Alcoholism is a disease that can ruin your life, ruin your families, and change you as a person. Thankfully, alcoholism can be fought against, and if you have the strength and determination, you can win. This page will hope to tell you what you need to do when you are getting ready for treatment for alcoholism. We will tell you everything that you need to know so that you are equipped for your battle against alcohol. You can do it, no matter what you may think; you are your own boss, and you mustn’t let alcohol consume you anymore. So, you’re getting ready for alcoholism treatment? Here’s what you need to do.
Identify a Problem
Strangely, the hardest part of fighting alcoholism is identifying that you have a problem. A common theme among alcoholics is ignorance of their addiction. It seems that they can drink and drink; hurt people, hurt themselves; lie; steal; cheat, yet they are blissfully unaware that there is anything wrong. And, while the previously mentioned characteristics are not shared by every alcoholic, they are certainly shared by many. Even without the previously mentioned traits, alcoholics are always unaware of their addiction, and some will even argue with you when you bring the problem to their attention. Identification of your addiction and acknowledging it is the first step toward treatment.
Acceptance
More than just identifying it, you must accept it. Accepting you have a problem can also be very hard. Whatever your reasons for not wanting to accept that you have a problem, it is important that you do so that you can sort yourself out. Lying to yourself will just make your life more difficult and it will make your journey toward recovery much more difficult than it needs to be.
Help
Asking for help is important. If you are alone, have no friends, or have no family, then you must ask for help. Alcoholism is a battle you will struggle to fight alone, and it is important that you have somebody to lean on. There are many places that you can ask for help, and many centers [which we will discuss next] that can help you to rehabilitate and kick your addiction. Never be ashamed to ask for help, for countless people have been in your position, and it is not something to ever be ashamed of.
Rehab
Rehabilitation clinics are a great way for you to kick your addiction. Rehabilitation clinics can be private [which you have to pay for], or government-funded [which you apply for]. The latter has extremely long waiting times, unfortunately, but the former can be arranged quite quickly. Rehabilitation clinics are wonderful because not only do they address the immediate problem, but according to the addiction specialists at CoastlineBehavioralHealth.com, they help you build a long-term plan for sustained sobriety. You must remember that even with your addiction gone for the moment, it can always return, and when it does, it can return much worse than it initially was.
Removing Triggers
Once you have completed your time in rehabilitation and have been released back into the community, it is important for you to pay attention to your triggers and avoid them. Your triggers could be music, bad friends, loneliness, or family members. Whatever the trigger, however hard it may be to cut ties, you have to let yourself go and move on. Removing triggers is the only way you can sustain your sobriety once you have completed your rehabilitation and are sober. Removing triggers is very, very important. If you do not, you will fall back into alcoholism very easily.
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] is a group that meets regularly to discuss their former addictions. They provide a support network of like-minded former alcoholics who understand what you may be going through and can help you to stay on the straight and narrow. You will be assigned a ‘buddy’ who will help you to stay away from alcohol. You will be expected to help them, too. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fantastic initiative that can help you to become a normal person again and sustain your sobriety long after you have left rehabilitation.
Work
Sitting around doing nothing will only weaken your drive to not drink. Getting gainful employment is a good way to maintain your sobriety and ensure you do not find yourself falling back into bad circles. Always stay employed and never isolate yourself from the world.
With the help of this page, you should now know a few ways in which an alcoholic can treat themselves, and how they can prepare for treatment. Alcoholism kills and ruins lives. It is important that we all start fighting back against it, one step at a time.
