Alcoholism is a problem we rarely talk about in our daily lives. We talk about alcohol abuse, but not so much about alcoholism. One of the primary reasons for that is because people can’t identify the symptoms related to alcohol addiction and they fail to realize the point where alcohol abuse has turned into a behavioral and psychological problem. At America’s Rehab Campuses, we know this is the number one reason why so few people get the treatment they need.
Every alcoholism treatment program in California faces the same problem: not enough people join in. And it is not because there are so few alcoholics, but instead, because there are so many; paradoxically, this has led us to not being able to see the forest for the trees.
In 2014, statistics showed that half of the US’s population was consuming alcohol at the moment of the study, with 61 million of them have admitted to binge drinking over the past 30 days. Binge drinking is the act of ingesting enough alcohol to raise its concentration in the blood up to 0.08 g/dL, over two hours or less. That stands for about four to five drinks, depending on the sex of the drinker.
Heavy alcohol use, on the other hand, is an upgrade, as it is defined by resorting to five or more binge drinking sessions over the past month. And, according to the same 2014 statistics, nearly 16.5 million Americans admitted to heavy alcohol use in the previous month. As it can be seen, there is plenty of material for every alcoholism treatment program in California. So, why only 10% of the addicts get the help they need?
What are the signs of alcoholism?
In most cases, the loved ones will bring the addicts to rehab. It is very rare for alcoholics to come in on their own. This means that people need to be able to identify the problem in time and that can only be achieved by spotting the symptoms. There is a gradual evolution of the disorder, whose effects will reflect the patient’s behavior.
- Casual drinking with friends; nothing too serious about it but it may raise an alarm signal if it turns into a pattern
- The subject seems to find many opportunities and excuses to binge drink
- Developing an apparent tolerance to alcohol
- The patient appears to be in a lousy mood when hasn’t had a drink for more than one or two days
- Playing defensive each time is confronted about a potential alcohol problem and even turning aggressive
- Displaying behavioral changes, especially irritability and mood swings
- Craving alcohol and inventing excuses to drink
- Neglecting personal hygiene and social responsibilities
- Always thinking about liquor
- Putting alcohol first, no matter what social, financial or familial problems may arrive as a consequence
These are symptoms that are well-known in every alcoholism treatment program in California and which often suggest a severe drinking problem, bound to worsen with time. America’s Rehab Campuses is here to teach people how necessary it is to identify these signs in time. In many cases, you might be the last hope the addict will have at getting the treatment he requires. Addiction is a disease – do not underestimate it!
