Alcoholism: symptoms and treatment. Stages of alcoholism

29 July 2022

Alcoholism can rightly be considered a problem of mankind. However, not everyone can say with accuracy when and how this disease can manifest itself. Meanwhile, alcoholism, like any other disease, has several stages.

In total there are 4 stages of alcoholism. Not only the duration and effectiveness of treatment, but also the final result will depend on the degree of neglect and the situation in the patient's environment.

After all, many who have recovered even after a few years return to old habits.

It's not all about treatment, but about the wrong approach to the main cause of this problem, the lack of knowledge of the characteristics of the patient's character, as well as insufficient psycho-emotional support for relatives and friends.

The initial stage of alcoholism: causes and treatment

Treatment of the initial stage

Also, do not miss the effect of alcohol on all human organs. Therefore, to understand the problem will help research on:

Diseases of the liver and pancreas (heaviness, nausea, vomiting, pain and colic, bloating, indigestion);
Vegetovascular disease (bloating of the veins, heaviness in the legs, swelling and pain after a day);
Hypertensive diseases (sudden jumps in pressure, loss of strength, severe headaches, nausea);
Nervous disorders (headaches, convulsions, swelling, irritability, sleep disturbance, hand rattling, aggression, irascibility).

How to determine the stage of alcoholism? You can’t figure this out on your own, without the help of a qualified specialist. The first signs should alert you. Early diagnosis and treatment is the basis for success in productive treatment.

The second stage of alcoholism: what are the symptoms and treatment methods

The patient reacts sharply to criticism and remarks from the outside, is aggressive and straightforward in expressions.

The degrees of alcoholism and their treatment vary from case to case. One will need more psychological help, the second will need tough conditions and limits beyond which he will not be able to cross. However, one thing becomes obvious: one cannot do without outside help. The second stage of alcohol dependence is treated through an integrated approach:

Medical cleansing of the body. An important step that allows you to get rid of accumulated toxins. Intoxication of the body in this case is high, and medications allow you to cope not only with the side effects of taking a large amount of alcohol, but also accelerate the process of decomposition of ethanol in the blood plasma;
Aversive treatment - drugs are administered intravenously in order to develop alcohol rejection. Often such drugs do not cause discomfort in a non-drinker. But the simultaneous intake of alcohol and such a drug causes vomiting, nausea, severe headaches and rejection at the subconscious level;
Help of a psychologist. After all the manipulations were carried out with the patient's body, the brain was freed from the effects of ethanol, it's time to proceed to the main stage of treatment - psychological assistance and adaptation to normal life.

How long such treatment can last is an individual feature of the patient. At this stage, it is important to identify the main causes of cravings for alcohol.

After all, the effect of medications will not reduce the psycho-emotional dependence on relaxation, which can be obtained by drinking alcohol.

This stage and its effectiveness completely depend on the professionalism of the doctor and the willingness to accept the result of all relatives. Only in this case can a recurrence of the disease be avoided.

The third stage of alcoholism: the problem of society and not only

The third stage of alcoholism is no longer a problem only for the patient's family and close circle. This is a problem of the whole society: a person degrades, violates all existing norms and rules of communication, does not respond to comments and requests from loved ones, is a "burdening" factor for the family. Indeed, often the 3rd stage of alcoholism forces a person to refuse work, to neglect the desires of relatives and friends. This means that such a patient is not able to provide the purchase of expensive alcoholic beverages. As a result, funds, expensive equipment, and food are stolen from home. Also, the third stage of alcoholism is accompanied by such additional features as:

Deformation of appearance: thin arms and legs, large torso and abdomen, burgundy or gray skin with obvious blockages of veins, swelling in any condition on all limbs and under the eyes, loss of teeth, blackening;
The psyche is disturbed: inadequate reaction to simple things, unwillingness to make contact, aggression for no reason, unwillingness to change anything;
Alcohol is the basis of the diet, replacing all healthy human nutrition. How much a person can drink depends partly on his configuration;
Speech distortion;
Paralysis of certain parts of the body, more often the face, arms, legs;
Health problems: hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, cancer, food indigestion, urinary and fecal incontinence;
Alcohol resistance (less doses, but more often).

Drinking alcohol before and during pregnancy

Treatment of alcoholism at this stage is a difficult task and not always effective. This is due, first of all, to the complete deformation of the human psyche, the reassessment of his values and priorities in life.

Often such an addict does not set himself any goals, except for the extraction of the next portion of alcohol.

However, all the first three stages of alcoholism can be treated only if this issue is approached correctly.

What stages are difficult to treat

what stages of alcoholism are difficult to treat

An important sign of the third stage of alcoholism is the danger to human life: 80% die even after treatment due to many years of intoxication of the body and irreversible processes of changes in internal organs. Depletion of heart tissue, vascular deformity, chronic diseases of the liver, kidneys and pancreas (in women, also the reproductive system) create dangerous conditions for a quality future life of the cured. Support for the most affected organs after treatment is the main task.

The last stage of alcoholism: no options

the last stage of alcoholism leads to death

Alcoholism is an insidious disease. She sneaks up at the moment when it seems that the whole world is up in arms against you. Often the first stages of an alcoholic disease are skipped, not perceived as a real problem. And then the progression and speed of development of complications is inevitable. Years may pass from the moment of transition from the first stage to the fourth.

When the first signs are not identified and skipped, the complexity of the cure increases every day. Alcoholism at the stage of development of the fourth degree is rather a sentence. Life counts for months and weeks.

The body is completely exhausted, and the organs can no longer cope with the basic functions of metabolism. But not a sentence exclusively for the sick.

This is a diagnosis for those who could not help in time, give a helping hand, not perceiving the disease as a problem.

Unfortunately, at the fourth stage, it is no longer possible to help. The patient is not amenable to persuasion or hospitalization. Worst of all, the Stage 4 person in front of you has nothing to do with the person you have ever known.

His brain is so distorted by alcohol that it is impossible to recognize in a person who you knew. Complete degradation of the subconscious, the basic instincts are replaced by new ones (drink). Even a professional psychologist and hypnosis will not help get rid of the problem.

Alcoholism is a disease. This is important to remember. Remember and know what can be done in order to avoid the unenviable fate of an alcoholic, from whom all relatives and friends have turned away, having crossed him out of the world of the living in advance.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease that occurs with the systematic abuse of alcohol, characterized by mental dependence in intoxication, somatic and neurological disorders, personality degradation. The disease can also progress with abstinence from alcohol.

In the CIS, 14% of the adult population abuse alcohol and another 80% drink alcohol moderately, which is due to certain drinking traditions that have developed in society.

Such factors as conflicts with relatives, an unsatisfactory standard of living, and the inability to realize oneself in life often lead to abuse. At a young age, alcohol is used as a way to feel inner comfort, courage, and overcome shyness. In middle age, it is used as a way to relieve fatigue, stress, and get away from social problems.

Constant recourse to this method of relaxation leads to persistent addiction and inability to feel inner comfort without alcohol intoxication. According to the degree of dependence and symptoms, several stages of alcoholism are distinguished.

Stages of alcoholism

The first stage of alcoholism

The first stage of the disease is characterized by an increase in doses and the frequency of alcohol intake. There is a syndrome of altered reactivity, in which alcohol tolerance changes. The protective reactions of the body against overdose disappear, in particular, there is no vomiting when drinking large doses of alcohol.

With severe intoxication, palimpsests are observed - memory lapses. Psychological dependence is manifested by a feeling of dissatisfaction in a sober state, constant thoughts about alcohol, raising the mood before drinking alcohol.

The first stage lasts from 1 to 5 years, while the attraction is controllable, since there is no syndrome of physical dependence. A person does not degrade and does not lose the ability to work.

Complications in alcoholism of the first stage are primarily manifested by the liver, alcoholic fatty degeneration occurs.

Clinically, it almost does not manifest itself, in some cases there may be a feeling of fullness in the stomach, flatulence, diarrhea. A complication can be diagnosed by an increase and dense consistency of the liver.

On palpation, the edge of the liver is rounded, it is somewhat sensitive. With abstinence, these symptoms disappear.

Complications from the pancreas are acute and chronic pancreatitis. At the same time, abdominal pains are noted, which are localized on the left and radiate to the back, as well as decreased appetite, nausea, flatulence, and unstable stools.

Often, alcohol abuse leads to alcoholic gastritis, in which there is also no appetite and nausea, pain in the epigastric region.

Second stage

Alcoholism of the second stage has a progression period of 5 to 15 years and is characterized by an increase in the syndrome of altered reactivity.

Tolerance to alcohol reaches its maximum, so-called pseudo-binge drinking occurs, their frequency is not associated with the patient's attempts to get rid of addiction to alcohol, but with external circumstances, for example, lack of money and inability to get alcohol.

The sedative effect of alcohol is replaced by an activating one, memory lapses when drinking large amounts of alcohol are replaced by complete amnesia of the end of intoxication. At the same time, daily drunkenness is explained by the presence of a syndrome of mental dependence; in a sober state, the patient loses the ability to mental work, and mental activity is disorganized. There is a syndrome of physical alcohol dependence, which suppresses all feelings except the craving for alcohol, which becomes uncontrollable. The patient is depressed, irritable, unable to work, after taking alcohol, these functions return to their place, but control over the amount of alcohol is lost, which leads to excessive intoxication.

Treatment of alcoholism in the second stage should be carried out in a specialized hospital, a narcologist or a psychiatrist.

A sharp refusal of alcohol causes such somatoneurological symptoms of alcoholism as exophthalmos, mydriasis, hyperemia of the upper body, tremor of the fingers, nausea, vomiting, bowel indulgence, pain in the heart, liver, and headaches.

There are mental symptoms of personality degradation, weakening of the intellect, delusional ideas. Often there is anxiety, nocturnal anxiety, convulsive seizures, which are harbingers of acute psychosis - delirium tremens, popularly called delirium tremens.

Complications of alcoholism of the second degree from the side of the liver are represented by alcoholic hepatitis, often of a chronic form. The disease is more common in a persistent form than a progressive one.

Like complications in the first degree, hepatitis is rarely manifested by clinical symptoms. It is possible to diagnose a complication by gastrointestinal pathology, heaviness appears in the epigastric region of the stomach, right hypochondrium, slight nausea, flatulence is observed.

On palpation, the liver is compacted, enlarged and slightly painful.

Alcoholic gastritis in the second stage of alcoholism can have symptoms masquerading as manifestations of withdrawal symptoms, the difference is painful repeated vomiting in the morning, often with an admixture of blood. On palpation, there is pain in the epigastric region.

After prolonged binges, acute alcoholic myopathy develops, weakness, swelling in the muscles of the hips and shoulders appear. Alcoholism most often causes non-ischemic heart disease.

Third stage

Alcoholism of the third stage differs significantly from the two previous ones, the duration of this stage is 5-10 years. This is the final stage of the disease and, as practice shows, most often it ends in death. Alcohol tolerance decreases, intoxication occurs after small doses of alcohol. Binges end with physical and psychological exhaustion.

In a state of intoxication, emotional instability manifests itself, which presents the symptoms of alcoholism, gaiety, irritability, anger unpredictably replace each other.

Degradation of the personality, decrease in intellectual abilities, incapacity to work, lead to the fact that an alcoholic, having no money for alcohol, uses surrogates, sells things, steals. The use of such surrogates as denatured alcohol, cologne, polish, etc. lead to serious complications.

Complications in alcoholism of the third stage are most often represented by alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. There are two forms of alcoholic cirrhosis - compensated and decompensated form.

The first form of the disease is characterized by persistent anorexia nervosa, flatulence, fatigue, low-apathetic mood. There is a thinning of the skin, white spots and spider veins appear on them.

The liver is enlarged, dense, has a sharp edge.

The appearance of the patient changes greatly, there is a sharp weight loss, hair loss. The decompensated form of liver cirrhosis differs in three types of clinical symptoms.

These include portal hypertension, which leads to hemorrhoidal and esophageal bleeding, ascites - accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Often there is jaundice, in which the liver is greatly enlarged, in severe cases, liver failure occurs, with the development of coma.

The patient has an increased content of melanin, which gives the skin an icteric or earthy tint.

Diagnosis of alcoholism

The diagnosis of alcoholism can be suspected by the appearance and behavior of a person. Patients look older than their years, over the years the face becomes hyperemic, skin turgor is lost. The face acquires a special kind of strong-willed promiscuity, due to the relaxation of the circular muscle of the mouth. In many cases, there is uncleanliness, carelessness in clothing.

The diagnosis of alcoholism in most cases turns out to be quite accurate, even when analyzing not the patient himself, but his environment. Family members of a patient with alcoholism have a number of psychosomatic disorders, neurotization or psychotization of a non-drinking spouse, and pathologies in children.

The most common pathology in children whose parents abuse alcohol systematically is congenital cerebral insufficiency. Often such children have excessive mobility, they are not focused, they have a craving for destruction and aggressive behavior.

In addition to congenital pathology, the development of the child is also affected by the traumatic situation in the family. Children have logoneurosis, enuresis, night terrors, and behavioral disorders.

Children are depressed, prone to suicide attempts, they often have difficulties with learning and communication with peers.

In many cases, pregnant women who abuse alcohol experience the birth of an alcoholic fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome is characterized by gross morphological disorders. Most often, the pathology of the fetus consists in the irregular shape of the head, body proportions, spherical deep-set eyes, underdevelopment of the jaw bones, and shortening of the tubular bones.

Alcoholism treatment

We have already briefly described the treatment of alcoholism depending on its stages. In most cases, relapse can occur after treatment.

This is due to the fact that treatment is often aimed only at eliminating the most acute manifestations of alcoholism. Without properly conducted psychotherapy, lack of support from loved ones, alcoholism recurs.

But as practice shows, it is psychotherapy that is an important component of treatment.

The first stage of the treatment of alcoholism is the elimination of acute and subacute conditions caused by intoxication of the body. First of all, the binge is interrupted and the withdrawal disorders are eliminated. In the later stages, therapy is carried out only under the supervision of medical personnel, since the delirium syndrome that occurs when drinking is interrupted requires psychotherapy and a number of sedatives. The relief of acute alcoholic psychosis is to quickly put the patient to sleep with dehydration and support for the cardiovascular system. In cases of severe alcohol intoxication, alcoholism treatment is carried out only in specialized hospitals or in psychiatric departments. In the early stages, anti-alcohol treatment may be sufficient, but more often when alcohol is given up, there is a deficit of neuroendocrine regulation, the disease progresses and leads to complications and organ pathology.

The second stage of treatment is aimed at establishing remission. A complete diagnosis of the patient and therapy of mental and somatic disorders are carried out. Therapy at the second stage of treatment can be quite peculiar, its main task is to eliminate somatic disorders, which are key in the formation of pathological craving for alcohol.

Non-standard methods of therapy include the Rozhnov technique, which consists in emotional stress therapy. A good prognosis in treatment is given by the hypnotic effect and the psychotherapeutic conversations that precede it.

During hypnosis, the patient is instilled with an aversion to alcohol, a nausea-vomiting reaction to the taste and smell of alcohol. The method of verbal aversive therapy is often used.

It consists in setting the psyche by the method of verbal suggestion, responding with a vomiting reaction to drinking alcohol, even in an imaginary situation.

The third stage of treatment involves the extension of remission and the return of a normal lifestyle. This stage can be considered the most important in the successful treatment of alcoholism. After the previous two stages, a person returns to his former society, to his problems, friends, who in most cases are also addicted to alcohol, to family conflicts.

This has a greater effect on the recurrence of the disease. In order for a person to be able to independently eliminate the causes and external symptoms of alcoholism, long-term psychotherapy is required. A positive effect is given by autogenic training, they are widely used for group therapies.

Training consists in the normalization of autonomic disorders and the removal of emotional stress after treatment.

Behavioral therapy is used, the so-called lifestyle correction. A person learns to live in a sober state, to solve his problems, acquiring the skill of self-control. A very important step in the restoration of normal life is the achievement of mutual understanding in the family and understanding of their problem.

For successful treatment, it is important to achieve from the patient the desire to get rid of alcohol dependence. Compulsory treatment does not give the same results as voluntary treatment.

But still, the refusal of treatment requires the local narcologist to forcibly refer the patient for treatment at the LTP.

Therapy in the general medical network does not give positive results, since the patient has open access to alcohol, he is visited by drunken friends, etc.

In the case when alcohol abuse began in adulthood, an individual approach is required in the choice of therapy. This is due to the fact that the somato-neurological symptoms of alcoholism appear much earlier than the onset of addiction and mental disorders.

Mortality in alcoholism is most often associated with complications. There is a decompensation of vital organs caused by prolonged drinking, withdrawal states, intercurrent diseases.

20% of elderly patients with alcoholism have signs of epilepsy, acute Gaye-Wernicke syndrome is a little less common. Attacks of both diseases during intoxication can be fatal.

The presence of alcoholic cardiomyopathy significantly worsens the prognosis. Continued systematic alcohol consumption leads to mortality.

Less than 25% of patients with this complication live longer than three years after diagnosis. A high percentage of deaths in alcohol intoxication is due to suicide.

This is facilitated by the development of chronic hallucinosis, alcoholic paraphrenia, delusions of jealousy.

The patient is not able to control delusional thoughts and commits acts unusual in a sober state.