Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

5 Ways Counseling Helps in Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction, much like any addiction, is partially physical and partially psychological in scope. As such, counseling is a vital part of the recovery process for those who are addicted to alcohol. There are many ways that counseling can help in alcohol addiction, this article focuses on just 5 of the most common ways that counseling can help.

1. Changed Behaviors

Counseling helps patients learn how to change the behaviors that they associate with alcohol use. As a result, people who are addicted to alcohol and who receive counseling can appreciate changed behaviors as a result of the teachings that are received in counseling.

2. Lifestyle Changes

Recovering from alcohol abuse and addiction is made easier with the help of counseling and professional treatment.

Counseling helps to change the mindset associated with drinking and this helps to evoke positive lifestyle changes. Though it takes time, people who have adjusted to a particular lifestyle when they have become heavy drinkers, can equally adapt to a new lifestyle when they quit drinking—counseling can help in the adjustment process by providing support and insight to the user.

3. Changes in Thought Processes

Counseling in alcohol addiction treatment helps those who are addicted to learn how to reprocesses their thoughts in a more positive manner. Instead of allowing thought processes such as anxiety or depression to lead to alcohol, counseling teaches the recovering addict how to keep a positive outlook and to avoid alcohol. Counseling helps the user to understand how to positively process thoughts without resorting to alcohol.

4. Learning

Counseling is generally about support and learning. Those in recovery from alcohol addiction will learn how they can avoid potential triggers that may cause relapse, how they can focus on positive change and how they can behave in a way that will help them to avoid relapse. The learning that takes place in alcohol addiction counseling is beneficial long after the addiction is no longer a major player in the user’s life. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, learning helps patients to heal even when alcoholism continues to impact the lives of those in recovery indirectly.

5. Motivation

Counseling provides the necessary support to evoke a strong sense of motivation for those in recovery from alcohol addiction. Counseling can provide guidance and supportive care that helps the recovering addict to feel grounded and in control of their addiction and their recovery.

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Just How Long is Long-Term Treatment?

You’ve tried outpatient treatment, you’ve tried inpatient treatment and now you’ve been recommended for “long-term” treatment, but just how long is long-term treatment anyway and what makes it so much more effective than the programs you’ve already tried? Various recent studies have been conducted to come to the conclusion that long-term treatment is often the….

Binge Drinking May Drive Heart Disease

Heavy alcohol consumption can bring with it a variety of problems, not least of which is heart disease. In fact, a group of researchers has now identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke. Their findings are published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis…..

Treatment centers

Today’s life of the individual has become very fast paced. The room for family and social life is narrowing day by day. An individual is facing many problems and experiences tension and stress at his workplace and at home. Therefore, the emotional support that is needed by an individual is inadequate. All these situations are….

Record 10,000 addicts look for methadone treatment.

A Record 10,000 heroin addicts have sought methadone treatment in HSE centres across the country so far this year. New figures obtained by the Irish Independent reveal an alarming increase in the number of addicts in towns and cities across the country as seizures of heroin by gardai also soar to unprecedented levels. Approximately 2,000….

Alcoholism in the Jewish community

It’s not easy to be a recovering alcoholic who is also Jewish. It’s hard enough for someone to admit having a problem with alcohol, let alone having to buck long-standing cultural and religions traditions to find sobriety. Helping people overcome these unique challenges is the goal of Jewish Family Service (JFS). With offices located in….