Colorado Drug Rehab: Alcohol

If you are like many people, you may drink alcohol occasionally or you may drink moderate amounts of alcohol on a more regular basis. If you are a man, this means that you have no more than two drinks per day; if you are a woman or someone over the age of 65, this means that you have no more than one drink per day. It is Drinking at these levels usually is not associated with health risks and can help to prevent certain forms of heart disease. Colorado Drug Rehab has very few calls from Colorado that are looking for rehab, treatment or recovery programs, that are using alcohol as their only drug. Today we find that there are very few "pure" alcoholics. There are those that choose alcohol as their "drug of choice", but it usually mixed with either psych medications or illicit drugs such as marijuana, or cocaine. It is difficult to find a cocaine or crack user that isn't using alcohol to temper the speedy effects of these substances.

But did you know that even moderate drinking, under certain circumstances, is not risk free? And that if you drink at more than moderate levels, you may be putting yourself at risk for serious problems with your health and problems with family, friends, and coworkers? This web page explains some of the consequences of drinking that you may not have considered.

An alcohol addiction is a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of alcohol despite adverse social, mental or physical consequences. It is usually accompanied by psychological and physical dependence on alcohol and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when it is rapidly decreased or terminated.

When addiction exists, the alcohol use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the alcohol use. In 2005, more than 23 million Americans were estimated to experience alcohol abuse. More than ten million Americans were dependent on alcohol.

These statistics show the devastating problem alcohol causes, but it doesn't communicate the numbers of people that choose alcohol over their family, spend the rent at the bar and come home with more lies and justifications that tear at the hearts of one's love, nor does it communicate the pain children in alcoholic family feel when they are promised a "date" with dad at the baseball game, but he doesn't show up or is in bed trying to recover from the bender last night, or the terror in the hearts of children who witness this unreal person screaming and physically abusing their mother, or sometimes father. It is very difficult for children to think with this Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde idea of their parent(s). Children are learning to survive through your examples, give them the best of lessons so that they can live without the fear that their stable relationships can explode and leaving them wondering "what do I do now?" Don't let alcohol abuse/addiction cause problems in your loved ones lives, leaving the innocent hearts shaking in fear. Call our counselors and get a handle on these problems before they escalate throughout your family. It is a tough world without the delusion of alcohol and the unreality of the anger that it brings and all under the guise of social drinking and needing to relax. None of us can stand the idea that we have done this to our loved ones and that will lead you to calling for help or it will certainly lead you to another drink if you don't get help.

Call 1-877-444-1137 and discuss your situation in complete confidentiality.

Interactions With Medications

Alcohol interacts negatively with more than 150 medications. For example, if you are taking antihistamines for a cold or allergy and drink alcohol, the alcohol will increase the drowsiness that the medication alone can cause, making driving or operating machinery even more hazardous. And if you are taking large doses of the painkiller acetaminophen and drinking alcohol, you are risking serious liver damage. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before drinking any amount of alcohol if you are taking any over-the-counter or prescription medications.

Drinking and Driving

It may surprise you to learn that you don't need to drink much alcohol before your ability to drive becomes impaired. For example, certain driving skills--such as steering a car while, at the same time, responding to changes in traffic--can be impaired by blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) as low as 0.02 percent. (The BAC refers to the amount of alcohol in the blood.) A 160-pound man will have a BAC of about 0.04 percent 1 hour after consuming two 12-ounce beers or two other standard drinks on an empty stomach (see the box, "What Is a Drink?"). And the more alcohol you consume, the more impaired your driving skills will be. Although most States set the BAC limit for adults who drive after drinking at 0.08 to 0.10 percent, impairment of driving skills begins at much lower levels.

Alcoholism has several key signs and symptoms, and an effective alcoholism addiction treatment program will address these and more on the way to a successful recovery:

• Craving--A strong need, or urge, to drink.
• Loss of control--Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
• Physical dependence--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
• Tolerance--The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."

Interpersonal Problems

The more heavily you drink, the greater the potential for problems at home, at work, with friends, and even with strangers. These problems may include:

• Arguments with or estrangement from your spouse and other family members;
• Strained relationships with coworkers;
• Absence from or lateness to work with increasing frequency;
• Loss of employment due to decreased productivity; and
• Committing or being the victim of violence.

Alcohol use/abuse on Holidays

There are too many reminders of past transgressions against friends and family. There is also damage that has been caused to oneself, but probably the most difficult obstacle is the amount of alcohol consumed by others during the Holiday Season.

Being a legal drug, alcohol is so socially acceptable yet unbelievably destructive to our society at the same time. According to the latest survey on national drug use statistics there are approximately 14 million Americans that have alcohol problems, let alone those addicted to other drugs. Add on to that the damage caused and lives lost through drunk driving and other accidents and domestic abuse.

The custom in Denmark and those Danes that have come to the US is to drink heavily on the 26th of December with the entire extended family at a Day After Christmas Meal that last for approximately 12 hours. However in Denmark, the citizens are very careful to not drive under the influence of alcohol, whereas, the Americans are a bit more indipendent and take dreadful risk in relation to their choice of driving and drinking.

Alcohol-related liver disease.

More than 2 million Americans suffer from alcohol-related liver disease. Some drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, as a result of long-term heavy drinking. Its symptoms include fever, jaundice (abnormal yellowing of the skin, eyeballs, and urine), and abdominal pain. Alcoholic hepatitis can cause death if drinking continues. If drinking stops, this condition often is reversible. About 10 to 20 percent of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. Alcoholic cirrhosis can cause death if drinking continues. Although cirrhosis is not reversible, if drinking stops, one's chances of survival improve considerably. Those with cirrhosis often feel better, and the functioning of their liver may improve, if they stop drinking. Although liver transplantation may be needed as a last resort, many people with cirrhosis who abstain from alcohol may never need liver transplantation. In addition, treatment for the complications of cirrhosis is available.

Long-Term Health Problems

Some problems, like those mentioned above, can occur after drinking over a relatively short period of time. But other problems--such as liver disease, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and pancreatitis--often develop more gradually and may become evident only after long-term heavy drinking. Women may develop alcohol-related health problems after consuming less alcohol than men do over a shorter period of time. Because alcohol affects many organs in the body, long-term heavy drinking puts you at risk for developing serious health problems, some of which are described below.

Heart disease Moderate drinking can have beneficial effects on the heart, especially among those at greatest risk for heart attacks, such as men over the age of 45 and women after menopause. But long-term heavy drinking increases the risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and some kinds of stroke.

Pancreatitis The pancreas helps to regulate the body's blood sugar levels by producing insulin. The pancreas also has a role in digesting the food we eat. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. This condition is associated with severe abdominal pain and weight loss and can be fatal.

Cancer Long-term heavy drinking increases the risk of developing certain forms of cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, mouth, throat, and voice box. Women are at slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer if they drink two or more drinks per day. Drinking may also increase the risk for developing cancer of the colon and rectum.

Colorado Drug Rehab is a free service that will help you find a drug rehab for any alcohol or drug addiction problem you or a loved one may be having. It is easy to confuse the different terms used in this field, describing the different types of drug rehab centers, drug rehabilitation centers, and substance abuse treatment programs. For the problem that you are addressing, should you be looking for an Outpatient, In-patient, Residential Treatment Center, Long term or Short term treatment and what modality of treatment is the most effective and what are the cost related to these forms of treatment or rehab?