Alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder, is characterized by a compulsive urge to drink alcohol despite the negative effects it can have on your health. When you have alcohol use disorder, you can become preoccupied with alcohol and may be unable to control how much you drink.
Alcohol abuse can alter how the brain works, impairing your ability to make healthy choices and manage your behavior.
The good news is that treatment for alcohol addiction can protect your physical and emotional well-being and positively impact your relationships. Those who have mental health concerns and co-occurring alcohol addictions can find help through effective inpatient care at Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Northeast in Moosic, Pa.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol addiction
The signs of alcohol addiction can vary depending on your age, how long you’ve had an alcohol addiction and other mental health concerns you have. However, there are common warning signs that may suggest that you could benefit from professional help.
Signs of alcohol addiction can include:
- Drinking alone or hiding how much you drink from friends and family
- Intense cravings for alcohol
- Needing to drink alcohol every day or even throughout the day
- Neglecting responsibilities or regular activities
- Loss of control of how much you drink
- Spending excessive amounts of time drinking or recovering from drinking
- Drinking more or for longer than you intended
- Continuing to drink alcohol even when it’s negatively impacting your health
- Drinking to manage emotions
- Trying and failing to end drinking or reduce how much you drink
- Feeling withdrawal symptoms when you’re not drinking
If you or a loved one shows signs of alcohol addiction, a behavioral health professional can help you get the care you need to heal. Treating alcohol abuse symptoms can help you avoid cancer, chronic malnutrition and overall lack of well-being. Seeking treatment for alcohol addiction could also improve other physical symptoms, such as:
- Blurred vision
- Cirrhosis of the liver or liver failure
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Changes in sleep patterns, including sleeping too much or too little
- Difficulty focusing
- Co-occurring disorders such as depression or anxiety
- Damage to your organs
- Physical injuries related to impaired judgment
No matter how mild or severe your symptoms may be, alcohol addiction can be treated. By getting effective care at an alcohol addiction inpatient treatment center, you can manage or alleviate many of your symptoms and work toward recovery.
Common causes of and risk factors for alcohol addiction
People from every age group and background can have an alcohol addiction, which is a chronic condition. Causes can include a combination of environmental, psychological and social factors, such as:
- Cultural encouragement of substance use
- Peer influence
- Having co-occurring mental health concerns
- Exposure to childhood neglect or trauma
- Exposure to physical, emotional or sexual abuse as an adult
- High-stress levels
- Experiencing a negative life event such as a chronic illness diagnosis or divorce
- Family history of addiction
Alcohol addiction statistics
Seeking treatment for alcohol addiction could help save your health — and possibly your life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), among people ages 20 to 39, approximately 13.5% of deaths are caused by alcohol consumption. And alcohol abuse is a factor in more than 200 diseases and injury conditions.
Potential effects of alcohol addiction
Because alcohol abuse can lead to severe physical and emotional consequences, finding effective treatment can help you avoid:
- Strained or ruined relationships with loved ones
- Social isolation
- Homelessness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Irreversible damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, stomach and brain
- Increased risk for cancer
- Weakened immune system
- Difficulties getting or keeping a job
- Legal issues, including arrests or child custody conflicts
- Financial difficulties
Don’t let the effects of untreated alcohol addiction negatively impact your life. The first step toward getting help is finding the right treatment provider. The medical and behavioral health team at Geisinger Behavioral Health inpatient treatment center can offer you the support and care you need to thrive
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms
Having professional help to stop drinking is crucial for many people. When you have an alcohol addiction and decide to stop drinking, you may have symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, including:
- Tremors
- Trouble sleeping
- Irrational or paranoid thinking
- Unexplained anger or irritability
- Gastrointestinal problems such as nausea or vomiting
- Feeling depressed or anxious
- Irritability
- Suicidal thoughts
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can make it difficult to stop drinking without professional alcohol addiction treatment. At an alcohol addiction inpatient treatment center, you’ll have comprehensive assistance and round-the-clock care. In addition to exceptional care, you can take a break from your daily life and its stressors, allowing you to regroup.
Co-occurring disorders
Alcohol abuse can be associated with multiple mental health concerns. If you have co-occurring mental health and addiction concerns, seek care from a behavioral health professional who has experience treating such combinations.
An inpatient treatment center like Geisinger Behavioral Health offers the kind of comprehensive attention that can help you stabilize your symptoms, whether they relate to mental health concerns or alcohol addiction. Our multidisciplinary medical and behavioral health professionals are experienced in treating patients who have co-occurring concerns.
Therapies used to treat co-occurring alcohol addictio
Based on your symptoms of mental health concerns and co-occurring alcohol addiction, your treatment team can create a personalized care plan that combines therapies and medical services.
As you work with a therapist, you can change behaviors that are getting in the way of achieving your goals. You’ll also reduce harmful thoughts and learn skills to help you heal.
To treat your co-occurring alcohol addiction symptoms, Geisinger Behavioral Health can offer the following therapies:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy is a talk therapy that can help you work through your thinking patterns. Using CBT, therapists will work with you to develop more effective ways of problem-solving, which can help you avoid addiction triggers.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): Therapists use DBT to help you balance self-acceptance with an awareness of your thoughts and behaviors that can benefit from change.
- Motivational interviewing: One of the significant obstacles of alcohol addiction recovery is the lack of motivation to stop drinking. With motivational interviewing, a behavioral health professional shifts the responsibility to analyze and instruct away from themselves and toward you. Getting to the root of your motivations can help you change and progress.
Receiving treatment at Geisinger Behavioral Health in Moosic, Pa
Here, listening to you is the first step. That way, we can understand how symptoms of mental health disorders and alcohol addiction affect your life.
You’ll find the following features at our alcohol addiction inpatient treatment center:
- Flexible admissions: If you’re looking for immediate care, our inpatient addiction treatment center can process admissions assessments anytime, 24/7. A clinical staff member or admissions counselor will do an evaluation over the phone. No other paperwork is required, making our admissions process straightforward and fast.
- Safe and comfortable environment: We designed our state-of-the-art facility with a focus on your comfort and safety. From outdoor spaces to designated areas for therapy sessions, our facility offers a welcoming setting for healing. For your protection, we feature specialized furniture hardware, CCTV and door access controls.
- Evidence-based therapies: Your treatment plan can include evidence-based therapies based on the most recent and most respected research available.
- Clinical excellence: You’ll receive the most up-to-date co-occurring alcohol addiction treatment at our facility. Our treatment team is experienced in helping patients who have more than one behavioral health or addiction concern.
- Multidisciplinary professionals: You can benefit from Geisinger’s many types of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, licensed social workers, certified physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners, creative arts therapists, and dietitians.
- Discharge planning: Because alcohol addiction recovery is a lifelong process, we’ll help you find further support after leaving our facility. From the day you arrive, we will prepare for your transition out of our care by developing a detailed discharge plan.
During your participation in our inpatient treatment program, you can receive daily care from a psychiatrist and our medical staff, if medication is part of your treatment plan. Every day you can also attend three group therapy sessions that offer you a chance to work with behavioral health staff and peers as you discuss subjects like grief, stress management, trauma, self-esteem, and boundaries.
Depending on your needs, individual therapy will let you talk with a mental health professional about your emotions and experiences in a private, confidential setting. In addition to evidence-based therapies, creative arts therapies can provide valuable outlets for expression.
When you seek support at Geisinger Behavioral Health, you’ll receive services that help you embrace and define your strengths and achieve recovery through resilience.