronic Drinking

For the most part, alcohol is a poison in the human body. Anyone who drinks on a regular basis runs the risk of harming themselves in some way. As chronic drinking progresses into alcoholism, almost every part of the body is at risk. Alcohol causes anemia, increases the possibility of cancer, damages the circulatory system, causes ulcers, severely damages the liver and affects the brain. What’s left?

Let Beaches Recovery Help

At Beaches Recovery, we treat most substance abuse addictions. We base our treatment approach on the idea that each patient has specific needs. For this reason, we avoid a cookie-cutter approach to treatment. Here’s a representative list of the treatment services we provide:

• Detox at Tides Edge facility
• Inpatient outpatient program
• Extended care treatment (over 90 days)
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Alcohol rehab for women
• Alcohol rehab for men
• Aftercare options

Don’t let your chronic alcohol abuse turn into a life-altering problem. As we mentioned above, you don’t want to wait for your life to fall apart before you seek health. Taking a proactive approach is a sign of being mature and responsible. For more information about how addiction treatment can squelch potential problems, pick up the phone and call Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida. The number is 866.605.0532. It’s a call you’ll never regret making.