There are a wide variety of places where you can get free advice in overcoming an addiction to alcohol. The most important thing is to find a reputable source. Most governmental health centres will offer safe medical advice and treatment programs promoted by state and local governments as well. Another good place to start is with your doctor if you have one. Be honest with them about how much you drink.
If your body has become dependent on booze, stopping drinking overnight can be life threatening, so get advice about cutting down gradually. Your doctor may refer you to a local community alcohol service. Ask about free local support groups, day-centre counselling and one-to-one counselling. You may be prescribed medication such as chlordiazepoxide, a sedative, to help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can range from not sleeping, agitation, anxiety, sweating and tremors, right through to vomiting, diarrhoea, hallucinations and seizures. Staying sober and cutting down and stopping drinking is often just the beginning and most people will need some degree of help to stay alcohol-free in the long term! Getting support beyond family, friends or careers is crucial to understanding and overcoming the issues that make you drink. Ask your doctor or alcohol support group about one-to-one counselling or group support in your area.
You can attend voluntary group and one on one therapy, as well as groups where ex-alcoholics help each other stay sober. There are some facilities for residential rehabilitation and most people receive their support to stop drinking in the community. Some need a short stay in a unit with access to 24-hour medical care so they can receive adequate assistance with their withdrawal symptoms or other problems. This may be a hospital ward or medical unit, or a residential rehabilitation service, depending on the situation. The best results from residential rehab are achieved when participants stay for at least twelve weeks. Residential rehab is usually reserved for people with medium or high levels of alcohol dependence, particularly those who have received other forms of help that have not been successful. Days are usually structured, with a combination of one-to-one counselling and group therapy, as well as some chosen activities, such as art therapy, sport, life skills, cooking, financial management and family and couples therapy for relatives.
You may be referred to residential rehab through your physician so that you can Get Free Alcohol Addiction Advise. It’s also possible to pay to go privately. Medical insurance companies may fund this for a certain period. There are several websites that provide information on residential rehabilitation units. It’s not possible to give advice on which sites are the most useful or balanced in their approach. Treatment for alcoholism can begin only when the alcoholic accepts that the problem exists and agrees to stop drinking. He or she must understand that alcoholism is curable and must be motivated to change. Abstinence is the most crucial — and probably the most difficult — step to recovery from alcoholism. Avoid people and places that make drinking the norm, and find new, non-drinking friends. Join a self-help group.
