Alcoholism Treatment Programs

Most people do not understand the difference between recreational drinking and alcoholism. When your drinking goes from being under your control to controlling you, you have likely crossed the line into alcoholism. It is important to know that once you become an alcoholic, it’s not a matter of “just having a drink to relax.” It becomes something your body needs to function. The disease of alcoholism requires that you go through some type of an alcohol rehab for men to be able to fully recover. That is what we have set up here for you at His House.

“Alcohol ruined me financially and morally, broke my heart and the hearts of too many others. Even though it did this to me and it almost killed me and I haven’t touched a drop of it in seventeen years, sometimes I wonder if I could get away with drinking some now. I totally subscribe to the notion that alcoholism is a mental illness because thinking like that is clearly insane.” ― Craig Ferguson

Understanding the Process of Alcoholism

Most people start off with the occasional drink now and again, often going long times between drinks without problematic side effects. As your tolerance for alcohol increases, you begin drinking larger quantities, more often. This can lead to drinking on a nearly daily basis. Symptoms of withdrawal on days when you don’t drink, such as nausea or anxiety, indicate that you may be suffering from alcohol addiction.

Alcoholism can quickly take over a man’s life. It does not take long for drinking to progress due to alcohol tolerance increasing. You can slowly phase into an alcoholic over the course of a few years or even a decade or more, or you can go from a non-drinker to a full-blown alcoholic over the course of a month. It all depends on how much you drink, and how often.

“When you quit drinking you stop waiting.” ― Caroline Knapp

Dangers of Living with and Recovering from Alcoholism

The more you drink, the more problems your body is going to face. Not only do your liver and your kidneys need to filter all of the alcohol out of your system, but drinking can also impact your heart. If you have been drinking for a significant period of time, alcohol is also going to have a severe impact on your brain. This can make the process of recovering from alcoholism a much more difficult task than some other addictions. The main body parts that are affected include:

• Your heart, leading to arrhythmia and high blood pressure
• Your liver, leading to hepatitis, cirrhosis, or fibrosis
• Your brain, leading to memory problems, problems controlling your moods or issues with coordination, or even strokes

If you try to stop drinking cold turkey, without tapering your drinking down any, the withdrawal can cause your body to basically revolt. You could go from perfectly fine to being on death’s doorstep in a very short period of time because your body will not remember how to function without the presence of alcohol. It may stop functioning altogether; alcohol withdrawal has been known to lead to death in extreme cases. An alcoholic needs to have professionals around during this process in order to keep an eye on his breathing and his heart rate, so if something does start to go wrong, the medical emergency can be managed.

Another danger that people need to be on the lookout for when recovering from alcoholism is delirium tremens, or what are more commonly called DTs. These terrifying hallucinations completely take over your reality. DTs can last for a few minutes or a few hours, and in rare cases, even last days or weeks. The best way to avoid DTs is to be around professionals who can help you taper off of your alcohol use the right way, so your body can adjust slowly instead of being thrust through the downward spiral that is withdrawal.

“A drinking man’s someone who wants to forget he isn’t still young and believing” ― Tennessee Williams

What Life is Like in Recovery from Alcoholism

When recovering from alcoholism, the choices that you make going into the future are critical. You are going to need to learn a lot of control before you can go out to places that serve alcohol. You should also opt to avoid non-alcoholic drinks such as alcohol-free beer because of the simple fact that it will give you the taste of something that resembles alcohol again, triggering a relapse, which you want to avoid at all costs.

His House rehab for men has extensive experience in alcohol detox, both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, and aftercare. We also offer Christian-track programs which emphasize spirituality and faith-based recovery for men. For more information on recovery, visit our alcoholic drinking self-assessment page.

We Can Help

At His House, we can help you get control over your alcoholism, instead of it controlling you. We can help monitor your detox so that you are safe, and we can help you choose the best program to guide you into a sober lifestyle. Let us help you get your life back today! Reach out to us through our contact page and get started on the path to recovery.