What is an alcoholic? How to treat alcoholism

You may not need to completely reinvent your life to quit drinking, but making a few changes in your surroundings to help avoid alcohol triggers can make a big difference. Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives.

Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. If you feel comfortable doing so, talk about your challenges with your primary healthcare professional. Finding a therapist can also be a great starting point if you’re uncomfortable opening up to your healthcare professional. You might run into obstacles along the way that tempt you to drink.

Medication Treatment

Providing consumer information about, and labeling alcoholic beverages to indicate, the harm related to alcohol. Provision of culturally sensitive health and social services as appropriate. Notice any changes in your attitude or behavior, such as becoming depressed, or feeling lonely. Start to tell yourself you’ll be able to have one drink without going back to being an alcoholic. Are getting tired of experiencing the aftereffects of drinking.

• Talk with a healthcare professional if you’re concerned you may experience detox symptoms when quitting drinking or cutting back.
• If other people can check in on you, or if you have an ally to talk to, you’ll be in a much safer situation.
• Diving into the unknown can feel uncomfortable at first but can lead you to clarity and a truer sense of self.
• Alcohol abusers may fail to fulfill major school, work, or family obligations.

It also provides worksheets to help you uncover the nature of your urges to drink and to make a plan for handling them. Recovering from alcohol addiction or heavy drinking is not a quick and easy process. In general, the longer and more intense the alcohol use, the longer and more intense the treatment you’ll need. But regardless of how to overcome alcoholism the treatment program’s length in weeks or months, long-term follow-up care is crucial to your recovery. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem. An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help.

Tell family members and friends you want to get healthier.

“Certainly it’s different for each person,” says Brett Prylinski, D.O., a family medicine physician at Piedmont. He encourages patients to be honest about their drinking history, which doctors can review to create a treatment plan. It’s a non-linear journey filled with ups and downs, and we’re in it together. At Monument, we’re here to help you identify and adopt the healthy coping mechanisms that work best for you and allow you to see how you can get more out of life by drinking less. Anxiety about the future is common for many due to the nature of uncertainty regarding our health, relationships, and work matters. When thoughts about the future take hold, journaling can help identify which feelings are causing stress and when they most frequently occur.