Do you have a drinking problem? Are you trying to help a loved one stop drinking? Alcohol counseling is the first step in sobriety. Here’s what to know.
One drink for women, two drinks for men.
That’s the amount of alcohol health experts recommend you should drink per day. Anything more than that and your risk for cancer and other diseases increases.
Let’s be real, though. You aren’t going to stick to that recommendation. Heck, what’s one or two drinks? Not even enough to make you tipsy.
Well, your concerns are understandable, but if you drink beyond the recommended limit, your drinking could easily become a problem.
Wait, did you just say it’s already a problem? You need alcohol counseling.
Continue reading to learn more about this type of counseling and how it can help you beat your drinking problem.
What’s Alcohol Counseling?
At the heart of it, alcohol counseling is just like any other form of professional counseling. You get advice from an expert. In this case, the expert is an alcohol treatment professional.
Alcohol counseling is part of a comprehensive treatment program for people who are alcohol addicts or have an alcohol use disorder. Learn more here about what an alcohol treatment program involves.
It’s important to note that alcohol counseling programs vary from rehab to rehab, and they can be customized to meet the specific recovery needs of an individual.
How Will an Alcohol Counselor Help You?
During your first appointment, the alcohol counselor will ask you a variety of questions to assess the severity of your alcoholism. They’ll devise an outpatient or inpatient treatment plan for you depending on your situation.
An alcohol counselor will explain the treatment plan to you, as well as flesh out the dangers of alcoholism and give you tips on what you can do to beat it.
A key role for an alcohol counselor is to help you identify your alcohol triggers and develop strategies you can use to overcome those triggers. For instance, if you tend to drink when you hang out with friends who also drink, the counselor can advise you to avoid such company – it’s for the sake of your health.
How Do You Know It’s Time to Seek an Alcohol Counselor?
Most people don’t realize that their alcoholism is becoming a problem until they’re far too sunk into alcoholism. At this point, it’s usually the friends and family members who have to step in and ensure the alcoholic gets professional help
You don’t want to become an addict, so it’s super important to identify when your drinking is becoming a problem. Watch out for these signs:
• You’re drinking almost all the time, even if in small amounts
• Your drinking is interfering with your work or family commitments
• You’re actively trying to cut back on your drinking
• You continue to drink even when you know the immediate consequences
• People close to you are urging you to go easy on your drinking.
If you’re experiencing any of these signs, you probably have a drinking problem and you need to see an alcohol counselor.
Alcohol Counseling Can Help You Achieve Sobriety
Alcoholism affects millions of people and households in the United States. If you have a drinking problem, it’s in the best interest of your health and family to resolve it and lead a sober life. Alcohol counseling can be what you need to turn a new leaf.
All the best and keep reading our website for more lifestyle tips and advice.
