Alcohol addiction is a serious condition that affects an average of 29.5 million people in the United States.¹ An alcohol use disorder can rapidly become dangerous, leading to physical and mental health concerns that can put your life at risk. If you have an alcohol addiction, help is available to support your journey to recovery. At Connecticut Center for Recovery, we offer effective alcohol treatment in CT.
Understanding Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol addiction is a chronic and relapsing condition in which you can’t stop or control your alcohol use despite the adverse effects it has on your life. Like other drugs, alcohol has a powerful effect on the brain, impacting its reward center. It blunts negative feelings while at the same time boosting pleasure.
Some of the signs of an alcohol addiction include:
- Inability to stop drinking
- Losing interest in favorite activities
- Spending a lot of time drinking, thinking about drinking, or recovering from drinking
- Engaging in risky behavior while drinking
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms
As you continue to drink, alcohol starts to make changes in your brain’s structure. These changes impact brain function, causing you to drink more. Over time, your brain builds tolerance to alcohol, and your body begins to experience withdrawal symptoms if you don’t drink.
Anyone can develop an alcohol addiction, but some may have a higher risk. Factors that can increase your chances of developing an alcohol use disorder include drinking at an early age, having close family members with addictions, and having mental health conditions.
Treating Alcohol Addiction
To break free from alcohol addiction, seeking help is key. Going through the recovery process on your own is never a good idea because of how powerful withdrawal symptoms can be, which can cause you to relapse quickly. At Connecticut Center for Recovery, we provide safe and effective alcohol treatment in CT to aid you in the process of getting sober once again.
Day Treatment: Getting Intensive Care
If you’ve just begun your journey toward sobriety, an excellent place to start is day treatment. Also known as a partial hospitalization program, day treatment offers the chance to receive intensive levels of care comparable to inpatient programs but without having to stay at our facilities overnight.
Our day treatment program requires you to come to our facilities every day for a certain period. The treatments involve individual therapy sessions to help you understand the root cause of the addiction and recognize the triggers you may have. You will also participate in group therapy sessions so that you can engage with others who are struggling with similar issues.
Intensive Outpatient Program: Learning Independence
Our intensive outpatient program (IOP) offers many hours of treatment per week while helping you gain independence. With this program, you can focus more on participating in your daily life and practicing the strategies you learn in therapy.
Our IOP offers individual therapy as well as group therapy sessions. It also focuses on relapse prevention so that you have the tools you need to deal with cravings and manage triggers. And because we know that alcohol addiction affects your entire family, we also provide family therapy sessions during IOP.
Extended Care: Providing Ongoing Support
In some instances, extended care is necessary to help you maintain your sobriety. You may not yet feel entirely comfortable with facing your daily life without professional support, or you may have co-occurring mental health conditions that increase your chances of relapsing. After completing one of our programs, we may suggest extended care.
During extended care, you continue to receive individual and group therapy sessions. Your family can be as involved as you want them to be. Extended care allows you to get back to your daily life while still having a strong support system to help you if you need it.
What to Expect From Our Programs
When you turn to our programs for help, you can benefit from several different treatment strategies. The goal is to help you understand what led to the addiction, what your triggers are, and what coping strategies work best for your needs.
During individual therapy sessions, you can delve into the underlying cause of your addiction. We rely on evidence-based therapies like:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness-based therapy
- Rational emotive behavior therapy
- Motivational interviewing
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
If you have a co-occurring mental health condition like depression, PTSD, or anxiety, we focus on treating both conditions because one can feed into another. During these therapy sessions, you also receive help in understanding what your triggers are and what kind of coping mechanisms can make a difference when dealing with cravings.
Group Therapy During Alcohol Treatment in CT
We also offer group therapy sessions. Isolation is a serious issue for people who are dealing with addiction, often making symptoms worse. To help you understand that others struggle with similar problems and to give you a chance to hear from their experiences, engaging in group therapy and a 12-step program is essential.
Family Therapy Programs during Addiction Treatment
Addiction can affect your entire family. At Connecticut Center for Recovery, we provide family therapy sessions to guide you and your loved ones through the challenges of the recovery process. In these sessions, you can learn how to speak with one another in healthier ways and how to start rebuilding trust.
Holistic Alcohol Addiction Treatment in CT
We also offer holistic therapies to get to know yourself better. Holistic therapies, including art and experiential therapy, allow you to learn coping mechanisms while letting you reconnect with all parts of yourself.
Alcohol Treatment in CT: Breaking Free From Addiction
If you’re battling an alcohol use disorder, turning to experts for guidance can help you achieve long-term sobriety. At Connecticut Center for Recovery, we provide the guidance you need to understand what led to the addiction and effective strategies to help you successfully manage triggers and cravings. Contact Connecticut Center for Recovery to learn more about our programs today.
Sources:
[1] https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-use-disorder-aud-united-states-age-groups-and-demographic-characteristics