Recovery Blog

Everyone knows that drinking alcohol in excess is bad for you, and most people know intuitively that the effects of drinking too much go beyond your hangover and your crummy day at work, but what exactly are all the long-term effects of alcohol abuse?

You may have heard of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) but may not know what it is or who it’s for. Many people in recovery ask if MAT will help them stay sober long term. MAT helps many addicts and can even be seen as a lifesaver for many. 

Antabuse is a medication that is approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat alcohol use disorder. It’s the purpose of this article to address what Antabuse is, how it works, and who it’s for.

Despite its frequent use, the term “functioning alcoholic” isn’t a medical diagnosis. It’s just something people say to describe someone who drinks far too much but doesn’t outwardly suffer as a result of their drinking.

Many people use drugs and alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Some people even use drugs and alcohol recreationally without developing an addiction. The causes of substance abuse can be a complex mixture of biological and environmental factors.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly used in the addiction/recovery community. CBT, a psychological treatment, has proven to be an effective method for helping many mental health issues and diagnoses including depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.

If you find yourself curious about sobriety, which in the recovery community is called, “sober curious,” we’d be willing to bet that there’s some sort of issue with substances in your life.

Getting sober is extremely difficult if you are someone who is struggling with substance abuse. Getting sober involves more than “just don’t drink or use”. If it were that easy, then you wouldn’t need residential treatment, intensive outpatient programs, or recovery meetings.

After being addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs for years, getting sober can be extremely difficult. Those first 30 to 90 days can be a struggle, and even the first 6 months sober. At one year sober you start to see that a sober life is indeed a better life.