How often have you had a few drinks and gotten behind the wheel? December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, and it draws attention to this behavior. Remember that you don’t have to be legally drunk to cause an accident. Most importantly, the practice could be an indicator of a drinking problem. That’s why you may need an alcohol detox program.
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
December marks recurrence of this event. Selecting December was certainly not random. Organizers initially recognized that the winter holiday season resulted in more deadly crashes. The reason is, of course, the holidays.
Between office parties and holiday parties, a lot of drinking goes on. Naturally, this means more people will become intoxicated. This, in turn, adds up to more drunk people behind the wheel, especially at night.
However, you don’t have to reach the legal limit to cause problems. Even just one or two drinks will impair you.
The first thing to go is your judgment. You figure you can still make it through this light. You imagine you can get home, even though everything on the road seems like a blur. Yes, maybe you can make it home without getting into an accident. However, what if you’re wrong?
Just a couple of drinks will slow your reaction time. You might never see that turning car or bicyclist. Once you do, you can’t turn your visual signal into breaking action quickly enough. In those situations, an accident is inevitable.
Are You Struggling with a Drinking Problem?
You don’t have to deal with a late-stage alcohol use disorder to have a drinking problem. National Impaired Driving Prevention Month starts a conversation. For example, you might be dealing with a binge-drinking situation. Besides that, you might be using other nervous system depressants.
You know that you shouldn’t drink and drive. In fact, you may stick by that… most of the time. However, maybe you do occasionally. How bad could that be? So far, nothing terrible happened. Then again, maybe you’re in the initial stages of a use disorder. You know that you drink more than you should. Eventually, there are going to be consequences if you don’t get into alcohol rehab.
Obviously, you’ve been trying to cut back. However, you’ve routinely busted through your self-imposed limits. This scares you. Similarly, it makes you feel shame. Events like National Impaired Driving Prevention Month just makes you think about it more.
Alcohol Rehab Helps People at Any Stage of an Alcohol Use Disorder
Do you need an alcohol detox program? If you have a moderate or severe use disorder, it’s a good idea to start with this step. In contrast, if you only drink occasionally and don’t suffer from withdrawal, you might be able to skip it. You’d immediately go to rehab.
There, addiction specialists help you understand why you use alcohol. Is it a chemical crutch? How could you manage stressors or triggers without it? Possible therapies include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, which encourages you to change dysfunction into healthy behaviors
- Dual diagnosis treatment for individuals with PTSD, anxiety, OCD, depression, or bipolar disorder
- Group therapy that introduces peer accountability for lifelong sobriety
- Nutritional counseling that encourages you to explore a healthy lifestyle after graduation from the program
- Holistic care as a way to incorporate art therapy, yoga, meditation, or acupuncture into whole-person healing
Do I Really Need Help?
You might not know whether you could benefit from alcohol rehab right now. Use National Impaired Driving Prevention Month as the opening to explore your situation. Treatment specialists at the Santé Center for Healing gladly help you talk through your thoughts. Call 866-238-3154 today to schedule an appointment.