Is Alcoholism An Illness Mental Health Professionals Can Treat?

Introduction

Seeking help is one of the best steps that anyone suffering from alcoholism can take. Once a person realizes their level of alcohol consumption is out of control, they can seek help from a professional who is fully trained and will be able to help them get their life back on the right track.

General Information about Alcoholism

Substance abuse enters many lives in a variety of ways and alcoholism is a very common illness that calls for treatment by a substance abuse counselor and/or mental health professionals. You cannot force anyone to seek treatment for a disease such as alcoholism but you can encourage them to do what’s right for them and try to be as supportive as possible. Whether a person seeks help or not is totally up to them, and they need to get a grip and realize they have a problem before most will be willing to seek the help they desperately need.

For anyone that has determined the fact that they are an alcoholic, there are several different ways their illness can be treated. You must first realize that alcoholism is indeed a disease. The goal of treatment is to help the person determine what is causing the problem and assist them in achieving long term sobriety. Alcoholism not only takes a toll on the individual with the disease, but it carries its burden over to the people who love and care for them. For many years, alcoholism has been a contributing factor to wrecking homes, taking lives, creating legal issues and has even been a leading cause of death in some instances.

With a mental health illness such as alcoholism it is necessary to understand that it is a real illness just like cancer or any other illness. The reality that goes along with alcoholism or any substance abuse illness is the fact that the individual that suffers from the illness must genuinely want to get help in order for any type of treatment to be successful.

 

 

Mental Health Professionals and Treatment

With a mental health illness such as alcoholism, the effects can differ greatly which is why it is important to consult with a trained mental health professional. A mental health professional that has a focus on substance abuse will understand that alcoholism is in fact a mental health illness and will be able to formulate a plan of treatment and care for the alcoholic.

Alcoholism has a variety of treatment options which an alcoholic may be able to take advantage of and some of those options are:

• Checking in to a substance abuse treatment center and following their program as an inpatient
• Pharmaceutical rehabilitation by using drugs intended for the purposes of helping the person to no longer depend on the alcohol
• Support groups
• Detoxification centers

Whatever method of treatment is recommended by the mental health professional will be what they feel is the right treatment for the alcoholic. This is determined on an individual basis and treatment options can vary from person to person.

If you or someone you know suffers from alcoholism, it is very important to seek the help you need to assist you in overcoming this mental health illness. Many people over come this mental health illness and if you commit yourself to doing so and focus on future sobriety, if it is something you really desire, it will happen for you. With planned treatment and multiple care options, sobriety is just a few steps away.

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