Addiction to alcohol is often known as ‘alcoholism’ or ‘alcohol use disorder’, and is a serious illness. Those suffering from alcoholism will drink large amounts of alcohol to the point of dependency, whereby a person relies on alcohol to carry out day-to-day tasks. For many people, it is possible to enjoy drinking alcohol for special occasions or to socialize with no serious repercussions. However, when a person drinks alcohol on a regular basis, and in large quantities, there is a risk of developing an addiction that can become detrimental to many aspects of a person’s life.
Alcoholism can take control of a person’s life; eclipsing all other commitments and responsibilities, leaving a person feeling unable to stop and completely powerless over their addiction. Although this feeling can be overwhelming, it is possible to overcome an addiction to alcohol. It is crucial to take the first step and reach out to experts in alcohol addiction, such as the team at Cornerstone.
Cornerstone’s specialist alcohol addiction practitioners have a wealth of experience and are committed to ensuring those seeking help can access the highest quality treatment with compassion and care. We understand that alcohol addiction affects each person differently, and so we ensure each treatment program is tailored to your specific requirements to help you achieve your goals.
Free Alcohol Abuse Assessments
For patients suffering from alcohol addiction, the road to recovery can seem blocked by the fear of the unknown and the difficulties quitting alcohol can bring. In recognition of this, Cornerstone provides a free alcohol addiction assessment. This benefits our patients in a few ways:
- Provides a safe space for possible patients to discuss their concerns and fears to address them now and dispel uncertainty about the process
- Gives the right expectations as to the depth of work that will be needed and the hope of recovery
- Allows our practitioners to get an immediate baseline of a person’s condition and, if the patient moves forward, a head start on creating a personalized alcohol addiction treatment
- It’s a free service, reducing any financial barrier to entry
On top of this initial assessment, Cornerstone also provides a secondary assessment with a consultant psychiatrist. An individual’s health history and medical or psychiatric needs can then go on to inform the customized treatment program for the patient. As is oftentimes the case with severe or long-term alcohol abuse, patients will likely need to undergo a withdrawal period and detox procedure administered by our medical staff.
This initial and secondary assessment provides our patients with the information they need to start their journey through recovery but also allows us to jump-start the process of planning an alcohol treatment.
Highly Skilled Alcohol Treatment Practitioners, Counselors, And Specialists
One of the many things that sets Cornerstone apart from other alcohol addiction treatment centers in Orange County is our staff that will be working with you and assisting you in alcohol recovery. Our practitioners know not just a wide array of clinical treatments for alcohol addiction but also the experience and skill to know when and how to use it. Alcohol rehab is a process that requires non-judgemental space and support throughout it.
We work with patients to discuss challenges and motivations for recovery and then formulate a personalized treatment plan. We understand that the onus is on us to engender the extreme amount of trust it takes to do this and therefore we believe in complete transparency between the patient and practitioner. This means placing the patient at the center of the treatment plan, with the ability to make decisions about their own path forward. Alcoholism uniquely affects every individual inflicted with it, so empowering the patient to help shape their treatment plan helps our patients address and heal the underlying causes of alcohol addiction to achieve long-term recovery.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Cornerstone
While every patient’s specific treatment plan is personalized to meet their needs, most alcohol treatment programs consist of an intensive 28-day program at our treatment center in Southern California. However, it’s important to note that we’ve been working with people to quit drinking long enough to know that it’s important to be flexible and customize a patient’s experience. Therefore we don’t impose any rigid limits to the duration of recovery spent in our treatment centers – that depends on your needs, conditions and commitments.
Cornerstone’s treatment for alcoholism blends 3 different elements: empirical evidence, our vast experience, and the custom needs of each person’s circumstance. Central to this is utilizing the 12-step addiction treatment model; based on the abstinence that the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) organization helped pioneer. This treatment approach focuses on the motivation for recovery combined with a set of guiding values and beliefs. The goal is to challenge addictive and toxic behaviors and thought processes. The 12-step model is underpinned by spiritual influences that instill both humility and self-worth that leads to lasting recovery.
Cornerstone’s alcohol addiction treatment program consists of:
- An assessment used to understand the needs of the patient and formulate a plan around those needs
- If necessary a 7 – 10 day medically assisted alcohol detox (evaluation, stabilization, and education)
- If needed, following detox, anti-craving medications
- 1 on 1 psychiatric or traditional therapy treatment
- Group therapy programs
- Couples and family therapy
- Supportive services (legal, insurance, etc.)
- Licensed recovery homes for post-treatment transition
Outpatient Treatment and Therapy for Alcohol Addiction
For some patients, an outpatient treatment program is preferred. This will largely depend on the severity of alcoholism and the style of support you feel is necessary and attainable. Regardless of the setting, Cornerstone delivers a customized, quality treatment for alcohol addiction.
Allowing for outpatient therapy programs we can further our goal of working with alcoholics to help plan and drive their recovery. We understand quitting alcohol requires different levels of intensity and quantity so our outpatient are designed to get results while adapting to patients’ needs.
What is Alcohol Addiction?
Addiction to alcohol is often known as ‘alcoholism’ or ‘alcohol use disorder’, and is a serious condition which compels a person to drink alcohol excessively until they become reliant on alcohol to carry out basic tasks and everyday life. Some people are able to drink alcohol on an occasional basis, either to unwind, celebrate or socialize without serious consequences. However, when a person drinks alcohol on a regular basis and in large quantities, there is a risk of developing an addiction that can significantly damage relationships and the ability to carry out professional or academic commitments and impact severely on mental and physical health, in the most serious cases can cause fatality.
Alcoholism is typically carried out without the knowledge of friends, family or employers; those who suffer from alcohol addiction will put great efforts into hiding their drinking, increasing the risk of social isolation and distancing themselves from relationships with partners, friends and family. Furthermore, it is common for those addicted to alcohol to be defensive that their drinking is a problem, known as “denial”; they may justify their alcohol use to such an extent they are unable to recognize the damage they are causing to themselves and others, thereby hindering them from getting the professional alcohol addiction treatment and rehabilitation they need for recovery.
What are the Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction?
Alcoholism can affect people in many different ways, depending on their personality and environment, and the volume and regularity of alcohol use.
However, there are some typical indicators that you or a love one are suffering from alcoholism, these include:
- Being dishonest or deceitful around how much you drink, how often and when you are drinking.
- Discovering a tolerance to alcohol has developed, requiring greater quantities of alcohol and more often in order to feel as ‘drunk’ as you would like.
- Consuming large quantities of alcohol unaccompanied.
- Drinking alcohol until you are unconscious.
- Neglecting social commitments, including important occasions, prioritizing drinking alcohol instead.
- Needing or choosing to drink as soon as you wake up.
- Feeling unable to concentrate due to strong compulsions to drink alcohol, causing irritability or impatience.
- Drinking alcohol in order to cope with underlying or co-existing mental health conditions like depression, stress or anxiety.
- Persistently drinking alcohol even though it is causing significant damage and strain on relationships with family and friends, performance at work or school and health and well-being.
What Causes Alcohol Addiction to Develop?
As with many afflictions, this is a difficult question to answer in that the number and types of causes for alcoholism are innumerable and impossible to fully articulate. That being said, aside from underlying emotional and psychological issues an alcoholic may have, alcoholism develops because a person loses their ability to control their impulse to do something that makes them “feel good.”
Doing something repeatedly because it makes you feel good is not in and of itself a problem – it’s the natural psychological process of positive reinforcement. However, this becomes an unhealthy addiction, when feeling good through consuming alcohol is done in spite of serious, negative consequences. That pattern of behavior is what separates alcoholics and people who just drink occasionally.
Research studies have shown that there are also factors that may make a person be more susceptible to developing a drinking problem, such as:
- Having relatives, particularly immediate family that struggle with alcoholism or drug addiction
- Living with an alcoholic
- Suffering from other mental health conditions (dual diagnosis)
- Experiencing a trauma or immensely stressful life event
How do I Know if I Have an Addiction to Alcohol?
A popular method of identifying alcohol abuse in treatment settings is called the CAGE test; which involves asking four questions:
- Haveyou wondered whether you should Cut down on your alcohol intake?
- Have you ever felt Annoyed by someone questioning your drinking, preventing you from drinking or making judgments about your drinking habits?
- Do you ever feel Guilty or ashamed about your drinking?
- Have you ever had an Eye-opener? An eye-opener here refers to a drink as soon as you open your eyes in the morning.
If you can relate to these questions, it might indicate that you are suffering from an addiction to alcohol and would benefit from engaging with an alcohol addiction treatment facility. Reach out to Cornerstone, we are here to help.
