Alcoholism as an Illness and Alcohol Addiction Help

“An illness of this sort – and we have come to believe it an illness – involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can.  If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no on is angry or hurt.  But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worth while in life.  It engulfs all whose lives touch the sufferer’s.” – The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 18

Many times, when we are drinking and/or using, our behavior does not inspire empathy and compassion though we are, without question, sick.  Our illness does not resemble the diseases we are aware of, the ones that allow us to feel sympathy for the one who is ill.  Our illness, the illness of alcoholism and addiction, has a tendency to inspire frustration, anger, hurt feelings and, more often that not, disappointment by anyone with whom we come in contact.  Our close friends and family, our loved ones, our partners, our children, may not feel sorry for us; they may, in fact, be angry and have had experience after experience that leaves them feeling let down once again.

So, what has to be done to treat this illness?  Essentially, it is a sickness of spirit.  What must we do to treat our condition and invigorate our spiritual health? There is alcohol addiction help available for everyone.

This drug rehab in California, just outside of Los Angeles, is surrounded by an abundance of beauty.  What might this have to do with our spirits you ask?  When we are immersed in sunshine, fresh air, mountains, beautiful views, sunsets and starry nights, the beauty of the world, we are given the opportunity to reconnect with nature.  In and through nature is one way to reconnect with the spirit of the world, which in turn helps us connect to the essence of our own spirits and then we are able to connect to the spirits of others.  And, it is in this last connection, the one between us and others, which is where we really begin to move away from sickness and disease and move toward living a healthy life, recovering from the illness of alcoholism and addiction.

Education for Addicts, Alcoholics and their Families

The friends and family of alcoholics and addicts have long wondered just what they could do to make the addict or alcoholic stop their harmful and destructive behavior. Once, the primary school of thought was that the alcoholic or addict had to hit rock bottom by themselves before they were ready for one of the 30 day rehab programs, then we began seeing more and more interventions performed as families sought the help of professionals and interventionists to communicate with the alcoholic or addict the things that they didn’t seem to be able to get across on their own.

More and more, families are arming themselves with education about alcoholism, drug rehab treatment programs, 12 step program addiction specialists and addiction and alcoholism in general. There is so much information on drug rehab blogs around the internet and through books and educational programs on television that addiction has gone from being a mysterious affliction where sufferers and their families are alienated and suffer in silence to one that is recognizably common and with which most people are at least a little familiar. One of the complications of this is that it can create an environment where everyone thinks themselves an expert. Thankfully, there are many reliable drug rehab blogs that provide insight and information to alcoholism, addiction, its affect on the sufferers and their families and the action required to make a change and enter a new life of recovery and freedom.

What we seek to offer here are insights into each side of addiction; both the addict or alcoholic and support for family of addicts. We hope that you are able to find those things and we invite you to post any questions. We will get to each of them!

Telltale Signs and Early Warnings: Support for Family of Addicts

Check out a few drug rehab blogs; most showcase and detail the accommodations, programs and “perks” offered by those treatment programs – but how do you know for sure that it’s time to seek help on behalf of a friend or family member? You might have suspicions, but still are not sure how to tell if your loved one is struggling with drug abuse.

Not all drug use results in addiction and not all cases of drug use require 30 day treatment programs. Below are ten indicators that point towards the development of abuse and addiction. If the majority of behaviors listed below are striking an all-too-familiar chord, chances are your loved one may be in trouble.

Loss of Interest

Sudden loss of interest in all activities seen in a person who is normally active and engaged is a red flag for drug and alcohol use. When attention is suddenly deflected from things and people of interest, it can mean that a great deal of energy is being diverted to feeding an addiction.

Noticeable Physical Changes

Blood-shot eyes, dilated pupils, injection marks, frequent sniffing, scratching, puffy face, and unusually slow-healing sores are a few common signs of drug use. People will also go to great lengths to hide these indicators, however. Some less subtle signs of drug or alcohol use, are rapid weight loss or gain and total lack of personal care.

Drug Paraphernalia

Finding wrapping papers, syringes, pipes or bongs, burnt spoons, bongs or razor blades? You have every reason to be alarmed. These are definite signs of use, though not always of addiction.

Mood Swings:

Someone who is usually calm and collected can be ultra hyper and out of control. Someone who is usually pleasant and upbeat can be miserably depressed. Also erratic mood swings from one end of the spectrum to the other can also be caused by drug abuse. If these things are strangely not the norm, chances are you are dealing with a case of drug abuse and addiction, or similar problem, and need drug intervention help los angeles california.

Reclusive Behavior:

Drug abuse and alcohol addiction are very isolating. Does your loved one spend a great deal of time alone, avoiding others? Do you have the persistent hunch that they may be “hiding something? Do they avoid or shut down questions about how they’ve been spending their time? These behaviors can indicate a drug or alcohol habit.

Again, these behaviors may be signs but not neccissarily indicators of drug and alcohol dependency. For more FAQs about rehab and recovery los angeles, click here.

 

Three Concepts of 30 Day Rehab Programs

Most rehab programs in California will admit that there are facets of alcohol and drug addiction which are not completely understood. What causes one person to become an addict while another remains a casual user? Drug treatment programs have many different ways of treating people with alcohol and drug addiction, and with the variety of treatment approaches out there, a person should explore and research all of them in order to get the help they need. To help understand the different treatment modalities, and schools of thought regarding drug and alcohol rehab, here is some general information on the three generally accepted concepts of addiction. Most California drug treatment centers utilize the first.

Addiction is a Disease:

Although it may be the most debated of the three concepts, it’s the most often used. The foundation of this concept is the idea that there is an altered state that exists in the central nervous system of some people which causes their inability to stop using drugs and alcohol. This altered state of the mind in the addict cannot be altered or changed and the only workable approach for them is total abstinence.  The main debate around this school of thought is due to the fact that some people have a hard time seeing a self-inflicted problem such as alcohol or drug use in the same light as other diseases such as cancer.  Even so, most do refer to addiction as a “disease” when discussing treatment.

Addiction is a Choice:

Some other programs are based upon the idea that people develop addictions because they have chosen to. They also believe that the choice to quit is also up to each person, and once this choice is made, the problem will simply vanish. Treatment from this approach usually looks back into a person’s personal history and then address some of the social or behavioral situations that caused them to make this poor choice. A rehab center utilizing this concept will mostly focus on cognitive behavioral therapy, and changing the addict’s behavior.

Addiction is a Product:

This approach focuses only on factors which caused the addict to start using. The drug rehab treatment will take a probing look (sometimes using hypnotherapy) into emotional and psychological factors that are fueling the current addiction. Childhood trauma, medical factors and psychiatric disorders are commonly blamed. The belief is that a person is driven to use alcohol and drugs to suppress the feelings which stem from these issues.

So is addiction a disease, a choice or the result of various traumatic experiences?

In our alcohol and drug addiction detox rehab we work with individuals, not generic concepts. Everyone has different needs and thoughts when it comes to their addictions. When you decide it is time for rehab, you should look for an addiction treatment in an affordable rehab that best meets your needs. Above it All is a 12-step based program which has also incorporated additional therapies to help individuals address and explore all the factors in their lives that have contributed to their struggle with addiction.

Fear and Self-Discovery at a California Rehab Center

“Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.” AA Big Book, p. 62 “How It Works”

When we first arrive in a California rehab center, we may feel alienated from our family and friends, we are doubtless filled with anger and resentment that they, our employers, or the entire world just haven’t treated us right and don’t understand at all.

What we begin to realize when we choose one of the 30 day rehab programs and begin work with recovery professionals is that we are not without fault. When we have detoxed from drugs and alcohol and our mind and body begin to clear, we are able to take a look at our relationships, our feelings and ourselves in a way that has eluded us for so long. The more work we put into our recovery, the easier it becomes to be honest with ourselves. When we work a 12 step program addiction becomes something we are able to move beyond.

As we begin to take an honest look at our selves and our behaviors, the ways in which we have allowed fear to control our lives and drive us to do things that damage our personal and professional relationships becomes more readily apparent and through the “searching and fearless moral inventory” described in the fourth step of Alcoholics Anonymous we are able to work toward setting those relationships right and not repeating the same mistakes in sobriety that we made while we were active in our addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Support for the Family of Addicts – Are You Enabling?

Struggling to get a family member in to an addiction program in Los Angeles? It’s time to consider that your enabling may be standing in their way. Enabling is simply the act of providing resources or opportunity to make living in the disease simpler for the addict.

Often, when family and friends believe they are “helping” an addict, they are actually allowing the disease to take firmer hold. So, what’s the difference between “helping” and “enabling?” Helping is simply doing something for someone that he or she incapable of doing themselves. Enabling is doing stuff for another person that they can and should be doing themselves . Enabling means one thing – that is the addict ultimately avoiding the consequences of his or her actions. As long as the addict knows that no matter how badly she or he screws up, someone will be standing by to pick up the pieces, it is quite easy to deny that a problem even exists. Only when the addict is forced to face consequences, will the addict realize that they have a serious problem which requires drug or alcohol addiction help.

Enabling includes things such as paying bills, excusing behavior and providing them with shelter and food. Ask yourself the following questions, to learn if you’ve been unknowingly contributing to the addict’s problem:

Have you ever called in sick on behalf of the addict.

Do you avoid conversations about the addicts behavior because you’re afraid you’ll “upset” him or her?

Have you ever bailed the addict out of jail?

Have you ever paid the addict’s household bills or loaned him or her money?

Have you finished a project, job or homework for the addict?

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, you’ve been enabling your loved ones addiction. Preventing a person from the consequences of their actions is not helpful to that person in the long run. Allowing an addict to hit rock bottom may ultimately save their life. Standing firm and no longer enabling the user won’t be easy. Read recovery testimonials California, and lean about how former addicts have overcome their addictions and are leading happy, healthy lives thanks to California rehab centers. The sooner you stop enabling, the sooner they’ll know they have a problem that needs to be faced.

Making the Decision to Seek Alcohol Addiction Help

Making the decision to change everything and go to a drug rehab in California isn’t easy but will be one of the most rewarding you ever make. Maybe right now, everything feels hopeless, your career and family aren’t what they could be, you’ve destroyed them or you’ve never created those things for yourself. Maybe you have thought that you didn’t deserve them or have tried but only been brought down again and again by the forces of your addiction. Now you’re ready for alcohol addiction help.

When you walk through the doors of one of the residential treatments centers California has to offer, you will be surrounded by professionals who understand and are able to help you end your addiction and the vicious, self-destructive cycles that go along with it. In groups, you will undoubtedly learn that you are not alone and discover that the way you are feeling and the seeming utter futility of life is something most alcoholics and addicts have in common. When you make the decision to change, and embark upon the road to recovery, you will begin to see a new hope in your life everywhere you turn.

You will be able to build new relationships and repair some of those you have harmed in your addiction, you will be able to grow in your chosen career path, choose a new one or begin the one you have always wanted.

Once you make the decision to walk away from drugs and alcohol and into a life of recovery, you will have the freedom of CHOICE because you will no longer be a slave to your addiction.

How to Change Your Life – Help for Alcohol Addiction

Looking for California alcohol rehab? If alcohol addiction is ruining your life, you’re doing the right thing. Scientific studies have shown, time and again, that the odds of getting sober on your own – and staying that way – are slim. The battle against alcohol addiction cannot be waged with willpower alone.

Start by having an honest conversation with your family or loved ones. Sit down with them and let them know you’re ready to get sober. Chances are, they’re more aware of the extent of your problems than you realize, and will respond with caring, concern and relief. Don’t make up excuses. Don’t put the decision off and plan to figure out the details “later.” Don’t procrastinate. Find some rehabs that take insurance, and get ready for your wonderful new life to begin.

Although it is true, for relatively small percentage of people people, attending 12-Step meetings is enough – most addicts need more help. Your addiction didn’t happen overnight, and there are no short cuts to recovery either. Some alcoholics, such as those with inextricable family or work commitments, join outpatient programs.These programs closely monitor and test participants for drug and alcohol to make sure they are not using between sessions. They can work – but for most, an inpatient 30-day rehab program (or longer) will be required. This stay in a neutral environment free of temptation helps people break free from destructive patterns and change their mindset from that of an addict. Participants gain insight about the root causes behind their drinking – maybe for the first time – and learn a great deal about themselves and others.

During your stay in residential treatment centers California, your relationship to alcohol will shift. It will no longer be the center of your universe and you will come to face the great costs you have paid to maintain that relationship. Eventually, your attitude about yourself will begin to change and you can start to develop the self-respect and enjoyment of life which will carry your sobriety forward.

Sound good? Contact us. Find out how great life can be! Get alcohol addiction help now.

Early Sobriety and Emotional Nature

When we are newly sober, we will doubtless encounter a barrage of feelings that, in some cases, seem wholly unfamiliar and in others, remind us of why we drank and used to begin with. Sometimes they are things we have been consciously avoiding other times, they are things we didn’t even know were there. Throughout our sobriety, and especially in the beginning, we are confronted with and explore a wide range of emotions and experiences.

For most alcoholics and addicts this is a very confusing time. 30 day rehab programs provide an excellent beginning and path into recovery.  The professional staff of rehab programs in California are trained in many facets of addiction treatment including the best ways to guide you through the unfamiliar territory of navigating emotions and situations without drugs and alcohol.

While we were drinking and using, we became so accustomed to reaching out to drugs and alcohol as our first coping mechanism that, once we are without them, attempting to control our emotional nature seems all but impossible. We are, at times, ebullient and at other times morose and often have little idea as to what has set us in one direction or the other. By working with professional counselors, attending 12 step meetings and working the 12 steps, we are able to come to a clearer picture of what our feelings are, why we are having them and how to address them in a healthy way, honoring our feelings, our selves and those around us.

The Alcoholic and Powerlessness

“At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail.” – The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 24.

This is Powerlessness.

Our souls beg us to cut out the drinking.  There is attempt after attempt to engage our will to halt the madness of the drink and no matter how hard we try, we cannot.  The body sends signals that the drinking isn’t doing what it initially did; the mind, fully conscious that nothing but misery is at the bottom of every glass, is incapable of overriding this burning need.  Even feeling all of these feelings and intrinsically knowing that all of these more-than-obvious clues scream STOP, we continue to imbibe.  We gamble our very lives, and as we lose over and over, we watch, almost as outsiders, any and everything loved and cared for slip away.  It still isn’t enough.  We plead with ourselves; we make promises, fully meaning them at the time; we swear on all that we have or don’t have and yet, we cannot stop.

Why is this?  It’s the allergy of the body which is triggered by the drink itself and subsequently it ensnares our mind causing an obsession that overrides EVERYTHING else and that, in turn, relies on and continues our spiritual bankruptcy.  It is a threefold catch 22, which is the disease of alcoholism.  And, our very starting point is our Powerlessness over alcohol.

In early Recovery, this first half of the first step can be difficult to grasp, to truly learn how insidious this Powerlessness is.  The California alcohol rehab staff has an intimate understanding and can clarify and expound on this, going so far as to give examples of what this looks like and how it manifests.  If we don’t have a thorough comprehension, there is the possibility we may still hold to the idea that somehow, someday, we can control our drinking.  As alcoholics, we must grasp this fundamental truth.