Alcohol Abuse Treatment - Alcohol Rehab Directory

In New Mexico alcohol abuse is prevalent. You may wonder, what is alcohol abuse? Alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism in that it does not include an extremely strong craving for alcohol, loss of control, or physical dependence. In addition, alcohol abuse is less likely than alcoholism to include tolerance (the need for increasing amounts of alcohol to get "high"). While alcohol abuse is basically different from alcoholism, it is important to note that many effects of alcohol abuse are also experienced by alcoholics. In New Mexico and across the United States alcohol abuse is defined as a pattern of drinking that is accompanied by one or more of the following situations within a 12-month period:

• Failure to fulfill major work, school, or home responsibilities;
• Drinking in situations that are physically dangerous, such as while driving a car or operating machinery;
• Recurring alcohol-related legal problems, such as being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or for physically hurting someone while drunk;
• Continued drinking despite having ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by the effects of alcohol.

What can you expect if you decide to go to a New Mexico alcohol abuse treatment program? If you have never been to a residential treatment facility, you may have some misconceptions about what does and does not take place during alcohol abuse treatment. First, no locks are on the doors. You are free to leave at any time. Even if you have been adjudicated by the criminal justice system into the program, you can still walk out. You may face the consequences later, but you can choose to leave. The reason there are no locks is because no alcohol rehab or alcohol abuse treatment program is going to work unless you are willing. If you enter a New Mexico alcohol abuse treatment program knowing that you are going to drink or use drugs again, you are wasting your money and everyone's time.

Some New Mexico residential alcohol abuse treatment facilities have their own in-house alcohol detox programs, but more centers today are requiring clients to complete alcohol detox prior to entering their facilities. In other words, you may need to get clean and sober before you can even enter alcohol rehab. The trend today is to have you go through the withdrawal process at a facility that specializes in dealing with drug and alcohol detox withdrawal symptoms. Typically, this done on a short-term, five to seven days, inpatient basis.

Many successful alcohol rehab facilities are in New Mexico today, and each one is different from the next as far as its physical facilities are concerned. They range from almost primitive camp-type settings -- usually for troubled teens -- to the most luxurious facilities imaginable and everything in between. Like most other things in life, you get what you pay for or what you or your insurance can afford. The type of physical facilities the alcohol rehab offers has little to do with how successful their program might be in keeping you sober.

Education is the core component of all New Mexico alcohol abuse treatment and alcohol rehab programs. It may vary from facility to facility, but generally the process is aimed at getting you to look at your alcohol abuse honestly and realistically, and change your attitude about your drug and alcohol use.

In the early stages of recovery, most alcoholics or addicts may still be holding on to some denial about the seriousness of their problem or may be ambivalent about quitting alcohol for good. Alcohol abuse treatment programs try to break through that denial and ambivalence to try to get you to commit to a clean and sober lifestyle. Typically, you will learn about the nature of alcohol abuse and the dynamics of addiction, the effects drugs and alcohol have on your body and the consequences if you continue to use.