If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably reached a point where you’re beginning to worry about your heavy drinking behaviour.
Abusing alcohol can have severe consequences, and the sooner you acknowledge that you may have a problem, the sooner you can seek the treatment you need. Here’s how you can recognise the signs that you need to get alcohol rehab in Thailand.
Alcohol use disorder, also known as Alcoholism sometimes is a very common medical condition. This is a condition where people are not able to stop drinking, even when it is clearly affecting their health.
This constant drinking puts their safety at harms way, damaging personal relationships on the way. The disorder has a treatment that includes behavioral therapy and medication.
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?
This medical condition impairs your ability to control or regulate your use of alcohol regardless of any negative consequences you may experience socially, occupationally, or physically.
It includes conditions that other people may refer to as alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, alcohol abuse, or simply alcoholism. This is considered a brain disorder that can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe.
It causes lasting changes in your brain that can make you susceptible to relapses, which makes the disorder particularly challenging to overcome for a lot of sufferers.
What Are The Symptoms Of Alcohol Use Disorder?
When you are thinking about the symptoms of alcohol use disorder, you are primarily thinking of physical issues or symptoms, such as pain, cough or fever, but that is not all.
Alcohol use disorder has a lot of symptoms that focus on your mental health, behavior and mood swings. They include:
- Craving beverages that contain alcohol.
- Being unable to cut down the amount of alcohol you drink.
- Continuous consumption of alcohol, even though it is affecting your relationship with friends, family, and colleagues, is a problem.
- Drinking more than you initially intended, and longer than you have intended.
- Spending more time drinking and getting over a hangover caused by drinking.
- Constant failed attempts to reduce or quit drinking.
- Failing to meet work and social obligations because of drinking alcohol.
- Giving up on social, work or other recreational activities because of drinking alcohol.
- Consuming alcohol in physically hazardous locations, such as while driving or swimming.
- Continuing drinking alcohol even when you have mental health problems or medical conditions worsens due to the alcohol.
- Having a high tolerance to alcohol containing beverages.
- Suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms or drinking to get rid of withdrawal symptoms.
How Do You Know You Have An Alcohol Use Disorder?
It’s important to get properly assessed by a healthcare professional, but try to answer the following questions honestly about your behaviour over the past year
Have you:
- Had instances where you ended up drinking for a longer time or more alcohol than you originally intended?
- Made several attempts to stop or reduce or quit drinking, but you’ve failed to do so?
- Spent a lot of time feeling sick from drinking too much, or getting over repeated hangovers?
- Wanted to have a drink so badly that it was all you could think about?
- Experienced any problems at home, school, or work because you couldn’t do things properly due to drinking?
- Given up some hobbies or activities you used to love because you would rather go drinking instead?
- Experienced situations where you got hurt because you were drunk?
- Continued drinking despite noticing an increased feeling of anxiousness or depression?
- Continued drinking even after you’ve experienced an alcohol-induced memory blackout?
- Found yourself needing to consume more alcohol to feel its usual effects?
- Experienced withdrawal symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, restlessness, shakiness, sweating, nausea, malaise, or dysphoria?
What Are The Treatments For Alcohol Use?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you need to reach out to a healthcare provider and get the help you need to manage your condition.
Luckily, there now exist many types of treatment that can improve the lives of people suffering from AUD.
- Medications such as acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone can be taken to help people reduce their drinking.
- Licensed therapists can provide behavioural treatments like talk therapy or alcohol counselling.
- Mutual-support groups can provide a valuable layer of peer support for dealing with drinking problems.
When To See a Doctor?
If you think that you are consuming too much alcohol, or the drinking is creating problems in your life or your family is very concerned about the amount of alcohol you are drinking, it is time to contact your health care provider.
There are other ways to get help rather than taking the medical route is going to support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or talking to a mental health professional.
What Is Considered 1 Drink?
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one standard drink of any alcohol is one of these;
- 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of regular beer (is about 5% alcohol)
- 8 to 9 ounces (237 to 266 milliliters) of malt liquor (is about 7% alcohol)
- 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine (is about 12% alcohol)
- 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of hard liquor or distilled spirits (is about 40% alcohol)
Accepting the fact that you have a problem is the first step towards healing; living in denial will only stretch the problem further.
You may not recognize at first how much you are drinking or the number of problems you have in your life because of the excessive drinking of alcohol.
This is when you should listen to your friends or family, when they are showing concern about your drinking. That is when you should seek help and examine your drinking habits.
Today is the right time to reach out to the professionals of The Hills in Chiang Mai so you can begin your journey to wellness. Let us help you make a new start.
READ MORE:
