If either you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol misuse, they’d likely benefit from alcohol addiction counselling. If you drink alcohol frequently and begin to see an addiction brewing, seeking help is key. It’s important to acknowledge alcohol addiction and treat it promptly.
Addiction counselling offers alcohol addicts a way to overcome their addiction with the help of qualified professionals. However, it’s what alcohol counselling entails that leaves people confused. If you’re considering addiction counselling for your bad drinking habits, read on to find out what to expect.
Understanding Alcohol Addiction
Understanding alcohol addiction itself is crucial before considering counselling. Alcohol addiction, also known as alcoholism or alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterised by an inability to control or stop drinking.
If you have a bad relationship with alcohol and find yourself binge-drinking regularly, you likely have an addiction. Alcohol kicks in within 10 minutes, depending on the strength of your drink, and stays in your system for several hours, which often causes a hangover the following day. Addiction can be hard to live with, but there are ways to manage alcohol abuse, such as counselling.
Alcohol problems can lead to a range of issues, from liver damage and impaired cognition to strained relationships. While environmental influences such as peer pressure, stress, and trauma could develop into an addiction, psychological factors like depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems typically occur alongside addiction.
What is Alcohol Addiction Counselling?
So, what is alcohol addiction counselling? Alcohol addiction counselling is one of the major tools to help someone overcome an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol counselling consists of regular sessions held by a trained alcohol counsellor.
Counselling is a therapeutic intervention aimed at helping individuals overcome their alcohol dependence and regain control over their lives. Counsellors are there to offer professional support, guidance, and advice.
The primary goal of counselling sessions is to address your drinking behaviour and any underlying causes that have contributed to your heavy alcohol consumption. Talking with a counsellor is highly beneficial; they provide you with helpful coping mechanisms to manage triggers and help you stop drinking for good.
Typically, some sessions will use various therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Therapy allows you to talk openly about your issues in a safe environment while coming up with effective resolutions to solve them.
What to Expect From Your Alcohol Addiction Counselling Sessions
If you’re interested in attending alcohol counselling, it’s important to know what to expect. What your counselling sessions entail will be different for another person; counselling is personalised and tailored to each individual’s needs.
Usually, the first few sessions of counselling involve an assessment to gather information about your drinking pattern, medical history, and any mental health concerns. This initial evaluation helps alcohol counsellors address your drinking problem in the most effective way possible.
Together with your counsellor, you’ll be able to set goals to reduce your intake of alcohol while improving your coping skills and coming up with ways to improve any broken relationships. When you’re physically dependent on alcohol, attending counselling sessions is the best thing to do.
Once you’ve set your targets, your counsellor will equip you with information about alcohol addiction. This helps you better understand the consequences of alcohol, which hopefully encourages you to make more informed choices in the future.
An important stage of counselling is therapeutic intervention. Therapeutic techniques and interventions help address any underlying causes that might have contributed to your addiction. These types of sessions will include CBT exercises to challenge your thought patterns and increase self-awareness.
Another crucial part of your one-on-one sessions is to develop a relapse prevention plan with your counsellor. During this stage of your recovery journey, you’ll identify high-risk situations, triggers, and coping strategies to prevent relapse.
This will provide you with the best chance at maintaining sobriety for the foreseeable future. Counselling isn’t a one-time event; instead, it’s an ongoing process of growth. Although these sessions are there to help you navigate the world alcohol-free, if you feel as though you need more sessions, you can simply book back in.
Are You Struggling with Alcohol Dependence?
If you feel as though you need alcohol counselling but don’t know where to begin, you’ll be glad to know that we can help you. At Verve Healthcare, we offer expert referral services, helping people find suitable alcoholism treatment options.
Although alcohol counselling doesn’t have to be completed at rehab, it’s often advised that you do so. Private alcohol rehab clinics are best suited for those struggling with addiction. During your stay at a residential alcohol rehab centre, you’ll have access to round-the-clock care and frequent counselling sessions.
Rehab offers an effective way to overcome alcohol addiction; you’ll be able to undergo a medically supervised alcohol detox, with regular support groups and counselling sessions available to get you through the recovery process.
Alcohol detoxification is defined as a period of medical treatment, usually including counselling, during which a person is helped to overcome physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. Detox eliminates any remaining substances in your body, whether they be alcohol or drugs.
When you stop drinking after becoming dependent, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are expected. These symptoms can be tedious for some, and it’s best not to go through this process alone. When you attend rehab, you’ll be able to manage these sometimes-difficult symptoms more effectively.
If you’d like to find out more about our trusted referral services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you soon.