Being stuck in an alcohol addiction can feel like drowning in quicksand. You think you’re making progress getting out, only to get sucked right back down. A lot of alcohol addictions start with having a drink to be social or to make yourself feel better after a tough situation. Over time, you may start noticing you need to have a drink to feel somewhat normal. A lot of people make several attempts at alcohol addiction recovery without success. That doesn’t mean you should give up on your quest to get healthy and sober.
Reasons to Commit to Alcohol Addiction Recovery
You Start Healing Your Body
One of the biggest reasons you should continue your attempts at alcohol addiction recovery is to allow your mind and body to heal. You’re likely tired of the sick, disoriented feelings you experience after a bout of drinking. Other side effects of too much drinking include:
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Low body temperature
These are physical signs of the destruction alcohol causes you internally. Many people with alcohol use disorder end up suffering from liver damage and may end up requiring a transplant. You do not understand how much harm you’re doing to yourself until you break free of your alcohol addiction.
Your body responds in the following ways within a few days or weeks of giving up alcohol:
- You find yourself more focused and present
- You’re able to use critical thinking to make better decisions
- Your problem-solving skills improve
- Your memory gets better
You may also notice yourself starting to lose weight. Another benefit of giving up alcohol is you lower your risk of potentially developing certain cancers. Giving up drinking also improves the strength of your immune system, leaving you better able to fight off infections.
You Make Improvements to Your Mental Health
Extensive alcohol abuse often leads to severe mental health issues. If you already have mental health problems, known as a co-occurring disorder, alcohol only makes them worse. That’s because of the changes in brain chemistry caused by heavy alcohol use. A lot of excessive drinkers end up with problems related to:
- Sleep disorders
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Hallucinations
You could start realizing the following mental health benefits by committing to alcohol addiction recovery.
- Getting a better night’s sleep
- Fewer mood swings
- A reduction in periods of darkness and thoughts of self-harm
- Experiencing less anxiety in stressful situations
By breaking free of alcohol, you’re better able to work on any underlying issues driving your addiction. It may help to enter a residential treatment program to access professional help while focusing solely on your alcohol addiction recovery.
You’re In a Better Position to Get Your Life Back On Track
Once you commit to alcohol addiction recovery, you can start working on rebuilding parts of your life that may be foundering. That includes refocusing on going to school or improving your performance at work. Once you complete a residential treatment program, you can continue taking part in outpatient therapy and an aftercare program. Both are extremely helpful in teaching you the long-term coping skills you’ll need to remain sober.
Continuing with therapy also helps you find guidance in repairing broken relationships and other fallout from your addiction. These programs also help you adjust to a life without alcohol and connect to support networks for people in alcohol addiction recovery.
Get Started in Alcohol Addiction Recovery at Oceanfront
Oceanfront Recovery offers clients the support and guidance needed to become sober and free themselves from the chains of their alcohol addiction. We also offer programs for treating other mental health and substance use disorders.
Learn more about our programs by calling Oceanfront Recovery at 877.296.7477.
