Am I Addicted to Alcohol?
If you find yourself wondering, “Am I addicted to alcohol?”, then you’re already on the right track. Self-assessment through a series of five important questions can help you get to the heart of whether you’re in need of further substance use treatment programs in Oregon to help you achieve sobriety.
Has Alcohol Tolerance Increased?
As a result of excessive, chronic alcohol consumption, individuals may experience increased tolerance to alcohol. This means that rather than feeling satisfied with the same number of drinks as a few months ago, drinkers begin needing even more alcohol to feel the same way. Increased tolerance, of course, also means an increase in health-related risks and side effects.
Has Alcohol Interfered With Life’s Responsibilities?
Drinking alcohol isn’t inherently something that interferes with responsibilities. Some individuals can have a drink or two and still spend time with family, carry out financial obligations and maintain a career.
For those struggling with alcoholism, however, alcohol consumption can become more important than other tasks and responsibilities. If you find yourself prioritizing alcohol over friends, family or work, then you may have alcohol dependence or addiction. Other ways alcohol interferes includes:
- Blowing through the family budget on alcohol
- Ignoring children
- Physical altercations
- Low work or school performance
- Legal problems: DUI, domestic disputes, or disorderly conduct
If alcohol interferes with your family, family therapy programs in OR provide a safe platform to work through issues. Master-level therapists work with each member of the family and everyone together. Rebuilding family relationships and understanding starts with alcohol rehab.
Has Drinking Ever Impaired Memory or Recall?
Often those who binge drink or drink in excess suffer from memory loss after drinking. If memory loss or recall problems are common for you, then you might need to consider the possibility of confronting an alcohol addiction.
Have Withdrawal Symptoms Ever Appeared?
Withdrawal symptoms appear when someone dependent on alcohol doesn’t drink. This can happen after a few hours of abstaining or even a few days after abstaining.
Withdrawal symptoms are one of the sure signs of alcoholism. Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms include the following:
- Shaking or body tremors
- Loss of appetite and nausea
- Extreme sweating
- Irritability, anxiety, and nervousness
Has Abstaining From Alcohol Consumption Been Challenging?
For those who don’t struggle with alcohol addiction, abstaining from alcohol shouldn’t be problematic. If a few days go by without a drink, they won’t crave alcohol or suffer from an internal struggle to drink. For alcoholics, however, it can be a different story.
Those struggling with alcohol addiction might find it very difficult not to drink even for a day or two. They may begin to have obsessive thoughts about drinking, and their lives might begin to revolve around it. In these cases, partial hospitalization programs or outpatient rehab in Portland are often the best choices for alcohol use disorder recovery.
What to Do if You Answered “Yes” to “Am I Addicted to Alcohol?”
If you answered yes to “am I addicted to alcohol?”, then it’s time to seek out a quality alcohol rehab center in Oregon. Addiction treatment programs include:
- Residential treatment in OR
- Intensive outpatient program
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Portland individual counseling
- Holistic rehab in OR
At Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon, you can start to take back control over your life. Call 866.262.0531 and begin your own journey to alcohol addiction recovery.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
