Dr. Stephen Stein Discusses Alcoholism
Alcoholism may be harder to detect as an addiction until it becomes quite advanced. But by that time, the damage created by this addiction may be extensive.
“The social acceptance of drinking makes a problem,” observed Dr. Stein, Medical Doctor for Narconon Vista Bay. “Many people may believe that as long as they can go to work, come home, and not wind up in jail, they are not having a problem. Part of the phenomenon of alcoholism is that the alcoholic can’t understand that others are suffering because of their alcohol abuse.”
Thus a “functional alcoholic”–one who manages to hold a job and keep up appearances–may not get the effective recovery help he (or she) needs.
“The diagnosis of alcoholism hinges on compulsive use of anything damaging,” Dr. Stein added. “Are you having a problem in your life because of use of this substance? Then that drug is a problem, period. It’s time to get rid of it.”
Dr. Stein is a specialist in addiction treatment and has worked with Narconon Vista Bay for years as a way to help people find lasting sobriety. The Narconon program is long-term and not limited to a set time limit. While most people complete the program in three to five months, some people take longer. This means that those in recovery go home when they are prepared to meet life’s challenges, not when the clock runs out. The cost of the program doesn’t change if a person takes longer.
“In short programs, I would see people go home before they really had a chance to heal from the damage done by addiction,” he said. “They can’t control their actions. Their impulse control is poor. They walk back into all the problems they left behind but they have not yet learned the skills they need to deal with them. These are reasons the reasons why the relapse rate from short-term programs is so high.”
At Narconon Vista Bay in California, and in fifty other Narconon locations around the world, this drug rehab program provides life skills training that helps protect a person from relapse. By recovering their own personal integrity, learning how to communicate clearly and solve problems that come up, each person is greatly strengthened. He then has a much better chance of finding lasting sobriety.
One phase of this recovery program helps each person flush out residual drug toxins that can stay locked in fatty tissues for years after drug use stops. These residues have proven to be involved in the triggering of cravings. So when these toxins are flushed out, a person’s thinking and outlook brighten. Most of those completing this step also talk about the increased energy and reduced cravings they experience.
Sobriety is not created by giving a person in recovery more drugs. For most people, it’s not created by a brief stay at a rehab. Other people may not be able to utilize the help available in support group meetings. It may require the fully-featured rehabilitation program at a Narconon rehab facility to create that lasting sobriety. To find out about getting help for someone you care about, call the international offices of Narconon today.