Alcohol may not seem as threatening as a drug like heroin or cocaine because it is a legal substance, but the fact is that far more people are addicted to alcohol than are addicted to either illicit drugs or the misuse of prescription drugs.
In 2010 in the US, 4.1 million people received addiction treatment. Of these, 1.3 million needed help for use of both alcohol and illicit drugs, and another 1.5 million needed help just for problems with alcohol.
Fewer than one million people were treated for problems with illicit drugs alone. Those figures indicate that alcohol is actually a greater threat than illicit drugs.
But it seems that fewer people object when someone gets drunk than if they publicly buy and consume crack cocaine so alcohol addiction may be overlooked. The ones who suffer the most from a prolonged alcohol addiction are often the family members of an alcoholic. They may suffer from abuse or neglect that can only be relieved by finding the alcoholic an effective treatment program that puts an end to the drinking.
And always, an alcoholic is suffering. Just like any other addicted person, he or she suffers from guilt over the harmful acts they have done, depression over the lost relationships, jobs, money or self-esteem, and incessant cravings that make it impossible for them to control their drinking.
At Narconon Arrowhead, it is possible to alleviate all three of these factors that keep an alcoholic trapped in addiction. It takes a long-term, rehabilitation program that enables a person to really focus on the problems in life that started them drinking. And it takes life skills training to teach them how to stay on top of those problems for the long haul.
Giovanna learned how the Narconon Arrowhead rehab program helps a person find lasting recovery when she came to do this program to help her stop drinking. For years, she had lived in New York City, somehow holding onto her job as an accountant despite the weekends she spent drinking. When her job disappeared, she started taking care of children but then she lost that job when she had a DUI.
She was starting to lose everything at this point. Her family wanted nothing to do with her. She was drinking more and more, having blackouts more often. She could not even remember her trips to the store to buy more alcohol. She went through some short-term rehab programs but all they did was give her a break from the drinking.
Two more DUIs within a few years threatened to put her in jail for three years. She finally faced the fact that this time, she had to get sober. She chose Narconon Arrowhead because she needed a long-term program, not realizing that this program was going to provide a turning point in her alcoholism at last.
“Going through this program, I learned how to let go of things from the past,” she said. “This was like a great weight off my shoulders. I felt like I could get a fresh start in life.”
Lasting relief from alcoholism also requires a through detoxification that can help reduce the cravings. The years of drinking result in a toxic load of alcohol residues that lodge in the fatty tissues. As long as those residues remain in the body, they will contribute to the triggering of cravings. The Narconon Arrowhead program includes a sauna-based detoxification program that utilizes nutritional supplements and moderate daily exercise to activate the body’s ability to flush out these toxins.
In Giovanna’s case, this was an essential component in her recovery. She said, “When I finished the sauna program, I felt like new. I felt clean! My energy was better and I could think more clearly, too.”
As she recovered from her alcoholism, she began to repair her relationship with her seventeen-year old daughter. “My daughter was surprised to see that I looked happy and confident when I saw her recently,” she commented.
“I tried going to meetings before I came to Narconon Arrowhead. But I would go to them drunk. I was just trying to get people to leave me alone. But this program was different for me. I could not have gotten stably sober without this program,” she stated.
By finally getting sober on the Narconon Arrowhead program, Giovanna avoided the many health conditions that are common to people who drink too much, too long. Alcoholism contributes to heart disease and liver damage. Pregnant women who drink may give birth to children with fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition that includes both physical and mental disabilities.
Even a person’s brain is damaged by extensive drinking. An alcoholic can experience anxiety, sleep disturbances and even fall into a coma when drinking continues too long. Some alcoholics suffer from pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that can lead to diabetes or death.
By finding a program that could finally give her lasting sobriety, Giovanna was able to avoid these health problems and was able to restore her relationships with her family as well.
For more information on successful alcoholism rehab from Narconon Arrowhead, contact us today.