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Compassionate, Cutting-Edge Treatment Alcohol Use Disorders

If alcohol is everywhere, how can I quit drinking?

You aren’t the first to ask this. We offer solutions with our compassionate, effective treatment for alcohol use disorders.
1 (800) 782-1520

Freedom From AlcoholWe Know the Way Home


It’s true: alcohol is everywhere in our culture.

You see it on television commercials, social media, and in a variety of social situations. Go to any event – an office party, a backyard barbecue, or a dinner with friends – and nine times out of ten, alcohol is on the menu.

There’s a serious issue embedded in all this alcohol use: problem drinking.

For decades, we called a person with a drinking problem an alcoholic and called the drinking problem itself alcoholism. However, neither of those words have a real medical or clinical meaning. If you go to a professional therapist, psychiatrist, or counselor, they won’t diagnose you as an alcoholic with alcoholism. They won’t diagnose you with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence, either. Today, medical professionals use a more accurate term: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

What is an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?

Here’s how the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) defines AUD:

“…a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. AUD can range from mild to severe, and recovery is possible regardless of severity.”

The NIAA reports the following facts and figures on alcohol and alcohol use disorder (AUD):

  • 29.5 million people in the U.S. have an AUD
  • 28.6 million adults 18+ have an AUD
    • 6.7% received professional treatment and support
  • Almost 1 million adolescents 12-17 have an AUD
    • 5.2% received professional treatment and support

These figures mean millions of people with unhealthy drinking habits don’t get the help they need. Untreated alcohol use disorder involving chronic, heavy alcohol use can lead to severe health conditions, including:

  • Liver damage
  • Heart damage
  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Kidney damage
  • Pancreas damage
  • Various forms of cancer

At Pinnacle Treatment, we can help. We offer individualized treatment programs that address the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – and give you the chance to rediscover what life is like without alcohol.

If you know you have an alcohol problem, don’t wait until it gets worse.

You Can Heal, Grow, and Change With Us

If you think you may have a drinking problem, the guidelines established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) present clear criteria for an accurate diagnosis. The DSM-V defines three different levels of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): mild, moderate, and severe. To determine where you are on the continuum, answer the following questions from a self-screen endorsed by the NIAA:

The NIAA Symptom Checklist

  1. Experience unintended excessive drinking?
  2. Been unable to cut down on drinking?
  3. Spent much time drinking or dealing with the side effects?
  4. Had intense alcohol cravings?
  5. Had problems with family, work/school, or home life because of drinking?
  6. Kept drinking even though you answered yes to any part of question (5)?
  7. Sacrificed activities you enjoy for drinking?
  8. Engaged in risky behavior under influence?
  9. Had memory blackouts or emotional impact from drinking?
  10. Built a tolerance, needing more alcohol?
  11. Experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking?

Here’s how to score that test:

  • Zero “yes” answers mean you do not meet criteria for AUD
  • 2-3 “yes” answers mean you meet criteria for Mild AUD
  • 4-5 “yes” answers mean you meet criteria for Moderate AUD
  • 6 or more “yes” answers mean you meet criteria for Severe AUD

Only a licensed medical practitioner can give you a legitimate medical diagnosis. The questionnaire above is for your information only. It doesn’t take the place of an assessment administered by a mental health professional.

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How We Treat Alcohol Use Disorders

The most important thing to know about getting help at Pinnacle Treatment is that we work to heal the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.

That’s why our integrated model works: we lead the way in combining traditional and complementary therapies to find the right combination of treatments to address your alcohol use disorder.

How it works:

  1. We begin with a full medical, substance use, and psychiatric assessment to determine the appropriate level of care.
  2. We collaborate with you to create a custom plan that meets your individual needs.
  3. You choose a level of care base on your evaluation, your needs, you family input, and clinician input:
    • Detox
    • Outpatient
    • Intensive Outpatient
    • Partial Hospitalization
    • Residential Inpatient

Where you start and how long you stay depends on you: our experienced, compassionate, professional intake staff recommends a program during pre-admission and admission, but in the end, you decide. If the plan doesn’t meet your needs, then it’s not the right plan for you. However, at every level of care, we teach you the practical tools you need to start the journey to sustainable, lifelong recovery.

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