It’s estimated that excessive alcohol use accounts for 178,000 deaths each year. Part of the reason alcohol can be so deadly is that people often draw a line between regular drinkers and people living with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The reality is alcohol is an addictive substance. With the right circumstances, anyone can become addicted to it. That’s why Alcohol Awareness Month is so important this April.
It can be challenging for people to know how to get help and even when they should ask for it. That’s why we made this guide of Alcohol Awareness Month resources.
In addition to some general education, we’ll provide you with some options for finding alcohol addiction help if you’re worried about your relationship with alcohol.
What’s the Point of Alcohol Awareness Month?
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding alcohol and alcohol use disorder. Too many people believe that drinking too much is a moral weakness. This ignores the fact that alcohol is an addictive substance that can affect anyone and that alcoholism is a disease.
Alcohol Awareness Month is a public outreach campaign that takes place in April. It’s designed to spread information and resources about:
- The risk factors of drinking alcohol
- Treatment options for problem drinkers and people with alcohol use disorder
- How to prevent AUD
- The effects of alcohol on communities, families, and individuals
While awareness is the main goal, many organizations also use the month to fundraise for rehabilitation centers through an alcohol awareness campaign.
Alcohol Awareness Month Resources for Getting Help
When you’re in the depths of alcoholism it can feel like you have no one to turn to. However, it’s important to remember that this isn’t true. For starters, you can call the national hotline offered by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 800-662-4357.
Alternatively, they also provide resources online for finding help in your area. You might also consider going to an Alcoholics Anonymous (or AA) meeting.
They can provide you with information about their twelve-step program, as well as their community approach to dealing with alcohol. Depending on how far the alcohol addiction progressed, you might need to check into inpatient treatment for alcoholism to deal with the withdrawal.
However, after that, you can transition to outpatient services. Remember that you also shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to family and friends.
In some cases, your AUD may have hurt or ostracized them. However, it’s never too late for forgiveness, especially if you’re serious about getting better.
How to Find the Right Treatment Program
There are a variety of different treatment programs out there. Typically most programs will begin with detoxification and withdrawal management. This is usually necessary if the person is addicted enough to have physical symptoms and health risks during their withdrawal period.
From there, the person will proceed to inpatient or outpatient treatment. This will give them the therapy, strategies, and pharmacological interventions they need to address the alcoholism in their life.
Once they’re out of treatment they can continue with either aftercare or recovery housing. The right treatment program should be able to accommodate different levels of addiction.
For example, the person who’s experiencing seizures because of their withdrawal is going to have more intensive needs than the problem drinker looking for a therapist.
As such, any treatment program should be personalized to your needs. There also needs to be evidence-based treatments, meaning treatment methods are backed by research and are shown to have favorable outcomes
An overwhelming amount of people with alcoholism are also dealing with undiagnosed mental health conditions. If you just deal with the addiction side of things without discussing the role of mental health, then the treatment is setting the individual up for failure.
Signs of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder isn’t a black-and-white condition. It can come in shades that range from mild to severe. And while there isn’t always an official way to diagnose, there are some clear symptoms that you might be experiencing.
Some of them include:
- When you drink you can’t control the amount of alcohol you consume
- You’ve been unsuccessful at cutting down your alcohol consumption
- You spend a lot of time and money drinking, getting drinks, or recovering from hangovers
- You get strong cravings for alcohol
- Your alcohol use affects your obligations at home, work, or school
- You keep drinking even though you know it causes a lot of problems
- You stop hobbies, social activities, or work to drink
- You engage in unsafe behavior while drinking like swimming or driving
- You’ve built up such a tolerance that you need a lot more alcohol to get drunk
- When you don’t drink you feel withdrawal symptoms like sweating, shaking, or vomiting
If you feel that any of these apply to you, consider getting treatment today.
When Should You Ask for Help?
Because alcohol use is so ingrained in our culture, it can be challenging to know when you need to get help. There are physical symptoms and psychological signs that you might be becoming dependent on the substance.
But at the end of the day, only you can decide if have a drinking problem. As such, you’ll need to look inward and ask yourself hard questions.
Is drinking the only thing getting you through the day? Have you tried and failed to quit or moderate your alcohol consumption? Can you imagine a life of happiness without alcohol in it?
Many people with alcohol use disorder struggle to quit because they don’t want to let go of the perceived positive benefits of alcohol. But remember that there is always life after addiction.
So even if you’re just a bit of a problem drinker it’s never too early to seek help. That way you don’t have to hit rock bottom to start adjusting your relationship with alcohol.
Need Treatment? Contact Us Today
We hope this guide helped connect you to some Alcohol Awareness Month resources. Everyone deserves access to help and treatment if they need it.
Unfortunately, some of the detox and rehab industry exploits this need by charging tons of money for treatment.
Here at Cenikor, we’ve made it our mission to provide quality, evidence-based treatment at a fraction of the cost. That way you can get the treatment you need without going into debt. So if you’re ready to change your life, take a look at our programs today.
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