An alcohol treatment center in California is the best option most people have for leaving a drinking problem behind them. The US has been reeling from an increased amount of alcoholism in recent years. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) mentions that in 2019, over a quarter of Americans admitted to binge drinking over the last year. Recent events may have exacerbated the problem.

California is no exception to this rule. The state’s alcohol use has increased, and some reports suggest that alcohol consumption may be above the national average in some demographics. Alcoholism is not a new problem for the state or the country as a matter of fact. The US has been trying to fight back against it since the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, the easy access to the substance, as well as its potential for abuse, has created an untenable situation that the entire country has to deal with.

Recovery from alcoholism is a complex and many-faceted issue. In many situations, an addicted person may not even want to quit or even spot the problem they may have. Because alcohol is a legal substance, many take advantage of this fact to drink at every juncture. This leads to a person’s body becoming dependent on the substance.

Over time, the body builds tolerance to alcohol, and the user needs more of it to get the same feelings of euphoria they would before. Eventually, a person who is dependent on alcohol has the potential to become addicted. Addiction is a brain disease that impacts how people make decisions regarding a particular substance they are dependent on.

Many times, these decisions aren’t logical and lead to severe fallout in their social and private lives. Alcohol rehabilitation offers some way to deal with the problem, but how effective is it really?

Alcohol rehabilitation is the process that helps a dependent user (someone suffering from alcohol use disorder) leave their dependence behind and re-integrate with society. Leaving a substance behind takes a lot of willpower, and in many cases, a person can’t do it alone.

Rehab centers offer medical and psychological help for those that need it. However, alcohol use disorder can be challenging to spot. Just because someone uses the substance regularly doesn’t necessarily make them a victim of alcoholism. Responsible use of alcohol is expected in society. It’s when this use of alcohol becomes irresponsible that the problem arises.

Alcohol rehabilitation helps a regular user of alcohol spot whether they may be suffering from alcohol use disorder or not. Once they figure that out and accept that they have a problem, the real job of rehabilitation can commence. In alcohol rehab, a person may have to go through several different stages to help them leave the urge to drink behind. This process stems from how alcohol dependency happens.

When someone consumes alcohol, their body becomes used to the substance. Over time, it may lead to their bodies needing more drinks to get the same feeling of well-being. This situation is called alcohol tolerance, and it can lead to dependence, overuse of the substance, and in extreme cases, cause organ damage. Dependence happens when the body can no longer work appropriately without alcohol in its system. The goal of rehab is to break this dependence and return the person to their everyday lifestyle.

How Does Alcohol Rehab Work?

The process of alcohol rehab covers several distinct stages that a recovering person will need to go through.

Detoxification

Detox is the first stage in recovering from alcohol dependence. Detoxification seeks to remove alcohol from a dependent person’s bloodstream. This stage is a precursor to other treatments to help them cope with their urges. However, without this groundwork, later treatment would not work. Most detox facilities screen their patients to determine how long they’ve been using or dependent on the substance. Medically assisted treatment (MAT) also happens at some of these facilities. Other facilities rely on trained medical personnel to help deal with the symptoms that come from a regular substance user suddenly stopping intake.

In detoxification, a person goes through controlled withdrawal of the substance. Most detoxification facilities have medical staff on call in case complications arise during the detoxification process. Detox induces alcohol withdrawal in a patient as a means of helping them purge their system of the substance. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome has several symptoms, including:

• sweating
• insomnia
• confusion
• nausea
• anxiety
• tremors
• increased heart rate
• high blood pressure
• vomiting
• irritability

The strength of these symptoms may vary based on how long the person has been dependent on the substance and when the last time they used alcohol. Withdrawal usually lasts between two to three days, and symptoms typically worsen before they get better. Some individuals suffering from alcohol use disorder prefer to detoxify at home, but several problems may occur in the attempt. Extreme symptoms of withdrawal include fever, hallucinations, and even seizures. Since there’s no telling what level of symptoms will happen, it’s better to have a person under medical observation while they go through the process of detoxification for their own good.

It’s tempting to consider alcohol detox as its own treatment, but it serves a support function primarily. Detox sets the stage for other later treatments by removing the physical dependence a person has for the substance. Addiction is about a combined physical and mental hold that a substance has on an individual. This first step breaks the physical hold but may be taxing on the person’s body. Clearing the body of alcohol dependence helps the person focus on the goal in front of them, leaving their psychological dependence on the substance behind.

Therapy

Therapy plays a significant part in helping those suffering from alcohol use disorder recover. The treatment involved in many rehab centers deals with the root causes of a person’s psychological trauma. There is also the very real threat of dual diagnosis, which could complicate recovery efforts. Dual diagnosis is when a recovering individual presents with several co-occurring mental issues.

In the modern world, many people who become dependent on a substance end up that way because of an additional disorder that might be affecting their mental state. Dealing with these dual diagnosis cases needs to be approached with a focus on the individual.

Among the types of therapy that are common in alcohol rehab centers are:

Psychotherapy

In a psychotherapy setting, a recovering individual has a session with a trained medical practitioner. These sessions can be one-on-one or involve members of the recovering individual’s friends circle or family. Psychotherapy for alcohol rehab tries to help the person understand their urges at a more fundamental level. Sessions may frequently occur over several weeks or months, depending on how much help the recovering person may need.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT has shown a lot of promise recently in helping individuals overcome their dependency on alcohol as well as other drugs. The basic premise of CBT lies in understanding the negative thoughts that fuel the actions that lead to addiction. Once an individual can recognize these negative thoughts as they form, they can take measures to prevent them from impacting that person’s life. As a solutions-oriented approach, CBT focuses less on the causes of personal trauma and seeks to find a way forward using the tools the individual already has.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a distinct type of evidence-based therapy that focuses on communication. DBT teaches patients how to live in the present as opposed to dwelling in the past. It’s most useful in people who have been exposed to alcohol as a measure of self-worth from their earliest ages. DBT seeks to give its users a tool to embrace positive change while finding emotional balance in their actions and words. Acceptance of a person’s past can help them to create a better future. It will also help the person deal with all the baggage that their past may have in it.

Both detox and therapy help a recovering person leave their alcohol dependence behind, but only if they commit to the program. Because of all the negative factors that may affect them, committing to a program may be difficult. Long-term support can be found in groups both sponsored by rehab centers or independently created to help those recovering from alcohol use disorder. The most important thing to understand is that if someone needs help to overcome their dependence, then no one will judge them for seeking that help.