Can Addiction Be Cured?

Alcohol overuse, or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, can harm too many cells at once and cause irreversible damage. Continuing care for alcoholism keeps recovering individuals in touch with counselors who can help them work out any emotional issues that could potentially trigger a relapse. Allowing a person to safely detox and begin therapy during this portion of their stay will help get to the root of their addiction, which can ensure that they have a reduced risk of relapsing. Most people know about the damage that the heavy consumption of alcohol causes to their liver.

• A comfortable dining room, lounge, activity room and TV area offer space to socialise, whilst tranquil holistic therapy rooms are the key to revitalising alone time.
• Some states also offer recovering alcoholics the chance to stay in something known as a sober house.
• They classify alcohol misuse as a spectrum of sorts, with varying levels of seriousness depending on how much and why a person drinks.
• As such, we substitute addictions with healthier activities that perform the function that the drink or drug used to, albeit in a much more fulfilling way.

Can I Relapse After Quitting?

Key to all of them is helping clients understand their condition in both physical and psychological terms. With that understanding, clients can be equipped with the tools they need to stay away from alcohol in the future. This medication is generally prescribed to recovering alcoholics who have already achieved abstinence. It is a relapse prevention medication can alcoholism be cured that works by reducing the level of a certain chemical in the brain believed to contribute to alcohol cravings. Inpatient rehab is generally a 4-to-12-week programme that takes place at a dedicated facility specialising in addiction.

• If you have a physical addiction, it is likely you will go to great lengths to avoid these withdrawal symptoms.
• As the consumption of alcohol increases because a person’s tolerance to the substance has started to build up, the body will begin to adjust all of its processes to the presence of alcohol.
• The toughest first step is the obvious one — the patient must stop drinking.
• There are promising types of counseling that teach alcoholics to identify situations and feelings that trigger the urge to drink and to find new ways to cope that do not include alcohol use.
• Alcoholism affects over 17 million people in the United States, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Why do addiction experts avoid the word “cure”?

• Naltrexone acts in the brain to reduce craving for alcohol after someone has stopped drinking.
• Addiction is often described as a chronic, relapsing illness as it can alter behaviour patterns and brain function, particularly in areas related to reward, motivation and decision-making.
• Although your participation in the process can be vitally important, you also need to take care of yourself.
• However, if they are referring to their addiction, they are using it wrongly.
• Decades later, the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases listed alcoholism as both a psychiatric and medical condition.
• Fatty liver disease or hepatitis related to ALD may be reversible depending on overall severity and whether you can stick with an alcohol cessation plan.
• The step is to move toward eating completely unprocessed foods, also known as “raw foods“.

These groups provide a safe and supportive environment for people to share their experiences and receive social support from other people in recovery. Still, it can take five or more years before the risk of relapse drops below 15% — the level of risk that an average person has of developing a SUD in their lifetime. Treatment for alcohol addiction is individualized, so each person’s care plan will depend on their unique needs. An important first step is to learn more about alcohol use disorder and your treatment options. In an alcoholic, the brain’s pleasure centers, as well as neurotransmitters that affect brain stimulation, are essentially out of whack. Although we can rebalance the brain’s neurotransmitters over time, the neural pathways that were created while engaging in addictive behavior (or, in this case, alcohol abuse) will always be there.

Now We Know Addiction Isn’t Cured: What About Treatment?

The helpline at AddictionResource.net is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one. This helpline is answered by Treatment X LLC, an addiction treatment provider with treatment facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. However, if a person is willing to get the treatment they need at an alcohol rehabilitation center, they have a much greater chance of becoming sober than they would if they attempt the process alone. There is no cure for alcoholism because of the way that the disease develops. At first, a person will be https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/causes-of-alcoholism-why-are-people-alcoholics/ able to choose whether they drink alcohol.

Some states also offer recovering alcoholics the chance to stay in something known as a sober house. This is a residence where individuals can stay if they live in an marijuana addiction environment where alcohol is commonplace. This usually applies to people who have other alcoholics in their family.

Different types of medications may be useful at different stages of treatment to help a patient stop abusing drugs, stay in treatment, and avoid relapse. Understanding the available treatment options—from behavioral therapies and medications to mutual-support groups—is the first step. The important thing is to remain engaged in whatever method you choose. Research shows that most people who have alcohol problems are able to reduce their drinking or quit entirely.

Psychological Support

Instead, alcoholism treatment is meant to help individuals manage the condition throughout their lives so they will not relapse to alcohol use. Intentionally staying involved with addiction recovery support, also known as aftercare, can help minimize relapse. Recovery support could include formal aftercare programs facilitated by professional addiction services, informal relationships built in the community, and much in between. Many rehab centers will set patients up with aftercare as part of discharging them from a program. Treatment professionals help patients navigate aftercare options to find the right fit. Quitting alcohol cold turkey can cause serious and life-threatening symptoms, including death.