The Astonishing Effects of Smoking and Alcohol on the Brain

Alcohol and tobacco consumption can result a variety of long- and short-term health issues. However, the most extreme risks lie in the potential for permanent neurological damage. In this entry we will discuss the toll of tobacco and alcohol on the human brain.

Nervous System

The chemicals found in tobacco products may cause white blood cells to attack healthy cells, resulting in the potential for disorders and neurological issues down the road.

State of Mind

Studies have found smoking to result in a decline in cognitive function 5x the rate of non-smokers. Diminished cognitive functions may eventually lead to mental deficiencies and dementia in later life.

Brain Damage

Prolonged and excess alcohol intake may lead to brain damage. As an example, numerous alcoholics eventually develop Wernicke—Korsakoff syndrome, causing an array of debilitating symptoms, including memory issues, confusion, and paralysis of the nerves responsible for eye movement.

Memories

Alcohol’s effect on the brain can be seen after only a drink or two. With excessive intake over a long enough use period, drinkers will experience increased memory deficiency.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy places the fetus at risk for developmental issues both early and later in life. Of these issues, perhaps the most difficult to stomach is fetal alcohol syndrome; a condition where children are born with fewer brain cells and smaller brains.

Learn more about alcohol abuse and addiction – Call Above it All Treatment Center today!

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Your Addiction Combat Guide

Addiction is basically defined as a perpetual relapse. The effects of addiction on learning and decision-making may help explain why so many individual struggle to overcome it. Recovery is a lifetime commitment, requiring consistency and dedication to ensure healthy decisions are made.

Instructions:

1 – Ask for support. Take a close look at area organizations and groups who offer support to individuals in recovery. Consider the possibility of counseling, and understand that medication may aid your goals.

2 – Dedicate yourself to change. Commit to a path that supports your desire to fight off addiction. Take a long hard look at yourself and pick out the areas that require change to support your recovery.

3 – Take charge and responsibility! Though change is often difficult in the early stages, with enough time and dedication, the new will become routine. Onward and upward!

4 – Map out a list of values to help ward off addiction. Write out what’s most important to you and make statements that declare their value. Values often include healthy, family, achievement, self respect, community and consciousness.

5 – Take some time to get to know yourself again! It’s not uncommon for addicts to lose themselves within the addiction. Pay close attention to your emotions, how you react to difficult situations, and the feelings that occur afterward. In order to move forward, you must first move inward.

6 – Consider drug rehab options. In many cases, it just simply isn’t enough to “want” recovery. By choosing to seek professional help for your addiction, you stand a much higher chance of achieving and maintaining sobriety, while learning to combat the trials and emotions it commonly evokes. 

Addicted – Where Should You go

There are many reasons why people begin to abuse and become dependent upon alcohol or drugs. For those who will not or cannot stop, we only wish there was a way of preventing it from happening in the first place. But now you've come to the point where you find yourself seeking a solution. You're here because you need to find a drug treatment center or an alcohol rehab program that will make a difference that will help you and your loved one regain the lives you once had. Right Step can make that difference. We have treatment programs and solutions that can work for you.

People often hear words like detox, rehab, treatment, relapse and read or see things on TV about people trying and failing to get control of their drug and alcohol addiction. Maybe this is something you've already gone through or are dealing with right now. The question is, how do you find a residential inpatient program or an intensive outpatient program that can truly help? How can you find a Drug and Alcohol Rehab Program In California that can do more? How do you find a drug and alcohol addiction recovery program that can provide you the support you need and expect from a drug treatment center? We believe that Right Step is the answer to these questions and more.

The answer is simple.  At Above It All Recovery and Treatment Center, we stand ready to help you with any problem you may have.  We will design a recovery program for you that will meet your needs and provide a path for you to follow that leads to a life of sobriety.

Alcohol Addiction Help – Benefits Of A Sober Living Community

In order to get the most out of sober living, Los Angeles patients must commit themselves completely to the recovery process. In addition to 12 step recovery programs, counseling, and structure, the benefits of associated with sober homes include a dedicated and supportive sober atmosphere, positive community living, and the guidance patients need to integrate themselves back into regular society.

Many patients who have completed an inpatients rehabilitation program have not taken the proper time to consider the possibility of sober living arrangements. In this entry, we will offer up a few of the many benefits associated with these facilities to provide you with a better outlook in regard to what a patient should expect to gain from the process.

-       Sobriety Focus

-       Sober living facilities provide residents with the ability to focus on their recovery in a positive and dedicated atmosphere.

-       Transitional Living

-       Facilities offer patients a middle point between the sheltered inpatient rehab facility experience and “real” life. Residents are afforded the ability the regain their independence and sense of self while residing in an alcohol and drug-free environment.

-       Life Skills Development

-       Due to the fact that addiction is centered on the need to obtain and abuse alcohol or drugs, many addicts find themselves neglecting other aspects of their lives to facilitate their use habits. A sober living home provides residents the ability to grow – or regrow – day-to-day skills, including work duties, education, housework, fitness and social encounters.

-       Routine Schedules

-       Prior to receiving alcohol addiction help, it’s not uncommon for patient’s waking and sleep schedules to become somewhat erratic. A sober living community works to encourage regular schedules; in turn creating positive time management habits once “normal life” is resumed.

-       Sober Network Expansion

-       In many instances, friendships must be reevaluated upon completion of a rehabilitation program. Sober living provides residents with a community of people dedicated to a sober, positive and healthy lifestyle.