Alcohol Rehab Programs in Portland, ME (877) 804-1531

An estimated 18 million American adults struggle with alcohol abuse, according to the National Institutes of Health. Those in Portland are subject to the dangers of abuse as well. Fortunately, there are rehab facilities in Portland, Maine that can help a person struggling with alcohol addiction to overcome their addictions. Doctors don't define abuse by the amount or frequency of alcoholic drinks a person takes per day. Instead, they define it as a loss of control over a person's relationship with alcohol. A person can no longer control how much they drink and then they start to become preoccupied with drinking more than doing other things that they used to once enjoy doing.

Alcohol abuse can cause severe short- and long-term health effects as well as destroy a person's quality of life. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction,  Portland Alcohol Rehab Centers can help.

Alcohol Abuse Signs and Symptoms

Because alcohol is a legal substance, it can sometimes be difficult for friends and family to recognize that a person struggles with alcohol abuse. A person may also have difficulty recognizing the abuse in themselves, believing they could "quit any time." Some of the hallmark signs and symptoms associated with alcohol abuse include:

  • Cravings for alcohol whenever a person is not drinking
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms whenever a person is not drinking
  • Building up a tolerance to alcohol such that they need to drink more and more alcohol to achieve the same effect
  • Drinking at inappropriate times, such as first thing in the morning or at work or school
  • Concealing or lying about how much a person drinks or that a person is drinking at all
  • Experiencing problems with the law due to drinking, such as being arrested for drinking while driving

Alcohol can be one of the most dangerous substances to abuse because of the changes that it makes in the body. The next section will explore the dangers of alcohol abuse that underlie the importance of seeking rehabs in Portland, Maine.

Dangers of Alcohol

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. When a person drinks, this stimulates the release of GABA, a neurotransmitter that will slow the functions of the body causing slurred speech, heavy limbs, and feeling fatigued. Chronic alcohol abuse and drug abuse in Portland also causes changes in the body that affect a person's nutrition level and overall health. Examples of some of the effects of long-term abuse of drinking include:

  • Increased risk for cancers, such as mouth and esophageal cancer
  • Damage to the liver that can cause scarring that affects the liver's ability to work at all
  • Damage to the heart, including increased risk for irregular heart rhythms, stroke, and cardiomyopathy, which can cause stretching and affected heart muscle function
  • Increased risk for pancreatitis, a very painful inflammatory condition that affects digestion
  • Affected immune system function, which can cause a person to be at increased risk for diseases, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis.

In the short term, a person is also at increased risk for accidents due to the changes in judgment and reaction time that alcohol abuse can cause.

With so many harmful health effects, seeking rehab centers are more important than ever.

Why Should I Enter Alcohol Rehab Centers?

When a person decides to quit drinking alcohol, the side effects of withdrawal can be severe. For this reason, a person shouldn't undergo alcohol withdrawal unless they are at professional rehabs in Portland. Withdrawal from alcohol stops the chronic depression of the central nervous system. As a result, the brain becomes overloaded with chemical messengers that can cause a harmful syndrome known as the delirium tremens or DTs. This syndrome can cause symptoms that include:

  • Seizures
  • Hallucinations
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Severe confusion
  • High body temperatures

In some instances, these symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be deadly. While addiction treatments cannot take away every symptom of alcohol withdrawals, a person can take medications to reduce the likelihood that a person will experience seizures. Examples include benzodiazepines, which can reduce the likelihood that a person will have a seizure.

Even if a person does not experience the DTs when they go through alcohol withdrawals, seeking addiction treatments is still a safer approach to undergoing withdrawals. Additionally, after a person stops going through withdrawal symptoms, the person is at alcohol rehabs in Portland to begin learning how to deal with the mental cravings that often accompany withdrawing from alcohol.

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