Gateway Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers Support Alcohol Awareness Month in April
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 01, 2016 -- Founded and sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Alcohol Awareness Month was established in 1987 to help reduce the stigma so often associated with alcoholism by encouraging communities to reach out to the American public each April with information about alcohol, alcoholism and recovery.
Did you know 76 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol and nearly 17 million have a serious problem with abuse? However, only 3 million ever seek out any kind of help.
People drink alcohol for many reasons such as to cope with depression and stress, but the most common reason is for pleasurable sensation. No matter the reason, its effects on a person's brain, both short- and long-term, are profound.
Alcohol passes to the brain very quickly and can cause acute damage to living cells. Daily intake may impact the ability of adults to produce and retain new cells, reducing new brain cell production by nearly 40 percent. Studies also show that heavy consumption has been associated with brain damage. Alcohol is neurotoxic, with direct effects on nerve cells.
There is some evidence that continued abstinence from alcohol may bring some improvement in brain function. The brain is pretty resilient and is able to form new cells through neurogenesis which is stimulated by alcohol avoidance, exercise, good dietary habits and by simply using the brain. However once a long-time drinker becomes sober, it may be years before those changes reverse themselves, if at all.
As much as you may want someone with an alcohol addiction to get help, you can't force an individual to get help, begging or threatening won't work either. You can only encourage someone to consider alcoholism treatment as an option. Recovery will come, only if and when the substance abuser truly decides to seek a healthier lifestyle.
Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers Proudly Supports Alcohol Awareness Month in April and Throughout the Year. To learn more about the effects of alcohol and alcohol abuse treatment view Gateway's Alcohol Awareness Month video series at RecoverGateway.org/AAM2016.
Reporters and Editors, for more information, please call Leslie Colman, Director of Marketing, at (630) 776-7525.
About Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers
Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers provide substance abuse treatment services for teens and adults at drug treatment centers throughout Illinois and the St. Louis Metro East. Gateway's outpatient and inpatient treatment centers are licensed by the state of Illinois and accredited by The Joint Commission. Each year, Gateway's professional clinicians help thousands of individual's successfully complete treatment. Learn more about treatment options, insurance coverage, and Gateway's free, confidential consultation. Call 877-505-HOPE (4673).
Nicole Davolt, Gateway Foundation, http://RecoverGateway.org, +1 6309667468, [email protected]
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