Alcohol Rehab in Cedar Park, TX
Entering into our alcohol rehab in Cedar Park is the first step to regaining control over self-destructive drinking habits. Alcohol rehab centers provide a safe, alcohol-free environment to begin the detox process under supervision.
Throughout the detox process, some recovering people may experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Depending on the severity of the addiction, the symptoms can range from moderate to unpleasant, through to dangerous and even potentially life-threatening.
It's common for many people to attempt to quit drinking at home, believing they just need to use a bit of willpower and they'll be able to stay sober. What those people don't realize is that detox only rids the effects of the alcohol from the body. Our center for drug detox in Cedar Park won't completely address the underlying psychological triggers behind self-destructive alcohol abuse.
Alcohol rehab in Cedar Park provides alcohol addiction treatment designed to make alcohol withdrawal and the detox process more comfortable for the recovering person. Drug rehab centers also integrate a range of therapies and treatments intended to address the psychological aspect of alcohol addiction.
What is Alcohol Abuse?
Alcohol abuse is the term used for habitual excessive consumption of alcohol. Binge drinking, or drinking large volumes of alcohol in one session, is also classified as alcohol abuse.
Alcohol Abuse Signs and Symptoms
There are a number of signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse. These can include:
- Cravings: Feeling the overwhelming urge to have a drink in order to relax or to boost confidence in social situations or to relieve boredom is a sign of a drinking problem.
- Drinking alone: Drinking alcohol alone can be a sign of self-medicating, but it's also an early warning sign of developing alcoholism if it becomes a regular habit.
- Loss of control: Having little or no control over the amount being consumed or frequency of use once drinking has started.
- Blackouts: Being unable to remember things that occurred while drinking is known as blacking out.
- Repeated failed attempts to quit: Promising to quit or cut down drinking only to fall back into the same patterns.
- Tolerance: Becoming accustomed to the constant presence of alcohol in the system means the drinker needs to consume larger volumes in order to achieve the same effects. To an onlooker, the person may appear to be able to drink a lot without seeming drunk
- Withdrawal symptoms: Experiencing withdrawal symptoms if the person tries to stop drinking suddenly is a sign of alcohol abuse. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can include tremors, shaking, nausea and vomiting, fever, elevated heartbeat, increased blood pressure, hallucinations, anxiety, seizures, and delirium tremens (DTs).
- Physical dependency: Heavy drinking over a period of time can lead the body to become physically dependent on alcohol, or addicted.
Dangers of Alcohol Abuse
Abusing alcohol can cause a range of serious health problems that can affect almost every major organ in the body. Some of the more dangerous health conditions alcohol can induce include:
Heart damage: Alcohol can cause the heart muscle to stretch or droop, causing a condition known as cardiomyopathy. Heavy drinkers also have an increased risk of developing heart disease.
Liver damage: The ethanol in alcohol is metabolized by the liver, so drinking heavily puts the liver under enormous stress. Alcohol abuse can cause liver damage, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis or the liver, and increase the risk of developing liver cancer.
Brain damage: Alcohol interferes with the brain's normal communication pathways. Abusing alcohol over a period of time can cause learning and memory problems, as well as increasing the risk of developing dementia.
Cancer: Alcohol is a known carcinogen that can increase the risk of developing several types of cancer, including cancer of the liver, mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, breast, and colon.
Mental health problems: Alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system that can trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression or make existing mental illness symptoms worse.
Who Needs to Seek Treatment at an Alcohol Abuse Rehab?
Anyone struggling to regain control over their drinking habits should seek our treatment programs in Cedar Park. Alcohol addiction treatment doesn't mean changing every aspect of your life. Rather, it's about learning healthy ways to cope with stress and manage cravings without the need for alcohol.
Specialists within an alcohol rehab in Cedar Park help recovering people identify the underlying reasons behind their drinking behaviors. Alcohol addiction treatment then begins helping each person create their own unique relapse prevention strategy designed to reduce the risk of returning to a pattern of alcohol abuse after leaving rehab. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.