Alcohol addiction can start out innocently enough. You get used to the taste and heat of the liquor down your throat. You start taking it every night before you go to bed. The next thing you know, you can’t go a day without knocking back a few glasses. Your friends and family are starting to worry. You start to pick fights because it irritates you to think that other people know you better than you know yourself and that they can tell what’s happening.
But that’s exactly how you get addicted, whether to drugs or alcohol. The minute you realize you can’t live without chugging down a bottle, you know you’re in big trouble.
Ways to Get Better
Get professional treatment.
The first thing you need to look for is professional help. There might be plenty of alcohol rehab choices in Los Angeles, but it’s trickier finding one that suits you. Get the basics out of the way: meaning, confirm the validity and authenticity of the rehab’s licenses, accreditation and other official documents. After that, you can move on to the treatment program. Give it more than a cursory look. Ask about what you can look forward to, how the treatment will go and what activities to expect, as well as post-treatment care you’ll likely receive, after the rehabilitation is done.
Stay positive.
One way recovering addicts keep relapse at bay is by staying positive, says the Huffington Post. That’s also a mantra you can live with, especially if you’re trying your hardest to live drug-free. You don’t have to think about going without drugs forever, especially if the thought puts chills down your spine. Take it slow. Do it one day at a time. That’s going to make it seem more manageable and less insurmountable.
Be vigilant.
It’s an addiction so you’ve got to be prepared to deal with craving it. Long-term addiction changes the way your brain is wired, making the compulsion to go for a drink so much stronger. But beware, behind a single sip or glass, it’s easy to get sucked down back into the addiction. And if you do, you’re letting all your hard work go down the drain. So don’t. When you start feeling like “it can’t all have been that bad” or when you catch yourself reminiscing about the good old times, about how you went drinking every day and night, put a stop to it or seek out help.
The Gooden Center offers alcohol rehabilitation services to help you and your families on the way to recovery. For more details, call us and ask.
