There is no singular cause for alcohol addiction, as many factors can contribute to your risk for AUD. Moreover, the development of addiction to drugs and alcohol is not a linear process. Thus, having a mental health disorder or low self-esteem is not a direct track to addiction. Instead, substance abuse shares a bidirectional relationship with many factors, such as exposure to or exacerbation of mental illness from drug and alcohol use.
Trauma and Alcohol Dependence: How Therapy Helps
The challenges of dependence and addiction to drugs and alcohol have strong roots in trauma and, thus, PTSD. Unaddressed childhood trauma, in particular, is tied to PTSD and AUD. Experiences with maltreatment in childhood, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse, can significantly impact brain development in children. When your brain development during such a fundamental time of development is disrupted, it can contribute to various physical, psychological, and behavioral challenges. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notes, PTSD and substance abuse often co-occur, with 44.6% of individuals with lifetime PTSD also meeting the criteria for AUD.
It can feel overwhelming to tackle the impact of trauma on your quality of life. Moreover, you may especially question how you can overcome the challenges of trauma that impaired development. With a comprehensive and holistic approach to health care and rehab, you can engage in therapy that treats the whole person. According to Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, behavioral interventions in therapy can support the treatment of AUD. Behavioral interventions can include freestanding treatments in rehab or a more comprehensive health care plan with pharmacotherapies.
Listed below are some of the behavioral interventions and other therapy tools that can support a comprehensive treatment program for alcohol addiction:
- Psychoeducation
- Adaptive coping skills
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Social support
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT is invaluable in a comprehensive therapy rehab program for AUD as it is highly focused and flexible in its application for individual and group therapy. With therapy like CBT, your clinicians can support you in recognizing and dismantling maladaptive cognitions and behaviors that have contributed to your substance abuse. Further, access to comprehensive therapy and rehab treatment can foster motivation for a profound change and long-term sobriety.
The Risks of Alcohol Intoxication and Withdrawal
Due to factors like the cultural norms of excessive alcohol consumption, you may have believed that you had your drinking under control. In reality, substance abuse can come with numerous physical and psychological health risks. You are not only at risk of AUD, mental health disorders, and chronic health conditions, but also overdose and death. It can be difficult to think about or imagine overdose and death as risk factors from alcohol intoxication. However, it is important to know and acknowledge the dangers of alcohol intoxication regardless of mild or severe AUD. Some of the ways unchecked alcohol intoxication can harm your health include:
- Impaired motor coordination
- Poor decision-making skills
- Decrease impulse control
- Health issues
- Liver disease
- Pancreatitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Pneumonia
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
- Cardiovascular issues
- Hypertension
- Arrythmia
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- An increase in risky behaviors results in acute harm and medical emergencies
- Car accidents
- Falling
- Drowning
- Sexually transmitted infections and diseases
- Overdose
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
Whether you have experienced challenges with AUD, substance dependence, or binge and heavy drinking, you can find support with comprehensive detox. With a comprehensive alcohol detoxification and rehab program, you can safely detox and move into therapy to heal. You may question how alcohol detoxification in rehab can be beneficial to you. The presence of alcohol in many social aspects of life, like celebrations, holidays, sporting events, and after-work happy hours, can convince you that your consumption is not unhealthy or that you can stop at any time. Yet, unsupported withdrawal can present various complications to your health. Listed below are some of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Tremors
- Excessive sweating
- Hyperthermia
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Stomach pain
- Mood changes
- Confusion
- Hallucinations
In addition to the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, some other risk factors for unsupported alcohol detoxification include alcohol withdrawal syndrome and alcohol withdrawal delirium. As stated in Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome by Bethany R. Canver et al., the syndrome typically presents with mild symptoms, but without medically supervised detox, it can escalate to severe life-threatening complications. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome may at first present as mild anxiety, headache, upset stomach, and insomnia. Then, mild symptoms can progress to visual or auditory hallucinations and withdrawal seizures. At the severe end of the symptom spectrum, alcohol withdrawal can result in alcohol withdrawal delirium.
Alcohol withdrawal delirium, formerly known as delirium tremens, can cause sudden health challenges. Although alcohol withdrawal delirium impacts only approximately three to five percent of people, its lack of precision in timing and risk for fatality are significant.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal delirium can include:
- Profound confusion or an altered mental state
- Tremors
- Hallucinations
- Paranoia
- Seizures
- Severe autonomic hyperactivity
- Trembling
- Sweating
- Tachycardia
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sensory disruptions and disorientation
- Hyperthermia
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Respiratory failure
The presentation of alcohol withdrawal delirium can appear anywhere from three to eight days following alcohol cessation. Thus, the lack of predictability in the manifestation of alcohol withdrawal delirium can contribute to the dangers of medically unsupported detox.
Rehab Options for Alcohol Addiction at Profound Treatment
At Profound Treatment, we are dedicated to providing a treatment center that treats the whole person, rather than the diagnosis. You are more than your addiction, so you deserve support that addresses your individual needs and experiences to heal. We are invested in a comprehensive residential rehab program that meets you where you are on your journey to healing your addiction and your psychological well-being. Listed below are some of the rehab options we offer in our luxury treatment center here in Los Angeles:
- Medically supervised alcohol detoxification
- 24/7 medical services during detox
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
- Dual diagnosis program for substance abuse and mental health disorders
- Professionals program
- For individuals with work responsibilities and obligations
- Vocational and life skills education
- Other behavioral interventions
- Adaptive coping skills
- Reduce triggers
- Manage cravings
- Support relapse prevention
- LGBTQ+ program
- Provide a safe and supportive space to share and heal
- Continuum of care
- A calm, safe, and nurturing space, close to the beaches of Malibu and downtown Los Angeles
- Luxury accommodations
- Pool
- Onsite chef
- Cozy suites
- CBT
- Mindfulness-based practices
- Exercise
- Nutrition education
The benefit of a comprehensive rehab program is options. At Profound Treatment, you are not forced into a one-size-fits-all program because your symptoms, experiences, and needs are unique to you. With a comprehensive and holistic approach to care, you can work with your support team to tailor your treatment to fit you.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Coping Strategies
CBT is a type of talk therapy or psychotherapy that focuses on a structured and goal-oriented model. At the core of CBT, it relies on several core principles to address mental health and behavioral challenges:
- A feature of psychological distress is maladaptive thinking patterns
- Many psychological challenges are formed from learned negative patterns of thinking
- A feature of psychological difficulties is harmful core beliefs about yourself and the world
- The capacity for learning adaptive ways to cope with negative thinking patterns is possible
- Alleviate symptoms
- Improve mental health
- Enhance emotional health
Further, as noted in Cognitive Behavior Therapy by Suma P. Chand et al., CBT is a straightforward, common-sense model of the relationship between cognition, emotion, and behavior. Three aspects of cognition in particular are emphasized in CBT:
Automatic Thoughts
- Your immediate and unpremeditated interpretations of events
- Shape your emotions and actions in response to the events
- CBT observes that dysfunctional automatic thoughts are exaggerated, distorted, mistaken, or unrealistic thoughts
Underlying Beliefs or Schemas
- Your belief systems or schema are formed as you go through life experiences
- Beliefs shape your perception and interpretation of events
- Your beliefs are the template or rule book for information processing that superficially underlie automatic thoughts
- CBT understands beliefs on two levels
- Core beliefs
- Your central ideas about yourself and the world
- Core beliefs are the most fundamental level of belief
- Your core beliefs are global, rigid, and overgeneralized
- Intermediate beliefs
- Your assumptions, attitudes, and rules
- The development of your intermediate beliefs is influenced by your core beliefs
Thus, the core principles and aspects of CBT highlight its value as a therapy to address co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness. The roots of AUD in trauma as a means of self-medicating make CBT a powerful therapy for dismantling the negative thinking and behavior patterns that contribute to addiction.
Healing With Experiential and Holistic Therapies at Profound Treatment
At Profound Treatment, we provide a wide range of experiential and holistic therapies because you are unique, and your treatment should be, too. Without a tailored whole-person approach to treatment, you can miss out on the opportunity for self-discovery and self-understanding needed to break down barriers to recovery. Addiction tries to isolate you from yourself and others to perpetuate a cycle of suffering. However, with our rehab in Los Angeles, we are dedicated to providing a space and community where you can find connection and belonging to thrive. We will be here with encouragement, support, and guidance to lead the life you deserve.
Alcohol dependence and AUD can have a profound impact on your physical and psychological well-being. Access to a comprehensive and holistic approach to care with therapies like CBT can support building tools to dismantle negative thinking and behavior patterns that contribute to addiction and mental illness. At Profound Treatment, we are dedicated to cultivating an environment and program tailored to address your unique experiences and needs to thrive in recovery. Call us at (310) 340-2609 to learn more.
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