For individuals addicted to alcohol, it can be hard to make the final decision to seek treatment. Just like any other addictive substance, alcohol can take over your life and make daily living very difficult and stressful.

If you are suffering from an addiction to alcohol, you may be nervous about seeking help for your substance abuse problem. Alcohol abuse and addiction takes on a number of forms and only you can decide if you are ready to get help for an addiction that you are not able to control any longer.

Treatment for Alcohol Addiction

Like any addiction, treatment for alcohol abuse begins with a period of time spent in medically supervised detox.

Alcohol is tough to withdraw from, although it is the most common substance that people try to withdraw from at home alone.

Treatment begins with detox and moves forward to ongoing rehab to learn how to better control urges and change behavior. As you move along in treatment for alcohol abuse, you will begin to learn new ways to cope with your addiction.

Withdrawing from Alcohol

It is dangerous to stop abusing alcohol by going cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms from alcohol can quickly become life-threatening if you don't have enough supervision.

Withdrawal can begin with feelings of anxiety or shakiness, while over time can lead to severe shaking, delirium tremens and even seizures.

For individuals who are addicted to alcohol, the only safe way is to go through a supervised detox program and be monitored throughout the withdrawal.

Determining if You Have a Problem with Alcohol

If you aren't sure if you abuse alcohol, there are a few ways you can begin to think about your alcohol use to determine if you are abusing the substance.

While some people are able to use alcohol socially and responsibly, others find that they can't control the way they drink alcohol. Consider the following questions if you are wondering if you whether you need treatment for alcohol addiction:

• Do you get angry if you have plans to go out drinking and they get changed?
• Are you always looking for your next opportunity to drink?
• If you don't drink alcohol for a few days, do you start to worry about your next drinking opportunity?
• Have you ever driven while intoxicated?
• Do you make bad decisions because you are intoxicated?
• Do you justify your drinking?

If you can answer yes to a question or two, it's probably time to think about how you use alcohol in your life.

When you continue to drink and allow alcohol to control your life, you will begin to see the negative effects of alcohol abuse in your life. While social drinking is one thing, getting addicted to alcohol is different.

If you have promised yourself that you will stop drinking but you haven't been able to stop, you need professional support in the form of alcohol abuse treatment for your addiction.

How Peer Support Makes Sobriety Possible

While you are in recovery, you will see how important it is to get to know others who are working on sobriety too.

Peer support is an integral part of a successful recovery. You need people you can depend on, who understand what you are going through from the inside. In the community, you will find 12-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which can help you find a network of peers. The program is designed to help you work on your addiction to alcohol through peer support one step at a time.

Peer support makes it possible to have people to lean on when you are feeling like you are about to use and don't want to.

When Addiction Takes Over Your Life

Addiction can take over your life so slowly that you don't even realize what is happening.

While you might start out by going to parties with your friends, alcohol abuse can take over. You might discover that you have blacked out during a big night out. You might find yourself using alcohol to manage your stress.

If your addiction to alcohol is causing problems at home, or you are calling out sick to work because of a hangover, alcohol is taking over your life. When you are tired of alcohol being in control and you want to get your life back, it's time to get the help you need to recover.

Why People Don't Seek Help for Addiction

It's difficult to make the decision to get help for addiction.

There are many reasons people who abuse alcohol don't seek alcohol abuse treatment for their addiction. Some don't recognize that they have a problem with alcohol despite the numerous warning signs. Others don't want people to know that they need help for addiction. People don't always recognize that they have an addiction, and once they do make excuses about the time and energy it takes to go through treatment.

Help for addiction is available, but it is necessary to ask for help without fear of what others are going to think.

Relapse Prevention and Your Recovery

Relapse prevention is an ongoing part of your recovery process from alcohol addiction.

In the beginning, you will learn how important it is to find ways to manage your sobriety. Relapse prevention strategies for addiction can include:

• Talking to a friend you have met in recovery and talking through your problems.
• Going to a meeting in the community such as AA/NA.
• Taking a long walk out in nature and taking deep breaths to let go of your stress.
• Learning a new craft, taking a class, or finding a new exercise routine.

The ways in which you can learn relapse prevention strategies can be wide-ranging.

You will find activities that help you manage your stress levels and make it easier to control your addiction. Some activities will help right in the beginning, while others may help you later on. Be open to new activities and you will meet others who are interested in living a healthier lifestyle.

Finding the Treatment That You Need for Addiction

Once you decide that you are ready for treatment for alcohol abuse, it's time to find a program that will work for you. There are a number of types of programs for addiction. In the beginning, you'll want to go to a supervised detox facility in order to withdraw safely from alcohol. Once this is complete, a short-term rehab program is usually recommended so that you can begin to work on the behavioral and emotional aspects of addiction.

Each step of your recovery will allow you to get the support you need as you try to stay sober. If you are not ready to return home, you can go to a long-term program to stabilize your sobriety. Alcohol abuse treatment is available when you aren't ready to go back into the community in the form of long-term rehabilitation or sober living housing.

Get the Support You Deserve

When you are in recovery, you deserve to get support from professionals and your peers. Alcohol abuse treatment will allow you to focus on your addiction without outside distractions. Sobriety becomes easier when you have the support you need to get through each day one day at a time.

While in recovery, you will be taught how important it is to build relationships with others who you trust. While in a program, you will work closely with a counselor and develop a treatment plan that will guide you through the recovery process.

Your Individualized Treatment Plan

You will work on a treatment plan with a counselor to address your specific treatment needs. You will have plenty of input into the plan, and you can make changes if something isn't working for you. Addiction treatment can feel overwhelming, and a treatment plan is a guide that allows you to know what will be coming next. It is a document that can change if your needs change, but it helps you figure out what step to take next in your recovery.

Addiction recovery is going to take time. When you try to rush your sobriety, you are not going to be able to build the relationships you need to stay sober over the long term. Take each day in your recovery as it comes. When you look at sobriety one step at a time, the process becomes easier. If you start thinking about spending the rest of your life sober and you are overwhelmed, you will begin to see why taking control of your addiction is so important.

Recovery from addiction is possible with alcohol abuse treatment. You have it within you to find a treatment program and to work a program of recovery that will lead to your long-term sobriety. Even if you go through a relapse, you will discover that you can go back to your recovery program no matter what. Relapse is a common part of the recovery process, and you can continue your work by getting sober once again.