Our Blog

Like it or not, alcohol is a cultural fixture. It slips into our lives early—in TV shows and commercials, in restaurants, at home, and across the internet. When someone starts taking part in drinking alcohol, it can quickly become a bigger and bigger aspect of our lives. But sometimes the problem is hidden. That is until our bodies let us know something is up. One of the lesser-discussed effects of alcohol is its impact on our blood vessels, specifically whether it causes vasoconstriction. So here we get into it. Does alcohol cause vasoconstriction? What does that even mean? And what to do about it.  What Is Vasoconstriction? Vasoconstriction sounds like one of those words you skim past in biology class. Or maybe the move an anaconda would pull on you if you were hiking in the jungle. But it has to do with your blood vessels and their muscles. Yes, your blood vessels have muscles. It is how they control the blood flow. Tightening or relaxing has different effects on the fluidity. Vasoconstriction is the tightening (or narrowing) aspect. This typically happens when there is a situation in your body or environment (like in cold weather) where blood is needed more in one part of your body than another. Think: your lungs need blood because you will die if they aren’t working well, so your hands can take a back seat. It’s one reason you get cold hands first in lower temperatures.   In small doses, it’s a survival tactic. But when it becomes chronic or unchecked, it’s like having a traffic jam in your circulatory system—a jam that’s bad for your heart, your brain, and pretty much everything in between. How Does Alcohol Affect Blood Vessels? The other side of that is something called vasodilation. This is the loosening. And alcohol can pull off both of these. It can create vasoconstriction and vasodilation. If you get flushed cheeks after a glass or two of wine, you are experiencing dilation. It happens mostly when small amounts of alcohol are involved. Things get tricky or take a left turn when a glass of wine turns into nightly bottles of wine—heavy drinking. After that initial relaxation, your body will sense a drop in blood pressure and kick into high gear, triggering vasoconstriction to stabilize things. As you might guess, sustained heavy drinking will lead to sustained tightening of blood vessels. This means higher blood pressure and added strain on the heart. So does alcohol cause vasoconstriction? Yes it does. Does Alcohol Cause High Blood Pressure? Included in the question, “Does alcohol cause vasoconstriction?” is the topic of blood pressure. The answer is that, yes, alcohol use does cause high blood pressure. For the reasons mentioned above, vasoconstriction is a contributing factor. But it’s not the only reason your blood pressure may shoot up as a result of drinking. Alcohol impacts the balance of fluids and electrolytes in your body, affecting kidney function and hormone regulation. This makes the body hold onto more sodium and water, which raises blood volume and pressure. The vascular system also takes a hit from inflammation caused by alcohol, which stiffens blood vessels over time. All of this can create the potential for all sorts of related issues. Heart attack, stroke, kidney damage—all these things can be the ramifications of the effects of alcohol on your blood pressure and other organs. The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Alcohol and Vasoconstriction In the short term, vasoconstriction can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or cold. It can give you a headache, too, which feels like an early onset of the impending hangover. But things get worse over time. Vasoconstriction from alcohol use creates a situation that makes hypertension, aneurysms, and artery damage a real possibility. Not to mention, your brain, which is particularly sensitive to blood flow, can suffer too. Reduced circulation may lead to cognitive problems, poor concentration, and an increased risk of stroke. Signs of Vasoconstriction to watch for include: What Can Be Done About It? The good news? The vascular system is resilient if given the right care. The ways to make a difference are good hydration and exercise. But the key to really making a difference in the long-term damage and getting flexibility back into the blood vessels is cutting back, or better, quitting altogether. If dependence on alcohol has taken root, the best option for countering the effects of vasoconstriction from alcohol is to address, first, the physical addiction and then the psychological roots of your drinking. Vasoconstriction might sound like a niche concern, but it’s often a red flag for deeper imbalances—both physical and emotional. Alcohol’s impact on blood vessels mirrors its broader impact on our lives. It seems minor and simple at first, but if given too much reign, it becomes a life-debilitating and potentially life-threatening situation. If this hits close to home, know that change is not just possible—it’s supported by science, biology, and a community of people who’ve been there. At Peninsula Health Center in Palos Verdes, California, our team is equipped to create a program that effects real change in your life. Reach out to us today, and let’s start repairing the foundation of your life. Call today: 866-934-8228. Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. Daniel is a licensed psychotherapist in Arizona and California, with a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health from the University of the Cumberlands. Daniel brings over a decade of first-hand experience in the treatment of mood disorders, substance addictions and trauma therapy, and a trained and experienced clinician in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT). While serving as the clinical director for Peninsula Health Group in Los Angeles County, Daniel simultaneously runs a depression and addictions-focused private practice in Arizona. Linkedin

Neuroplasticity sounds like something you’d need a microscope and a PhD to understand. But when you delve into it, this complex and powerful ability of the brain is more approachable than you might imagine. This is fortunate as it is one of the most important discoveries of modern neuroscience. It is also valuable in the conversation about addiction treatment. Understanding that addiction affects your brain, and likewise, recovery rewires your brain gives hope and a concrete direction for people looking for freedom from addiction. An Addiction and Brain-Rewiring Primer Think of rewiring or neuroplasticity as your brain’s built-in gentle renovation crew, showing up with gentle adjustment tools every time you learn a new habit or unlearn an old one. For addiction, this concept is something that causes a bit of consternation along with encouragement. The danger or the consternation comes because drugs use this ability to change the brain in the worst possible way. They hijack systems and change the way your brain works (the disease of addiction) They link dopamine—the feel-good neurotransmitter—with things that are destroying you. This is one reason drug addiction is classified as a chronic brain disease! Recovery Rewires Your Brain, as Well On the other hand, this same plasticity is what makes lasting recovery possible. With time, effort, and treatment, you can remodel the brain’s reward system so that it stops craving the high and starts craving stability, connection, and health. For good and for bad, the plasticity of your brain is powerful and available. Does Addiction Get Reversed with Recovery Treatment? The key to understanding how recovery rewires your brain is seeing your brain and behaviors as patterns or even folds in your brain that have been carved and created by addiction. But these can be re-folded or rewired. The cycle of craving and reward—can be softened and redirected. Brains are a little like a pathway through heavy brush or through a wooded area. The first time you walk through it, not much changes. However, if you keep walking that same path, over and over, the brush moves aside, the ground hardens, and the path becomes clear and open. The Bad Path Once again, drugs use this to great effect. They move quickly and frighteningly. This is one of the aspects that make them so insidious. But again, neuroplasticity is neutral, so addiction treatment programs use recovery to rewire your brain.   The Good Path Some of this looks like the simple implementation of structure: repetition, reinforcement, and support. These things create new pathways in the brain, and with use and time, they become a well-worn path. It doesn’t erase the old path but eventually becomes nearly second nature. Therapy, medication, and community all play roles here, stabilizing brain chemistry and reinforcing healthier patterns. How Therapy Rewires the Brain for Recovery Everyone is different. And each one of us comes to addiction through the lens of our own history and personal makeup. It’s like a code that needs deciphering. We all have automatic thoughts and behaviors that keep us stuck. Counseling and therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) swap root these out and help us replace them with better, more effective ones.   Therapy helps with the brain rewiring chore, too. Good therapy promotes good synaptic connections. It’s the repetition and the reinforcement. Education is actually one of the best ways to create new neuropathways. When counseling includes good practices, education, and other therapies, the brain benefits from new pathways. Good addiction treatment counseling or therapy is more than bits of insight. It is a powerful rewiring tool that can reconnect parts that feel like they have been disconnected for good. Does Sobriety Improve Brain Function? So far, it is all pretty good news. But it gets better. Studies have shown actual increased activity in the prefrontal cortex after months of sobriety. Have you ever noticed a person with an addiction has trouble planning? Or remembering things? Here at Peninsula Health Center, we sure have. This is because of the prefrontal cortex. With sobriety, this increased activity means better memory, better focus, and an ability to resist impulses. Within days of quitting substances, your neurotransmitters start recalibrating, like a fog lifting. You can start having normal conversations again. Other Brain Changes from Sobriety Remember, drugs and alcohol take aim at dopamine. It’s because it is the neurotransmitter that helps you feel good. After detox and as you move into recovery, your dopamine levels stabilize. This means your body can create it naturally—without being dependent on substances. This helps with your mood, motivation, and all-around desire to live life. Recovery really does matter. It’s like returning to a state that is the foundational aspect of being a human being. This is a big reason we are so passionate about helping people find recovery—they are finding their lives again. Tips for Rewiring Your Brain in Recovery So here at Peninsula, we are big on neuroplasticity and how recovery rewires your brain. With that in mind, it is going to happen when you are part of a high-quality outpatient addiction treatment program in Palos Verdes. But here are a couple of ways you can help things along. A Brain Worth Fighting For Recovery isn’t about returning to who you were before addiction. It’s about so much more. Recovery is a place to become stronger. It is a place where your brain is rewired into a healthy, intentional tool that gives you a better life. With the right treatment and habits, you can reshape those pathways and reclaim your mind. Don’t wait for the fog to lift—start walking toward clarity now. If you want to talk more about how addiction treatment and recovery can rewire your brain, call us today: 866-934-8228. Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. Daniel is a licensed psychotherapist in Arizona and California, with a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health from the University of the Cumberlands. Daniel brings over a decade of first-hand experience in the treatment of mood disorders, substance addictions and …

Drug detox is the biochemical process of clearing substances from the body, but it’s also much more than that. It’s physical, emotional, and—perhaps most importantly—psychological. So, when you ask, “Can I detox from drugs at home,” the short answer is yes, you can detox at home. The longer and more honest answer is that detoxing at home can be unpredictable, risky, and profoundly uncomfortable if not approached with care. That’s why understanding the science behind detox, the dangers of doing it alone, and the value of professional outpatient support is essential. In addition to this, there is one treatment option that you can do at home called outpatient detox. So, this might be the best option if you are looking for safe, at-home detox options. The Dangers of Detoxing Without Medical Help Let’s talk risk—because it’s real. Withdrawal symptoms aren’t just unpleasant; they can be lethal. Dehydration, seizures, and cardiac arrest are the actual biochemical realities when substances suddenly disappear from a person’s body that has been using drugs over a period.   Even milder detox experiences can lead to anxiety, depression, and cravings that become unbearable without professional help. Without medical supervision, what begins as a determination to quit can spiral into a relapse—or worse. Can I Detox Without Rehab? For a lot of us, traditional rehab conjures images of hospital beds, counseling rooms, and Amy Winehouse songs about structured days and maybe a place we don’t want to go. There are plenty of reasons you might wonder: can I detox from drugs at home? What if you’re a parent, an employee, or someone who simply needs to keep their life running while getting clean? This is where outpatient detox programs come in. They blend professional oversight with real-life flexibility, giving you structure without shackles. But if you’re set on detoxing at home, let’s take a look at what it takes to do it safely. How Can I Detox from Drugs at Home Safely? So, while you can detox from home, doing it by yourself is not a good idea. Safety is the hill we should die on when it comes to detoxing. Your body has been recalibrated to run normally with substances in its system. It has, actually, begun to depend on outside chemical substances to work. So, removing them disrupts everything—heart rate, blood pressure, even digestion. And again, it’s dangerous, especially with substances like alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids. Home Detox Safely So, what’s the safer alternative? Outpatient detox. In this kind of treatment, you find supervised detox plans where you receive medical oversight from an actual doctor, medications to ease withdrawal symptoms, and counseling to stabilize the emotional whiplash of detox. But maybe the most important factor is that you can do it while you stay at home and live your life. It works, too. It creates an at-home detox plan with a safety net while you continue working, parenting, and existing in your regular environment. It’s the science of detox without the walls of a rehab facility. What Does Outpatient Drug Detox Look Like? Outpatient detox is structured and adaptable. Here’s what you can typically expect: The Benefits of Outpatient Detox Detoxing from drugs is about finding life again. Drugs have taken over, maybe in more ways than you realize. Things like stability, joy, pleasure in the little parts of life, relationships, and drive are all aspects that tend to get lost in addiction. And they are the building blocks of true living. Outpatient detox programs bridge the gap between medical safety and everyday life. They allow you to detox with professional oversight while continuing to work, care for your family, and stay connected to your community. Beyond that, outpatient programs help create a plan for life after detox, which is often the step people miss when they try to do a drug detox at home on their own. Are There Outpatient Detox Programs Near Me? Yes, and if you’re in Southern California, Peninsula Health Center is a trusted option in the South Bay area. We specialize in outpatient addiction treatment, including medically supervised detox, and provide the structure you need without uprooting your life. Get Help from Peninsula Health Center in Palos Verdes If you’re ready to take the first step toward detoxing safely, reach out to us today. Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back from a fresh start—get the help that keeps you safe and sets you up for lasting recovery. Call now: 866-934-8228.