How to Get Help for Alcoholism and Addiction
According to the 2023 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 16.7% of Americans struggled with substance abuse, and 10.2% struggled with alcohol use disorder. Both are difficult disorders to fight and can take over all areas of a person’s life. Even though they are challenging to recover from, recovery is possible from both alcoholism and addiction.
Acknowledge Your Struggles
The first step for someone to get help for alcoholism or addiction is to acknowledge that they have a problem. This is usually done by reflecting on how these behaviors are affecting the person’s life. Sometimes, it can be hard for the person struggling to recognize how much the addiction is affecting their life. People may also struggle with living in denial and thinking their struggles are not as bad as they seem. When the person struggling can accept that seeking help isn’t weak. If a person is having difficulty recognizing how their disorders are affecting their lives, they may need an intervention from people in their lives.
Look Into Treatment Options
The next step in getting help for alcoholism and addiction is looking into treatment options. Several forms of treatment can be used to treat these disorders, including going to therapy, support groups, and in or outpatient treatment. Finding a therapist who specializes in addiction can be an extra step that can be helpful. If the person struggling is uncomfortable by starting therapy, they could choose to see an online counselor. A common form of group therapy for people dealing with alcoholism is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). For people struggling with addiction, there is Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Both groups are peer-led and are a free resource for people needing to attend. Over the years, these groups have started offering online options for meetings if that is more comfortable for the person attending meetings. They also have groups called Al-Anon that are for family members of those in recovery.
Staying Committed to Recovery
Recovery from alcoholism and addiction is a daily fight. Depending on the person and their journey, this part of recovery can look different. One example of staying committed to recovery is continuing in therapy. The person struggling may decide to decrease the frequency of their sessions instead of stopping them altogether. Another important part of being committed to recovery is relapse prevention. Relapse prevention can help people to stay in recovery and decrease the chances of relapses occurring. One way to do this is to continue attending support groups. Within AA and NA, people can have sponsors that help them through their recovery. People in the groups can become sponsors if they are further along in their recovery. This can be another way to stay involved in recovery.
Alcoholism and addiction are serious conditions that affect people of all ages. However, recovery from alcoholism and addiction is possible. We understand that it can be scary to seek treatment for these conditions. But we want to assure anyone reading this that you are worth fighting for.
References
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2023-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/aftercare/relapse-prevention
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/jnp.14.1.52
Keywords: alcoholism, addiction, mental health, online counselor [Michigan]