The label “Alcoholics Anonymous” evokes a certain stigma that most people new to sobriety are not comfortable with. The idea of going to a meeting where someone might see you is uncomfortable in early sobriety. Even admitting that you’re an alcoholic can take time to get used to.

Alcoholics Anonymous is Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is intended to be just that – anonymous. Group members are on a first name basis and the atmosphere is generally friendly, warm and casual. You’ll often hear members say that the most important person at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is the newcomer and for this reason, newcomers are strongly encouraged to introduce themselves so other members can offer support. Individuals share topics at a group level that are relevant to staying sober and they rely on each other for support to do so. What is shared at meetings is understood to stay at meetings and the anonymity of group members is strongly enforced. Discussion of other group members and their problems is discouraged.

Alcoholics Anonymous offers Support

While there are many critics of Alcoholics Anonymous, the program has offered the most successful form of recovery from alcoholism. It offers a social model program of change through the use of role models and peer support. New members secure “sponsors” who are other members with time in sobriety that help them work through the 12-steps upon which the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous were founded.

Members are encouraged to share at 12-step meetings but are also free to just sit and listen to others talk about their experiences with alcohol and how they stay sober through even the most difficult life experiences. This can be especially beneficial to a new person in sobriety who may struggle with how to handle a relationship break-up, loss of a loved one or major life transition without picking up a drink. Members are encouraged to get phone lists and call each other for support.

Alcoholics Anonymous is World-wide

One of the biggest benefits of Alcoholics Anonymous is that it’s available world-wide. This can be extremely helpful to those individuals who travel frequently and find that they need the support of a sober support network around them. The meetings will likely be different but the format of meetings is familiar. Wherever you attend Alcoholics Anonymous, it offers a safe harbor in the storm of emotions that can hit at any time but especially to those new in sobriety. For more information, please visit the Alcoholics Anonymous website.

Drug addiction is a serious disease. It can strike anyone, regardless of age, race, culture, background or socioeconomic status. You’re never too young, too old, too rich, too broke or even too religious to struggle with drug addiction. At any point in time you may find that you’ve crossed the line from drug experimentation to drug addiction.

Is it drug addiction or drug abuse?

The difference between drug addiction and drug abuse tends to be situational. People who abuse drugs may do so during periods of high stress or trauma. This could be a major life transition or transformation such as divorce, death or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or disease. In circumstances like this, people are looking for ways to cope with overwhelming feelings of grief and despair. Alcohol or drug abuse can occur as a result of people attempting to cope with these feelings. Generally as the situation improves or these people seek outside help, the alcohol abuse or drug abuse abates and they are able to return to a fairly level normal of functioning without crossing the line into alcoholism or drug addiction.

There are people who are more susceptible to alcoholism and drug addiction based on their genetic make-up. For these people, turning to alcohol or drugs to cope during a bad time can spiral straight into alcohol or drug addiction. Even when the situation has passed and things have balanced out, these individuals continue to abuse alcohol or drugs because they enjoy the effects and aren’t ready to quit. If they don’t recognize the problem and get help, a trip to alcohol rehab or drug rehab is inevitable.

Are you struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction?

In order to determine if you are struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction, there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. How often do you drink or take drugs? Do you take just enough to get by or do you get loaded every time? Is work or school attendance or performance sliding because of your alcohol or drug usage? Have you changed the people you hang out with? Do you isolate more? Have friends and family members expressed concern about your alcohol or drug use? Do you have withdrawal symptoms (headache, nausea, anxiety, body aches) when you quit drinking or using drugs? If you honestly answer these questions, you’ll have a better understanding of how serious your drug use is.

Whether you are dealing with drug and alcohol abuse or drug addiction, most people need professional help to quit drugs and alcohol. The level of care you need depends on the type of drug, how much you take and how long you’ve been taking it. While physical addiction is severed generally within a week, psychological addiction can take months and even years to break. If you suspect that you or a loved one is either struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction, don’t wait any longer. Seek professional help today.

Alcoholism has been defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a disease in that it is chronic, progressive and fatal if left untreated. Alcoholism knows no boundaries. It crosses age, race, sex, culture, background and socioeconomic status. The university professor standing at the front of the classroom is just as likely to be afflicted with alcoholism as the college student sitting in the back.

The good news is that alcoholism is treatable with varying degrees of success. It is always the individual who determines how successful alcohol treatment is and their degree of willingness is usually dependent upon the severity of consequences related to their drinking. Most people struggling with alcoholism are unaware they are in the grips of a powerful disease. They make any number of attempts to control it and quite often believe that they can be successful at it. But alcoholism has been described as “cunning, baffling and powerful.” Left to their own devices, those who are in the grips of addiction will likely stay rooted in denial and keep drinking in spite of great devastation wrecked upon themselves and those they love.

Alcoholism is characterized by a powerful obsession and craving for alcohol. This can be unbearable to the point where nothing short of a jail cell can keep an individual from taking a drink. Due to the nature of the disease and the powerful cravings of mind and body, it often takes professional help to arrest alcoholism. Inpatient alcohol rehab is structured to provide a supervised environment where those in the grips of alcoholism can sever their physical and psychological dependency in a safe manner. While physical dependence can be severed in 3 to 10 days, psychological dependency takes much longer. This is why individuals are encouraged to stay in a sober environment for as long as possible. Past associations, friends and places can trigger newly sober individuals to drink and start the spiral down into alcoholism all over again. Like many diseases, alcoholism is never cured. It just goes into remission. All it takes is one drink to trigger the same pattern again.

If you or someone you love is struggling with alcoholism, don’t despair. Alcoholism is treatable and there are hundreds of resources available to help you get started on the path to recovery. Many of them are listed on this website. If you have cravings for alcohol and continue to drink in spite of serious consequences, call and ask for help today.

Alcohol is a socially acceptable drug found at sporting events and celebrations all over the world. Unfortunately, it’s also found in the majority of traffic accidents and domestic violence incidents. Alcohol infiltrates life for better or worse but for the person who is in the grips of alcoholism, it will only get worse.

Alcohol use can spiral into alcohol abuse, alcohol dependency and alcoholism. These are all labels with varying degrees of consequences. Someone may initially start drinking for fun and then find they start drinking to cope with life’s difficulties - a divorce, a death, a job loss or any other major transition. These life-changing events can be the catapult to alcohol abuse. Once alcohol becomes a way to cope, it’s a slippery slope that can lead straight into alcoholism. People who depend on alcohol soon become physically and psychologically addicted. They may have the best intentions to quit but the overwhelming desire for alcohol soon overpowers their good intentions and they drink again. This is why it generally takes professional help at an alcohol rehab in order to arrest alcoholism.

Many people struggle with the idea of being an alcoholic and this label alone can keep them from getting the help they need. It doesn’t matter whether you want to label it alcohol abuse, alcohol dependency or alcoholism, reliance on alcohol to cope with life is a problem that only gets worse. While these various labels can be confusing for someone who is attempting to diagnose whether they or a loved one needs help, the bottom line remains unchanged - If alcohol is causing problems with your health, relationships, work, school or any other major responsibilities that affect your ability to live a healthy, functional life then it’s time to consider alcohol treatment.

The good news is that alcoholism can be treated for those willing to get help and there are hundreds of resources available on this website that offer it. If you or a loved on are caught in the grips of alcoholism, don’t despair. Alcohol treatment is available all over the nation. Many people have overcome their alcohol abuse and you can too.

Alcohol abuse may start innocently enough. Letting off steam on the weekends, sporting events where you tie on a few too many, grabbing a buddy to hit the bar scene after a break-up. No one intentionally sets out to engage in alcohol abuse or set the stage for alcoholism, but all too often that’s exactly what happens.

There’s a lot of misconceptions swirling around about the notion of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. While alcohol abuse is often a precursor to alcoholism, this is not always the case. Someone can abuse alcohol and not be an alcoholic. The difference lies in the genetic make-up of each individual. People predisposed to alcoholism have a genetic predisposition that results in processing alcohol differently than others. This makes it difficult for them to stop drinking once they start. This phenomenon is known as craving. Craving for alcohol occurs on a mental and physical level, and can be so intense in alcoholics that everything else goes out the window. Work, school, relationships, responsibilities - all have been known to fall by the wayside in order to satisfy the craving for alcohol.

This is a considerable difference from someone who may begin drinking heavily after the loss of a loved one. Major life trauma or transitions can lead an individual to abuse alcohol in order to cope with grief and stress. While this is not the healthiest behavior, neither does it mean someone is an alcoholic. The best indicator is life management. If someone drinks, even heavily, but maintains significant responsibilities such as family, work, school and health, then counseling may be a more appropriate course of action than alcohol rehab. However, if after a period of time alcohol abuse continues instead of abates, then professional help to determine whether alcohol rehab is necessary should be sought.

Where alcohol abuse generally occurs in response to life situations, alcoholism is a set of behavioral and personality problems that lends itself to drinking regardless of the circumstances. In any event, if you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol abuse or alcoholism it’s a good idea to seek professional help. A counselor, therapist or intake coordinator at an alcohol rehab can help evaluate your alcohol use and determine whether you need the structured environment of alcohol rehab to overcome it.