Alcoholism: stages, causes, prevention and treatment
Alcoholism is a common disease that occurs as a result of a habit and addiction to alcohol, accompanied by physical and mental dependence on alcohol.
Also, this disease is considered a type of substance abuse, as a result of which the control over the amount of alcohol consumed, the increase in doses for satisfaction, the hangover and the damage to internal organs due to chronic intoxication of the body are lost.
Alcoholics often experience memory dips during a period of intense intoxication, aggression. If an alcoholic is deprived of the opportunity to drink, he experiences discomfort, anxiety, shivering, sometimes nausea and vomiting, as with a hangover( withdrawal syndrome).
How does alcohol use affect a person? The active substance - ethanol is absorbed in the stomach very quickly and penetrates into the brain, contacting with nerve cells. This explains the onset of euphoria and satisfaction with the reception of alcoholic beverages. The maximum concentration of ethanol is reached approximately 45-90 minutes after the intake of alcohol.
Within a day the component is excreted from the body, and 10% of alcohol is released in its pure form with respiration and through the kidneys. At first, the body tries to protect itself from alcohol with the help of a vomiting reflex, but as it gets used this reflex decays.
People who drink alcohol often and uncontrollably are called alcoholics. In society, the opinion was formed that these are not exactly adequate people with low self-esteem, dissatisfied with the surrounding world and themselves. It is customary to blame the patients themselves for their addiction, however, this is not always the case.
Many of the alcoholism pushed the circumstances - stress, trouble, loss of loved ones, conflicts. Initially, alcohol helps to relieve internal tension and nervous strain, but it only gets worse with time. The memory and brain activity are broken, the physical and emotional state deteriorates.
The drinking person becomes socially not adapted, irritable and aggressive. Another cause of alcoholism may be heredity. So does the role of the environment, the characteristics of culture and tradition. The alcoholism epidemic began in France, where it was customary to drink a large amount of wine at each meal.
There are three stages of alcoholism.
The first stage of alcoholism is characterized by a duration of 1-5 years. A person feels the need to drink, to experience pleasure, to cheer up. There is a psychological dependence and the urge to arrange holidays for any occasion to drink.
Tolerance increases, in other words, the doses of alcohol to get satisfaction with each time become more. There is no sense of proportion and control over yourself, but there is still no dependence on alcohol.
The second stage of alcoholism is characterized by a pathological attraction to alcohol with or without an occasion, the duration of the disease is 5-15 years. Tolerance, i.e.the amount of alcohol consumed, rises, reaching a maximum. Failures of memory, amnesia, many episodes during intoxication are forgotten.
If the patient quit drastically, then there is a hangover syndrome. Suffering nausea, vomiting, insomnia, headaches. The second stage is characterized by psychopathy, the appearance of delusional and obsessive ideas. A person loses his creative potential, his intellect decreases.
The third stage of alcoholism - the most threatening to human life, the duration of the disease is 5-10 years. There is a clinical picture - withdrawal syndrome, alcohol amnesia, loss of ability to control their behavior. Tolerance to alcohol decreases, and the alcoholic gets drunk already from smaller doses. There comes an intolerance to alcohol, the body wears out and an overdose can be fatal. At the last stage the patient becomes helpless, can not take care of himself.
You can notice an addiction to alcohol at the initial stages, when a person tries to forget about problems, taking alcohol, drinking alone or in the morning, losing self-control and needs to increase doses. Changing values, the circle of communication, there is depression and aggression. In addition, the complication of alcoholism is the defeat of internal organs.
Cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, gastritis, stomach ulcer, psychosis, nervous system disorders and cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, when symptoms of alcoholism are necessary to show the patient to the doctor. Nowadays, there are modern methods of treatment that allow to achieve good results in the fight against alcoholism.
For the successful treatment of a patient, his desire and self-belief are necessarily required. Relatives and relatives can apply to a hospital or treat a patient at home.
Convenience and advantage of the hospital lies in the possibility of complex effective treatment, while the patient is permanently fenced off from negative external factors. In an in-patient hospital, advanced equipment is used, psychological support is provided, and group contacts are made with patients who have the same disease.
Methods of treatment:
1) Intracranial translocation is an electrical effect on the brain by means of impulses, as a result of which alcohol dependent centers are blocked. The procedure is harmless, the effect is guaranteed for 1-5 years;
2) The layered intracranial translocation is used to treat the last stages of alcoholism. It is held in several stages with two-week breaks. The guaranteed effect is about 3-6 months;
3) Intracranial distrelocation. Procedure with a double action. Not only is the neurophysical effect carried out in order to block the alcohol-dependent brain centers, but reserve forces of the organism are also included;
4) Chemical protection is an unconventional method of treatment. Introduce drugs that, when interacting with alcohol, lead to a strong intoxication of the body. This reduces the craving for alcoholic beverages;
5) Esperal. The disulfiram preparation is sutured into the subscapular region, namely into adipose tissue, with time a synthesis of a capsule of chemical origin occurs. This chemical substance, when ingested, blocks the splitting of alcohol into carbon dioxide and water, resulting in alcohol becoming a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. There is an intoxication and a strong poisoning of the body, which affects all organs. The procedure is only possible if the patient agrees;
6) Psychotherapy. An effective method of treatment, both individual and group, in groups of people suffering from alcoholism. Family psychotherapy helps to adapt in society and maintain friendly relations in the family.
All methods of treatment are carried out in a hospital, possibly out-patient treatment or at home. Complex treatment helps to achieve a high result. After undergoing in-patient treatment, health and self-confidence return.
The disease is dangerous because the patient himself does not want to recognize himself an alcoholic. The constant craving for alcohol is explained by the desire to relieve stress and relax. For the first stage of the disease is not characterized by physical dependence on alcoholic beverages, so many do not even suspect the presence of the disease.
However, the progression of the disease leads to severe consequences. The work of the internal organs is disrupted, the liver and kidneys suffer because of the constant intoxication of the body. Disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular system, disruption of the work of the organs of motion are provoked by alcoholism. In addition, the psyche is disturbed, often the patient is haunted by hallucinations, delusions.
The alcoholic becomes poorly adapted in life, unable to solve simple tasks, as the working capacity, intelligence level and memory deteriorate. The last stage of alcoholism, when tolerance to alcohol decreases, can cause an overdose, poisoning of the body and death.
Doctors give one tip - you do not need to be friends with alcoholics. If your friends often drink a lot, it is likely that sooner or later you will also have a habit of drinking. Do not try to solve problems with the help of alcoholic beverages, otherwise you will not be able to experience the pleasures of life in the course of time without taking alcohol. If there are alcoholics in the family, and the probability of a hereditary factor is high, be vigilant.
Let the taboo on alcohol become your life principle. In difficult situations, seek help from family and friends, in extreme need of a psychoanalyst. They will definitely support, and the alcohol taken will only aggravate the problems. Do not forget that interesting work, hobbies, goals, sports, charity impart real values in life, and alcoholism will not become a threat to your health and happiness.
Beer alcoholism has recently become widespread, so restricting beer intake is a preventive measure of the disease. From school, children should be aware of the threat of alcoholism, then they will not make mistakes in the future.
According to statistics, alcohol consumption in developed countries is approximately 5-14 liters per year per capita. In developed countries, this figure is increasing every year. In Russia, alcoholism affects about 56% of the population. And the share of deaths from alcoholism is 600-700 thousand people a year.
In Europe, alcohol dependence is particularly affected in France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic. This is often associated with the tradition and habit of eating wine or beer before eating. The annual beer festivals in Prague and the degustation of the wines of Paris often lead to a nationwide problem - dependence on alcoholic beverages of young people and adults. Alcoholism - the plague of the 20th century influences the moral image of the nation, so the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is an important task of society.
Also, this disease is considered a type of substance abuse, as a result of which the control over the amount of alcohol consumed, the increase in doses for satisfaction, the hangover and the damage to internal organs due to chronic intoxication of the body are lost.
Alcoholics often experience memory dips during a period of intense intoxication, aggression. If an alcoholic is deprived of the opportunity to drink, he experiences discomfort, anxiety, shivering, sometimes nausea and vomiting, as with a hangover( withdrawal syndrome).
How does alcohol use affect a person? The active substance - ethanol is absorbed in the stomach very quickly and penetrates into the brain, contacting with nerve cells. This explains the onset of euphoria and satisfaction with the reception of alcoholic beverages. The maximum concentration of ethanol is reached approximately 45-90 minutes after the intake of alcohol.
Within a day the component is excreted from the body, and 10% of alcohol is released in its pure form with respiration and through the kidneys. At first, the body tries to protect itself from alcohol with the help of a vomiting reflex, but as it gets used this reflex decays.
Causes of alcoholism
People who drink alcohol often and uncontrollably are called alcoholics. In society, the opinion was formed that these are not exactly adequate people with low self-esteem, dissatisfied with the surrounding world and themselves. It is customary to blame the patients themselves for their addiction, however, this is not always the case.
Many of the alcoholism pushed the circumstances - stress, trouble, loss of loved ones, conflicts. Initially, alcohol helps to relieve internal tension and nervous strain, but it only gets worse with time. The memory and brain activity are broken, the physical and emotional state deteriorates.
The drinking person becomes socially not adapted, irritable and aggressive. Another cause of alcoholism may be heredity. So does the role of the environment, the characteristics of culture and tradition. The alcoholism epidemic began in France, where it was customary to drink a large amount of wine at each meal.
Stages of alcoholism, symptoms of
There are three stages of alcoholism.
The first stage of alcoholism is characterized by a duration of 1-5 years. A person feels the need to drink, to experience pleasure, to cheer up. There is a psychological dependence and the urge to arrange holidays for any occasion to drink.
Tolerance increases, in other words, the doses of alcohol to get satisfaction with each time become more. There is no sense of proportion and control over yourself, but there is still no dependence on alcohol.
The second stage of alcoholism is characterized by a pathological attraction to alcohol with or without an occasion, the duration of the disease is 5-15 years. Tolerance, i.e.the amount of alcohol consumed, rises, reaching a maximum. Failures of memory, amnesia, many episodes during intoxication are forgotten.
Bugs begin, which can last several days or weeks. In contrast to the first stage, the dependence on alcohol already appears in the second stage of the disease.
If the patient quit drastically, then there is a hangover syndrome. Suffering nausea, vomiting, insomnia, headaches. The second stage is characterized by psychopathy, the appearance of delusional and obsessive ideas. A person loses his creative potential, his intellect decreases.
The third stage of alcoholism - the most threatening to human life, the duration of the disease is 5-10 years. There is a clinical picture - withdrawal syndrome, alcohol amnesia, loss of ability to control their behavior. Tolerance to alcohol decreases, and the alcoholic gets drunk already from smaller doses. There comes an intolerance to alcohol, the body wears out and an overdose can be fatal. At the last stage the patient becomes helpless, can not take care of himself.
You can notice an addiction to alcohol at the initial stages, when a person tries to forget about problems, taking alcohol, drinking alone or in the morning, losing self-control and needs to increase doses. Changing values, the circle of communication, there is depression and aggression. In addition, the complication of alcoholism is the defeat of internal organs.
Cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, gastritis, stomach ulcer, psychosis, nervous system disorders and cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, when symptoms of alcoholism are necessary to show the patient to the doctor. Nowadays, there are modern methods of treatment that allow to achieve good results in the fight against alcoholism.
Methods of treatment of alcoholism
For the successful treatment of a patient, his desire and self-belief are necessarily required. Relatives and relatives can apply to a hospital or treat a patient at home.
Convenience and advantage of the hospital lies in the possibility of complex effective treatment, while the patient is permanently fenced off from negative external factors. In an in-patient hospital, advanced equipment is used, psychological support is provided, and group contacts are made with patients who have the same disease.
Methods of treatment:
- dexintoxication;
- reflex therapy;
- sensitizing therapy;
- encoding;
- psychotherapy and hypnosis.
Methods of anti-relapse therapy
1) Intracranial translocation is an electrical effect on the brain by means of impulses, as a result of which alcohol dependent centers are blocked. The procedure is harmless, the effect is guaranteed for 1-5 years;
2) The layered intracranial translocation is used to treat the last stages of alcoholism. It is held in several stages with two-week breaks. The guaranteed effect is about 3-6 months;
3) Intracranial distrelocation. Procedure with a double action. Not only is the neurophysical effect carried out in order to block the alcohol-dependent brain centers, but reserve forces of the organism are also included;
4) Chemical protection is an unconventional method of treatment. Introduce drugs that, when interacting with alcohol, lead to a strong intoxication of the body. This reduces the craving for alcoholic beverages;
5) Esperal. The disulfiram preparation is sutured into the subscapular region, namely into adipose tissue, with time a synthesis of a capsule of chemical origin occurs. This chemical substance, when ingested, blocks the splitting of alcohol into carbon dioxide and water, resulting in alcohol becoming a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. There is an intoxication and a strong poisoning of the body, which affects all organs. The procedure is only possible if the patient agrees;
6) Psychotherapy. An effective method of treatment, both individual and group, in groups of people suffering from alcoholism. Family psychotherapy helps to adapt in society and maintain friendly relations in the family.
All methods of treatment are carried out in a hospital, possibly out-patient treatment or at home. Complex treatment helps to achieve a high result. After undergoing in-patient treatment, health and self-confidence return.
Consequences of
The disease is dangerous because the patient himself does not want to recognize himself an alcoholic. The constant craving for alcohol is explained by the desire to relieve stress and relax. For the first stage of the disease is not characterized by physical dependence on alcoholic beverages, so many do not even suspect the presence of the disease.
However, the progression of the disease leads to severe consequences. The work of the internal organs is disrupted, the liver and kidneys suffer because of the constant intoxication of the body. Disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular system, disruption of the work of the organs of motion are provoked by alcoholism. In addition, the psyche is disturbed, often the patient is haunted by hallucinations, delusions.
The alcoholic becomes poorly adapted in life, unable to solve simple tasks, as the working capacity, intelligence level and memory deteriorate. The last stage of alcoholism, when tolerance to alcohol decreases, can cause an overdose, poisoning of the body and death.
Prevention of alcoholism
Doctors give one tip - you do not need to be friends with alcoholics. If your friends often drink a lot, it is likely that sooner or later you will also have a habit of drinking. Do not try to solve problems with the help of alcoholic beverages, otherwise you will not be able to experience the pleasures of life in the course of time without taking alcohol. If there are alcoholics in the family, and the probability of a hereditary factor is high, be vigilant.
Let the taboo on alcohol become your life principle. In difficult situations, seek help from family and friends, in extreme need of a psychoanalyst. They will definitely support, and the alcohol taken will only aggravate the problems. Do not forget that interesting work, hobbies, goals, sports, charity impart real values in life, and alcoholism will not become a threat to your health and happiness.
Beer alcoholism has recently become widespread, so restricting beer intake is a preventive measure of the disease. From school, children should be aware of the threat of alcoholism, then they will not make mistakes in the future.
Statistics
According to statistics, alcohol consumption in developed countries is approximately 5-14 liters per year per capita. In developed countries, this figure is increasing every year. In Russia, alcoholism affects about 56% of the population. And the share of deaths from alcoholism is 600-700 thousand people a year.
There is a danger of beer alcoholism and the addiction of children to it. Worldwide, mortality is increasing as a result of problems associated with alcoholism and obesity.
In Europe, alcohol dependence is particularly affected in France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic. This is often associated with the tradition and habit of eating wine or beer before eating. The annual beer festivals in Prague and the degustation of the wines of Paris often lead to a nationwide problem - dependence on alcoholic beverages of young people and adults. Alcoholism - the plague of the 20th century influences the moral image of the nation, so the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is an important task of society.