Knock back hesitation: What will you gain from alcohol treatment?

Last Updated:

March 8th, 2024

Making the first moves towards recovery is a big step. Addiction can be debilitating, but for many people, it can feel easier – and often safer – to stay in the cycles of addiction rather than to try and break out of them. This is often a case of ‘better the devil, you know.’ Addiction is painful, but we can come to know what to expect. The anxiety for many people comes from the unknown. What does recovery even look like? How do you access alcohol help? What might rehab entail, and what benefits does it reap?

Giving up alcohol may feel like an alarming idea. However, alcohol addiction treatment can be life-changing. With a range of physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual benefits, alcohol rehab can have the power to reconfigure your life.

Alcohol addiction: The symptoms

Alcohol addiction can be destructive. To our bodies and minds, as well as in the context of our relationships, work and social life. If you are experiencing addiction, it is likely that you are dealing with the following effects:

Physical effects:

Damage the to liver and renal system
Regular hangovers
Headaches
Sickness
Decreased immune system (meaning regular bouts of being unwell)
Feeling shaky, weak, or tired
Tremors
Powerful cravings
Changes in weight
Changes in sleep schedule
Reduced engagement in personal care
Increases risk of cancer
High blood pressure
Heart disease

Psychological effects:

Feeling anxious or paranoid
Feeling irritable or angry
Feeling euphoric when drinking, but otherwise feeling low
Experiencing blackouts
Being unable to remember your words or acts whilst drinking
Unpredictable moods and behaviour
Exacerbation of mental health conditions

Social effects:

Tension in relationships
Potential engagement in criminal activity
Financial difficulties
Problems with employment or education
Reduction in socialising
Reduced engagement with children, family, or other loved ones
Lying or concealing drinking behaviour

As we can see, alcohol addiction, as a chronic condition, affects each area of our lives. Long-term alcohol symptoms can be devastating, causing us to feel physically unwell, emotionally unstable and socially withdrawn.

Contextualising the effects of alcohol addiction:

In 2021, there were 9,641 deaths linked to alcohol in the UK. This is the highest number on record.
Around a third of individuals dealing with alcoholism have a mental health condition. This dual diagnosis can lead to particular risk of deteriorating psychological wellbeing, even leading, in some cases, to serious self-harm or suicide.
There is a causal relationship between excessive alcohol consumption and unemployment, indicating that those not in employment are likely to drink more.
There is a higher rate of divorce of ‘marital dissolution’ in relationships involving excessive alcohol consumption (48.3% in comparison to 30.1% in individuals without a substance use disorder).
Individuals dealing with alcoholism may face more financial difficulties, with two thirds of homeless people citing substances as their reason for becoming homeless.

The benefits of alcohol addiction rehab

Taking that first courageous step to recovery may be daunting. However, the symptoms discussed above do not have to be life-long. With appropriate intervention and support, these difficult outcomes can be mitigated. We can think of alcoholism treatment as the beginning of a period of healing. Each individual will find that this healing manifests itself in different ways. Taking an overarching view, however, individuals typically find that alcohol rehab helps in the following key areas:

Psychological well-being
Physical health
Social life and connections
Work and finances
Personal satisfaction

Psychological well-being

Alcohol addiction is linked to a worsening in wellbeing in a general sense. This can be particularly dangerous for individuals with preexisting mental health conditions. This is known as a dual diagnosis. Common dual diagnoses include:

Drinking excessively can worsen the symptoms that make up these conditions. This can mean that during periods of heavy drinking, you may generally feel worse. During addiction rehab, you may find that your support takes a two-pronged approach, looking not only at how to manage the impulse to drink but also at how to navigate difficult thoughts, feelings and situations that may feed into your relationship with alcohol.

The benefits of this include:

Loosening the grip of addiction
Addressing difficult thoughts, feelings, behaviours or traumas that may be associated with drinking
Learning new, non-maladaptive ways of coping
Finding appropriate treatment to manage mental health conditions
Regulating mood and stress levels in a supportive environment
Establishing open communication around mental health
Coming to understand pre existing mental health conditions
Learning how to manage stress more effectively
Establishing ‘risk’ plans and learning warning signs of increased stress

Physical health

Alcohol has been associated with the development of over 60 medical conditions. Many of these conditions can be lifelong, life-limiting, or even fatal. Such conditions include cirrhosis of the liver, development of cardiovascular diseases and increased risk of specific types of cancer. Outside of chronic conditions, alcohol addiction can leave the body feeling exhausted. Living in a state of craving – binge – withdrawal can be very difficult for the body, causing you to feel regularly unwell.

One of the key areas of alcohol rehab is an alcohol detox. This involves the process of withdrawing from alcohol. This limits the body’s reliance on alcohol, meaning that you can continue forward without the distraction of cravings. This aims to eliminate the physical element of addiction.

The benefits of this include:

An increase in energy
An increase in general wellbeing
Fewer instances of feeling unwell
Feeling in control of your body
More regular sleep
More regular eating patterns
Forges a healthier relationship between yourself and your body
No more withdrawal symptoms
Reduces mortality risk

Social Life and Connections

Addiction is something experienced by the individual, but this does not mean that the people around us do not feel its effects. In a sense, we can think of addiction as a social condition as much as an individual experience. Unfortunately, addiction can lead to the deterioration of a range of social sides of life, including our romantic relationships, our connections with our children, and our ability to spend time with friends and engage in the activities we love.

Alcohol rehab aims to give you your social life back by limiting the obstacle of addiction.

The benefits of this include:

Feeling less lonely
Building a support network
Repairing and rebuilding relationships
Taking accountability for actions
Being able to spend more time with loved ones
Being able to support others, as well as receive support
Engaging in recreational activities such as hobbies
Engaging in family life

Work and finances

Any form of addiction can act as a financial drain. This is due to the compulsive need to have access to the addictive substance, ‘just in case.’ However, this can lead to economic problems, which can put a strain on relationships and cause significant personal loss and hardship. Removing the need to spend a lot on alcohol can, therefore, improve our relationship with work and finances.

The benefits of this include:

Less stress and anxiety around the financial situation
Less strain on relationships linked to money and shared finances
Less need to borrow money in terms of loans or favours
Increased likelihood of clearing debt
Greater ability to concentrate on work
Greater performance at work

Personal satisfaction

The psychological, physical, social and financial benefits of alcohol addiction recovery are desirable. However, perhaps more than others, the way that recovery can lead to personal satisfaction and happiness can be incredibly impactful. During your time in rehab, you may find yourself having time to reflect. This reflection time, paired with the achievement of recovery, can be incredibly powerful.

The benefits of this include:

A clearer sense of self
An improved confidence
Feeling more comfortable in your own skin
A renewed sense of vigour
A desire to keep moving forward towards self-betterment
The identification of a new goal, passion, journey or ‘higher purpose’
An ability to address past difficulties
The ability to hold yourself accountable
The alleviation of guilt, embarrassment or shame

Take your first step towards recovery

Everyone deserves to feel physically, psychologically, socially and financially secure. Regardless of their history, every person deserves to have the opportunity to work towards self-development and enact positive change. Alcohol addiction rehab can provide this opportunity. With access to a range of clinical professionals and treatments, rehab can be the catalyst for huge change. Accessing rehab takes great strength. But it also reaps tremendous rewards. Whenever you are ready, we are here to help you take the first step towards alcohol addiction recovery.