Alcohol addiction

What is alcohol addiction?

Alcohol is a depressant that slows the brain and central nervous system. Because it is socially accepted and easy to get, problem drinking often builds slowly, until a person needs alcohol to feel normal, relax, or get through the day.

Alcohol use disorder is a recognized medical condition, not a matter of willpower. Over time the brain and body adapt to alcohol, so it takes more to get the same effect and stopping becomes physically and emotionally painful.

Signs of alcohol addiction

• Drinking more, or for longer, than you meant to
• Needing more alcohol to feel the same effect
• Failed attempts to cut back or quit
• Spending a lot of time drinking or recovering from it
• Drinking despite problems at home, work, or with health
• Hiding how much you drink, or drinking alone
• Feeling shaky, anxious, or sick when you do not drink

Effects on the body and mind

Heavy, long-term drinking takes a serious toll: liver disease, high blood pressure and heart damage, pancreatitis, a weakened immune system, and a higher risk of several cancers. It also fuels depression, anxiety, memory problems, and damaged relationships.

Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous

Alcohol is one of the few drugs where withdrawal can be life-threatening. Suddenly stopping after heavy, regular use can cause tremors, sweating, nausea, anxiety, and in severe cases seizures or delirium tremens (DTs).

For this reason, alcohol detox should be done under medical supervision. At the Ranch, medical detox lets the body clear alcohol safely and as comfortably as possible before deeper recovery work begins. Please do not try to detox from heavy drinking alone.

Alcohol treatment at Renaissance Ranch

We treat alcohol addiction with on-site medical detox at our Bluffdale, Utah residential facility, followed by clinically proven therapy and a faith-centered, 12-Step approach we have used to help men recover for more than 25 years.

Our team, many of them in long-term recovery themselves, helps each man understand why he drank, heal what was underneath it, and build a sober life he does not want to escape from. Our Band of Brothers alumni network keeps that support going long after treatment ends.