When it comes to parties, no one wants to feel left out while all their friends are drinking and having the time of their lives. Instead, we want to be a part of that fun and drink alongside our friends. It becomes a culture to drink whenever someone has a party as a way to showcase that they are having fun.
However, sometimes people tend to go overboard and use drinking as a way to escape from reality or to soothe themselves. This can eventually lead to that person having drinking problems and becoming addicted to alcohol.
According to the World Health Organization, “Worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol. This represents 5.3% of all deaths.” Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to death and can be hard to get a cure from on your own but you do not have to go through it alone.
Here at Tulua Health in Santa Monica, California, we are here to guide you through the full process of detoxing and helping you get back on your feet.
Get Help NowWhat is Alcohol?
Alcohol is a substance that comes from the fermentation and breakdown of sugar in various food items. Most alcoholic beverages like wine and vodka already contain sugar from grapes and potatoes. At lower doses, it becomes a stimulant that enforces feelings of euphoria and talkativeness. However, at high doses, alcohol acts as a depressant to the central nervous system. It can cause someone breathing to slow down and become shallow which eventually leads to coma or even death after excessive drinking.
What is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the inability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. This is when the consumption of alcohol becomes considered a brain disorder. People are often more vulnerable to relapse due to the misuse of alcohol.
How is Alcohol Addictive?
Drinking alcohol becomes addictive when people become dependent on it to feel euphoria, reduce anxiety, ease social interactions, and as a form of reward. However, this repeated behavior of alcohol consumption can result in changes in the basal ganglia, which is responsible for motor control such as executive functions, behaviors, and emotions.
Over time people sometimes strongly crave alcohol due to their history of excessive drinking and inability to control their alcohol consumption. While dependency is different from addiction, drinking excessively leads to addiction and other harmful consequences.
Some of the signs that relate to alcohol dependency include:
- Not being able to function without alcohol
- You feel like drinking is the center of your life (Your life revolves around drinking)
- Drinking despite how it affects you or your loved ones
- Difficulty controlling how much you drink in a day
- Craving alcohol or having withdrawal symptoms
- Your body adapts to the large amounts even when you should feel drunk
The mood of a person changes when they have not had a drink. Some of these behavioral patterns may include anxiety, unhappiness, or feeling unwell until they have had a drink. While drinking the effects of alcohol may push a person to drink more to continuously feel that effect.
Once a person becomes addicted it becomes hard to stop because they become psychologically and physically dependent. Physically, the body will crave alcohol and a person may feel symptoms like shaky hands, feeling sick, sweaty, and having seizures. Psychologically, it becomes harder to stop those drinking habits and alcohol becomes a part of your life and how you cope in difficult situations.
How Does Alcohol Affect the Brain and Body?
Whether a person is used to drinking alcohol to escape life or to cope in difficult situations excessively drinking it over time can negatively affect the brain and body.
Short-term Effects of Alcoholism
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Upset stomach
- Headaches
- Difficulty breathing
- Distorted vision and hearing
- Impaired judgment
- Decreased perception and coordination
- Unconsiousness
- Anemia (loss of red blood cells)
- Coma
- Blackouts
Long-term Effects of Alcoholism
- Unintentional injuries such as car crash falls
- Intentional injuries such as domestic violence, sexual assault
- Increase family problems, broken relationships
- Alcohol poisoning
- High blood pressure, stroke
- Liver disease
- Nerve damage
- Sexual problems
- Permanent damage to the brain
- Inflammation of stomach walls
- Malnutrition
- Cancer of the mouth and throat
Causes of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
There are many different causes of AUD ranging from past trauma to societal pressures. Some of the causes of alcoholism include:
- Drinking at an early age: In a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism study, “among people ages 26 and older, those who began drinking before age 15 were 5 times as likely to report having AUD in the past year as those who waited until age 21 or later to began drinking.”
- Having a family history of alcohol issues: A person’s behavior can sometimes be a reflection of the type of people they surround themselves with. If a person grows up in an environment where their parents are constantly drinking, this may influence the child to drink as well and later develop AUD.
- Mental health issues and history of trauma: There is a wide range of psychiatric conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and ADHD which can increase the risk of someone having AUD. Moreover, those with a traumatic childhood are more vulnerable to alcoholism.
How Will You Know If You Are Addicted to Alcohol?
Some signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse include and are not varied to:
- Drinking despite the negative consequences
- Developing cravings
- A decline in work or school performance
- Risk-taking behaviors increase
- A decline in personal relationships
- Poor personal hygiene
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms
- Yellow eyes and yellow skin due to liver damage
- Dry hair, nails, and skin
Treatment for Alcoholism
Here at Tulua Health, located in Santa Monica, California, we offer multiple tactics to treat addiction. Treatments vary based on the person’s situation and needs. Some people believe that they can get treated on their own and go through withdrawal on their own. However, doing this alone can lead to dire consequences such as death.
Tulua Health has professionals to help guide an individual through the whole process of getting treated. We address the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of the addiction. At our rehab center, we offer inpatient and outpatient treatments.
Inpatient Treatment
In our inpatient treatment, we include:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
We include therapy for addiction treatment so people can:
- Examine their thoughts and behavioral patterns
- Recover from past trauma and pain
- Create healthy relationships
- Improve confidence when it comes to facing challenges
- Cose with symptoms and find a healthier coping mechanism
- Handle negative emotions
Outpatient Treatment
While inpatient treatments allow a person to physically be at the facility, some people may prefer to stay in the comfort of their homes. Tulua Health also gives the option of doing that through outpatient treatment.
During the time that an individual is attending rehab, they are allowed to live at home. This allows individuals to continue tending to their normal life responsibilities and also receive treatment for their addiction.
Some people do not want to be at a rehab center 24/7 and prefer to have more of a balance in their personal life while receiving treatment. Surrounding themselves with friends and family can motivate an individual to change their lifestyles. However, this usually works when they have a solid support system at home.
Some of the benefits of doing this are that the individual gets to spend time with friends and family while not having to worry too much about the cost of rehab. They do not have to feel like rehab is disrupting them from having a normal life, some people have responsibilities like working and parenting.
While it is good to take the inpatient treatments at Tulua Health, sometimes it can be a shock returning to the real world after rehab. Nevertheless, outpatient treatment provides an easy transition as rehab does not fully become the center of that person’s life and they still can fulfill their responsibilities or goals.
The treatments for both inpatient and outpatients are the same, the only difference is where the person prefers to get treated. Whether it is by being at the rehab center 24/7 or being at home and coming to the center whenever it is necessary.
Receive Alcohol Rehab in California
If you or a loved one is suffering from alcoholism and don’t know where to turn, you’re not alone. Tulua Health’s alcohol rehab located in Santa Monica, CA, and the surrounding areas, can help you recover.
Tulua Heath understands the impact that cravings and addiction can have on a person’s life. We have treated multiple people and we have licensed professionals to help assist an individual in their recovery. We begin by addressing the underlying mental health trauma to clear an individual’s mind before tackling substance abuse.
We strive to make an individual’s experiences memorable and to provide a safe and supportive environment. Our goal is to ensure that all of our patients are living a clean and healthy lifestyle by the end of our treatments.
Tulua Health Can Help You Recover From Alcohol Addiction
Tulua Health’s Alcohol Rehab in California offers people access to treatment for addiction. If you want to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one recover from alcohol addiction, contact us today.
Get In Touch
Battling addiction and mental health is a difficult and challenging experience. Let our team of behavioral health specialists find the plan that is right for you. Contact us today via our private and secure form.
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