For those addicted to alcohol, quitting on their own is very difficult. Alcohol affects how the brain perceives pleasure and even how it learns new things. When you become addicted to alcohol, your brain does too. How hard is it to quit drinking? It’s much harder if you try to do it on your own. Luckily, Santé Center for Healing has detox, treatment and recovery plans to help you get and stay sober.
How Hard Is It To Quit Drinking?
If you drink every day, you should consider asking for help to break the cycle. Keep in mind that you can put your health in danger if you quit cold turkey. A supervised alcohol detox program in Argyle, Texas, gives you access to a staff of nurses, doctors, psychiatrists, and addiction specialists.
In our detox program, you receive medication that reduces the effects of withdrawal symptoms. How hard is it to quit drinking? Without a controlled detox process, you put yourself at risk for gastric bleeding and seizures. These are life-threatening conditions. Therefore, we strongly recommend participating in a safe, supervised detox program, such as the one at Santé Center for Healing.
Long-term Health Risks of Alcohol Abuse
Risks to your health associated with continuing to abuse alcohol include:
- Increased risk of cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Stomach issues
- Heart problems
- Problems with digestion
- Anxiety or depression
- Risk of stroke
- Risk of dementia
Protect your mental and physical well-being by participating in one of our addiction treatment services.
Pleasure Principle
How hard is it to quit drinking? How long you drink, how much you drink, and what kind of alcoholic beverages you consume impact your ability to quit. Your brain registers pleasure through the same processes whether you achieve it through drugs and alcohol, sex, or a great meal. It expresses pleasure with the release of dopamine in a cluster of nerve cells under the cerebral cortex. Thus, this is the pleasure center of the brain.
Brain’s Reward Center
Addictive drugs such as alcohol create a shortcut to the reward center in the brain. When dopamine floods through the pleasure center of the brain, the hippocampus creates memories tied to this sense of satisfaction. Finally, the amygdala develops a conditioned response to alcohol or drugs, and you begin to crave them more often. This is what makes it hard to break your addiction.
Typically, reward comes with effort and after a period of time. Addictive alcohol, drugs, and behaviors increase the production of dopamine as well as other neurotransmitters. The brain doesn’t have a defense mechanism against this onslaught. Eventually, the brain begins to respond to dopamine less effectively. As a result, you have to drink more to get the same effect, resulting in a tolerance for the substance.
Compulsion Takes Over
Cravings contribute to addiction as compulsion takes over. Cravings can also lead to relapse even after you complete a recovery program. How hard is it to quit drinking? As one example, you might see a bottle of whiskey and the conditioned learning in your brain could cause you to relapse after years of sobriety.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Argyl, Texas
At Santé Center, you can benefit from effective alcohol addiction treatment programs.
We offer addiction detox services that include:
- Relapse prevention for continued sobriety
- Dual diagnosis treatment program for those also suffering from a mental disorder
- Customized treatment plans for each client
- Medical detox program to safely achieve abstinence
Santé Center involves your family and friends in your recovery. Through educational sessions, those closest to you can learn how to support your continued sobriety. Call us at 866.238.3154 to learn more about alcohol abuse disorder rehab in Argyle, Texas.
