Alcohol and substance abuse is no ordinary word. It is a situation where the person is unable to control how much they drink and more so, feel emotionally burdened when they are not drinking. While willpower does certainly help to overcome such abuses, it is imperative to understand that willpower coupled with the right intervention will bring about an efficient and effective result. Alcohol and substance use is considered a brain disease in the medical world. When a person uses them beyond the permissible limits, it causes changes in the brain and it certainly affects the way they think, process information, and react to life circumstances. It is always wise to start with your treatment options for alcohol and substance abuse immediately. Here are some of the options to choose from:

Meet your doctor right away
Doctors are largely concerned to identify a pattern to start with. This is the first step that will help them to figure the nature of the intervention required. They would want to know how strong is your desire to drink or abuse substances, instances where you have gone overboard with it and what was your state of mind when you could not get your hands on alcohol or medications.

More often than not, the doctors would want to put you on a detox program to start with. The goal here is to stop drinking and allow your body time to heal. This could take anywhere between 2 days to 8 days. Many do not take this first step because they are largely concerned about their withdrawal symptoms like tremors (shaking), hallucinations, and seizures.

Write down your goals
Talk about your goals with your therapist or doctors. This is crucial for the experts to set the treatment path for you. Do you want to stop drinking completely or would you like to reduce your intake?

Join a support group
This is one of the most effective systems so far next to medical intervention. You stick to a group that is facing similar problems like you and obtain the energy from them to get better.

Group therapy is different from the support group. The former is always headed by a therapist who is trained and certified to lead a group like this and provide necessary intervention. A support group, on the other hand, is led by groups of people who have gone through alcohol or substance abuse disorder. Therefore, there is always this satisfaction that the leader you are talking to understands and is able to relate to what you have undergone. The leaders of the support group also make you accountable in a very positive and nurturing way. There are many people who have known to stick to their groups for years.

To summarise, the road to recovery is certainly not smooth. Relapse is the biggest threat faced by many but if you overcome such barriers, there is no turning back. Just give yourself some time and trust in your goals.