Alcohol Rehabilitation in Chicago
Despite the fact that alcohol is a completely legal substance to buy and use for those over the age of 21, alcoholism represents a major problem in America. This is also true in major cities like Chicago, which boasts 80+ different centers that offer alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services. This is usually along with services for illicit drug use as well as for alcohol.
The difficulty is that alcoholism can easily go undetected as long as the sufferer is an adult. Only underage drinking and drinking to the point of physical harm (or as part of a crime, such as public intoxication or when a person gets drunk and assaults someone else) gets reported to the police. As a result, a huge amount of alcoholism goes unreported or even undetected because the person suffering from it is of legal age to drink and isn't causing the sort of problems that bring legal attention. However, according to 2009 statistics for the city of Chicago, there are roughly 140 emergency department visits for alcohol only for drinkers 20 and younger. That's out of every 100,000 people in the city. That doesn't take into account the 120 visits for alcohol in combination with illicit drugs, or the 54 visits for alcohol in combination with pharmaceuticals.
Where Can Alcoholics Get Help?
Even with a gross underestimation of the problem by relying purely on crime-related statistics, that doesn't mean there are no solutions available. Whether an individual seeks out aid from groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (which boasts several chapters and meeting places throughout the city), or goes to a detox program there is help available. Chicago boasts inpatient and outpatient centers for alcohol addiction and detox, and regardless of a person's background of budget, there are programs available that can help them quit if they really want to.
Alcohol addiction treatment follows the same general guidelines no matter where a person gets help. First there's the detox, flushing it out of the system and getting the body used to the alcohol being gone. Therapy follows, with groups or with one on one sessions with professionals. Addiction is never truly cured, but the goal of therapy is to help the alcohol abuser alter his or her behavior. You're changing a habit, and that is a much, much more difficult thing than just going through a basic therapy program.