How Alcohol Addiction Treatment is Saving Lives

While new medications and procedures are being developed all the time, one disease that has continued to elude a definite cure is substance abuse. It is a condition that can affect anyone at any time. Part of what makes addiction problems so difficult to treat, is that they affect the mind as much, if not more, as the body.Even with a larger focus on awareness of the consequences that substance use can have, rates of addiction have continued to skyrocket all around the globe. Just in Canada, substance abuse has cost the healthcare system a whopping $8 billion.One substance in particular that is most often abused is alcohol. Many people don't immediately associate alcohol with substance abuse considering how socially acceptable drinking is. Because of this, alcohol abuse can even go unchecked in many cases. Even with such a high rate of abuse, alcohol addiction treatment is still just as difficult and intensive as other problems dealing with narcotics or marijuana/weed addiction treatment.Part of what has allowed alcohol abuse to become such a common problem is how accessible it is to younger people over other drugs. Unfortunately, people ages 15 to 24 are far more likely to experience substance abuse disorders than any other group. To make matters even worse, this demographic is also the most likely to develop mental illness, adding an entire new complication to alcohol addiction treatment options.Regardless of age, people with existing mental disorders are twice as likely to have substance abuse problems compared to the general population. At least 20% of those suffering from mental illness have a co-occurring drug addiction. For more info, check out our guide on why alcohol is also considered a drug.It can be hard to face the fact that you or a loved one needs help with their substance abuse disorders. However, finding reliable alcohol addiction treatment centers could mean the difference between life and death.