Alcohol Treatment

FURRY FRIENDS WHO CAN HELP

Alcoholism

If you or someone close to you drinks more than you’d like, it might be time to consider help. Alcoholism is one of America’s biggest problems largely because it is considered normal, something we use to celebrate social occasions, achievements, religious ceremonies, and more.

As a perfectly legal drug, it’s easy for people to overlook the detrimental impact alcohol consumption can have. Many people fail to recognize just how addictive alcohol is and when they need reliable alcohol addiction treatment in South Florida. What’s more, it’s easy to succumb to binge drinking without realizing it.

BECOME MORE EDUCATED ABOUT UNIQUE THERAPIES

How Does Alcohol Impact the Body?

Let’s start with the basics.

Alcohol is full of psychoactive substances, chemicals that change your brain chemistry. When alcohol is made, the glucose in the raw ingredients breaks down into ethanol during fermentation. Different types of alcoholic beverages contain hundreds of different alcohols, including ethanol.

Whiskey gets aged or stored, and this time allows more alcohols to join together to form complex alcohol is referred to as congeners. The congeners are what give different beverages their nuanced flavors or smells. Whiskey, for example, contains around 400 different alcohols.

GABA and Glutamate

When you drink alcohol, the first thing it does is activates your GABA system, which calms you down.

Valium works on the same system.

When this system is turned on, you start to feel more relaxed; you don’t have any fear or inhibition. But this same system not only switches off your judgment but your consciousness. When you drink too much, and this system turns off your brain entirely, you stop breathing, and that’s called alcohol poisoning.

Neuromodulators

As your blood alcohol concentration increases, it affects different neuromodulators as well. Rising blood alcohol levels increase your serotonin which is a mood enhancer. The increase in serotonin brought about by alcohol consumption is what gives you beer goggles.

MDMA or ecstasy works very similarly.

Intestinal Serotonin

Your blood alcohol concentration also stimulates a serotonin receptor in the nerves of your stomach. This is what makes you throw up. It’s actually a survival mechanism that helps you get rid of just enough alcohol that you stay alive.

Dopamine

When you drink, alcohol releases dopamine, which leaves you feeling active, energetic, and exhilarating. Dopamine is also the neurotransmitter that determines your behavioral patterns. So when a lot of dopamine is released, it locks you into a habit and causes addiction even if that habit is damaging. It’s also what makes you louder.

Cocaine does the same thing.

Alcohol increases your endorphins which are natural opioids in the body. These endorphins are the same endorphins you get from a runner’s high. So you get a chilled form of pleasure.

The result?

Each time you consume alcohol, it affects these two systems. It changes how excitable you become, reduces your inhibitions, and often leads you to repeat yourself while having frivolous arguments about nothing. At the same time, the systems that control things like breathing start to slow down, and this is why binge drinking is so dangerous. You experience a rush of endorphins, increased serotonin and dopamine, and changes to your glutamate and GABA systems, making you feel good even though they hurt your body inside and reinforce the addictive behavior.

Prevail Recovery can help you find an alcoholism treatment program in South Florida.

ADDICTION AND ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY

What are the Signs of Alcoholism?

So what are the signs of alcoholism that you need South Florida alcohol rehab?

When you consume more alcohol than you intend, regularly, and you cannot control how much you drink once you start, it might be time for alcohol rehab FL.
If you try to cut down or stop drinking, but you can’t no matter what you do, it might be time to consider an alcoholism treatment program.
If you feel strong cravings for alcohol that are almost uncontrollable and seem more important than anything else, consider a Florida alcohol rehab program.
When you know that alcohol is hurting yourself, your family and friends, your job or school, and you persist in spite of these ramifications, it might be time to get help.

These represent just a few of the many signs of alcoholism. Alcoholism looks different for everyone, but in general, if you suffer from two or more symptoms like withdrawal, high tolerance, recurrent alcohol consumption even when you know how dangerous it is, or ongoing legal and financial problems because of your alcohol consumption, it might be appropriate to ask for help.

With Prevail Recovery, you can start your Florida alcohol rehab now.

DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPIES

What are the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol Abuse?

All of the issues mentioned above can get worse the longer you drink. If you avoid seeking treatment for alcohol at a South Florida outpatient rehab, you run the risk of a variety of adverse side effects.

Long-term alcohol consumption can negatively affect your quality of life by negatively influencing your hormones. Regular alcohol consumption can inhibit your sleep. Alcohol might put you to sleep faster and into a deep sleep more quickly, but you don’t get the rapid eye movement sleep you need where your brain is able to flush out the toxins from the day and store information which means you have subsequent problems with snoring or sleep apnea and memory loss.

Because alcohol takes away higher functions and usually leads to unnecessary eating, the extra calories from consuming-usually unhealthy-food as well as the calories in alcohol can negatively impact your nutrition. Alcohol dehydrates your body, leaving your skin looking less plump and your eyes regularly contending with dark circles. It can also cause things like rosacea and ongoing inflammation.

Long-term alcohol abuse can interfere with your ability to work, stay fit, or achieve what you want to achieve.

Let Prevail Recovery help you find the right South Florida alcohol rehab.

FIND OUT THE RANGE OF ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY

How Do Mental Health Disorders Impact Alcohol Abuse?

Mental health disorders can leave you more susceptible to alcoholism. If you struggle with things like anxiety or depression, you might use alcohol to self-medicate. Similarly, alcoholism might exacerbate unresolved PTSD or trauma. As alcohol changes the chemical structure in your brain, it might leave you more vulnerable to developing things like depression, OCD, paranoia, or bipolar disorder. Thankfully you can get help.

If you need help with mental health disorders and alcoholism, let Prevail Recovery help.

PREVAIL RECOVERY CENTER

How to Find Alcohol Addiction Treatment in South Florida

Alcoholism treatment should be prioritized. If you are struggling with alcoholism, it’s essential to be aware of that addiction and be honest with yourself. Addiction encompasses the psychological and physical, which is why good alcohol treatment in South Florida should help you reset all of those systems that alcohol interferes with, like your prefrontal cortex, learn what your triggers are and avoid them, and identify motivations for drinking so that you can replace those motivations with more helpful alternatives like meditation, yoga, wilderness therapy, mindfulness, or even medications.

At Prevail Recovery, we understand that finding the proper alcohol treatment in South Florida means getting customized treatment services. We can work with you to treat alcoholism and other mental health conditions, integrating an array of alternative therapies, such as South Florida art therapy and animal-assisted treatment.

Reach out to us today or call 1-866-441-2455 for help with your addiction.