April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Why should you care? For starters, you might be struggling with an alcohol use disorder and not know it. Secondly, this is the month to find out.
Turn Alcohol Awareness Month into an Opportunity
Public service announcements will probably come across your social media feed in April. Similarly, you might see some PSAs on TV. However, it might make sense to take organizers up on their first-weekend challenge. Spend three days without an alcoholic drink.
Challenge yourself to do it. There’ll be no happy hour cocktail or after-work beer. Similarly, you won’t have wine with cheese. Can you do this for an entire weekend?
For some, Alcohol Awareness Month can lead to unwelcome revelations. You knew that you were drinking a lot, but you didn’t realize you had a problem. Now, you have irrefutable evidence. Your next step should be a discussion with therapists at an alcohol detox center.
There’s No Shame in Needing Help
Part of Alcohol Awareness Month and its message is the removal of the stigma. An alcohol use disorder is surprisingly easy to develop. It happens to plenty of professionals. Just because you’re doing well in life doesn’t mean that the drug can’t snare you.
Treatment is your way out of the condition. It catches you before the use of disorder interferes with daily life. Most importantly, it can protect you from losing a career, family, and life.
What Professional Help for an Alcohol Use Disorder Looks Like
Let Alcohol Awareness Month be your wake up call and seek treatment. You begin with detoxification. It helps you quit drinking altogether. Because you might deal with symptoms of withdrawal and intense cravings, therapists help. Medication-assisted treatment can assist you with the acute withdrawal symptoms.
From there, you move on to rehab. It’s a good idea to select a facility that offers detox and rehab at the same venue. Modalities might include:
- Psychotherapy, which assesses you for co-occurring mental health conditions and offers solutions
- One-on-one talk therapy that empowers you to chart a course for long-term recovery
- Group therapy, which helps you understand that you aren’t alone
- Marriage counseling for clients whose relationships may have undergone strain during a use disorder
- Holistic care options that support relaxation and teach you new ways of overcoming stress
- Recreational therapy that encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and explore new activities
After Detox and Rehab
Once you detox, you enter rehab. There, you gain control over the mental processes that held you captive. After program graduation, you’re ready to return home. However, it’s a good idea to maintain a presence at a rehab facility via a transitional living program.
It involves outpatient care that you schedule around your work. You continue it for a few weeks or months. It’s an excellent way of reducing the care you receive while attending independent support group meetings. Because it’s a powerful relapse prevention tool, it makes sense to continue the process.
Don’t let April go by without doing some soul searching. This year’s Alcohol Awareness Month could open the door to significant personal growth. Connect with Pillars Recovery to learn more about overcoming an alcohol use disorder. Dial 8667820247 now.
