Alcohol Dependency

It's easy to forget that alcohol is a drug too. Alcohol affects the brain - in the short term it impairs judgment, coordination and reflexes. When people use alcohol regularly they may develop tolerance and dependence. Tolerance means they will require more alcohol to achieve the same effect they used to get with smaller quantities, because the brain compensates for the sedating effects of alcohol and the liver breaks it down more quickly. Dependence means that alcohol use becomes central in their life. A lot of time is spent thinking about alcohol, obtaining it, using it and recovering from its effects. Use is continued despite knowing that it is causing harm.
A common feature of dependence is that a person will experience withdrawal symptoms if they reduce or stop drinking, due to increased excitability (irritability) of the brain. Typical alcohol withdrawal features last about 5 days and include:

shaking (tremor)
nausea & vomiting
anxiety
depression
sweating
headache
difficulty sleeping (may last several weeks)

Alcohol withdrawal can be very dangerous (e.g. seizures may occur); people drinking 8 or more standard drinks a day are advised to discuss a decision to stop drinking with their doctor as medication may be needed to prevent withdrawal complications.

Because  alcohol addiction, have so many dimensions and disrupt so many aspects of an individual's life, addiction treatment is not simple. Effective addiction treatment programs incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. Addiction treatment must help the individual stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Because addiction is typically a chronic disease, people cannot simply stop using alcohol for a few days and be cured. Most patients addicted to alcohol require long-term or repeated episodes of care to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained abstinence of alcohol, and recovery of their lives.

For more information on alcohol abuse, addiction and alcoholism treatment visit us on the web.

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Alcohol Dependency

It's easy to forget that alcohol is a drug too. Alcohol affects the brain - in the short term it impairs judgment, coordination and reflexes. When people use alcohol regularly they may develop tolerance and dependence. Tolerance means they will require more alcohol to achieve the same effect they used to get with smaller quantities, because the brain compensates for the sedating effects of alcohol and the liver breaks it down more quickly. Dependence means that alcohol use becomes central in their life. A lot of time is spent thinking about alcohol, obtaining it, using it and recovering from its effects. Use is continued despite knowing that it is causing harm.
A common feature of dependence is that a person will experience withdrawal symptoms if they reduce or stop drinking, due to increased excitability (irritability) of the brain. Typical alcohol withdrawal features last about 5 days and include:

shaking (tremor)
nausea & vomiting
anxiety
depression
sweating
headache
difficulty sleeping (may last several weeks)

Alcohol withdrawal can be very dangerous (e.g. seizures may occur); people drinking 8 or more standard drinks a day are advised to discuss a decision to stop drinking with their doctor as medication may be needed to prevent withdrawal complications.

Because  alcohol addiction, have so many dimensions and disrupt so many aspects of an individual's life, addiction treatment is not simple. Effective addiction treatment programs incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. Addiction treatment must help the individual stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Because addiction is typically a chronic disease, people cannot simply stop using alcohol for a few days and be cured. Most patients addicted to alcohol require long-term or repeated episodes of care to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained abstinence of alcohol, and recovery of their lives.
For more information on alcohol abuse, addiction and alcoholism treatment visit us on the web.

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Does Alcohol Affect Older People Differently?

Alcohol's effects do vary with age. Slower reaction times, problems with hearing and seeing, and a lower tolerance to alcohol's effects put older people at higher risk for falls, car crashes, and other types of injuries that may result from drinking.

Older people also tend to take more medicines than younger people. Mixing alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medications can be very dangerous, even fatal. More than 150 medications interact harmfully with alcohol. In addition, alcohol can make many of the medical conditions common in older people, including high blood pressure and ulcers, more serious. Physical changes associated with aging can make older people feel "high" even after drinking only small amounts of alcohol. So even if there is no medical reason to avoid alcohol, older men and women should limit themselves to one drink per day.

If you are looking for a comprehensive alcoholism treatment program, Cove Center for Recovery premier Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers is the solution for you. From Intervention to  Recovery After Care, Cove Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers provides unique programs helping patients  to recognize the origin of the problem that caused the need to self-medicate. Learning how to deal with these problems results in facing situations instead of avoiding them and reduces the chance of relapse. 

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

College Binge Drinking

Since 2002 when a study by task force on drinking showed that "abusive drinking by college students is widespread, dangerous and disruptive", binge drinking has been on the rise in the US. By definition binge drinking is described as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 or more drinks in a row for women. Binge drinking is best described as drinking enough to bring the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 or more. This blood alcohol concentration generally occurs in excessive drinking within a two-hour time.

There are over 5000 underage young adults who die from excessive drinking each year, and more than 1,700 college students, between the ages of 18 to 24, get injured due to direct result of alcohol abuse every year. Additionally, every two hours a teenager dies from an alcohol related accident.

All these statistics point to one fact. Teenagers and young adults are dying from alcohol abuse in an alarming rate, and something needs to be done.

The first recommendation has always been education, and specifically educating our teens at an early age. Parents must talk to their children about the dangers of alcohol abuse which can cause immediate medical concerns like vomiting, cold and clammy skin or medical emergencies like shallow breathing and unresponsiveness that could result in coma and death.

Young Adults should know about the consequential effects of alcohol abuse that centers around sex and violence in colleges, and not mentioning a major cause of poor academic performance by college students.

Young adults should know that alcohol is a legal psychoactive drug that can and will cause overdose and death. MRI studies of teens and young adults between the ages of 14 to 21 has shown permanent changes to both pre-frontal cortex (the decision making part of the brain) and the limbic system of the brain. Now, scientists are trying to find out if the changes are reversible.

At the end, the only hope that we have as a society, is to transfer the knowledge we have gained through the many deaths and injuries of our kids to the next generation of youth and hope they use that knowledge to save their life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and is in need of help, Cove Center for Recovery offers a flexible and affordable young adult and adult addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we work with the patient to identify the factors that may have contributed to the alcohol abuse and addiction – home, friends and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults :  1-888-387-6237http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Teen Addiction Help:1-888-757-6237 http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com