Dependence on alcoholic beverages has long been recognized as a serious disease.Alcoholism– a multifactorial chronic pathology, which is often accompanied by mental and physiological disorders. The mechanism of transformation of a bad habit into a dangerous illness is constantly being studied, trying to determine its connection with the genetic characteristics of a person, his lifestyle and character.
According to WHO statistics, about 140 million men and women in the world suffer from alcoholism. The disease knows no age boundaries. Today, even teenagers and old people drink alcohol. Alcohol addiction leads to a loss of behavioral control, an increase in the amount of drinking, aggression during sudden withdrawal and prolonged drinking bouts.Alcoholicgradually loses family, friends, career. His connection with society is interrupted, his circle of interests is narrowed to drinking, and personal degradation begins.
Not only the drunkard suffers from alcoholism, but also his relatives. The family has to put up with the inappropriate behavior of the husband and father, get used to excessive spending on alcohol from the family budget, and endure domestic violence. Often a woman becomes addicted to strong drinks. In such cases, treatment will be difficult and long, since the fair sex is more emotionally dependent on alcohol. In any case, a person with alcohol addiction needs urgent drug treatment.
Signs of alcoholism
Alcohol dependence is a progressive condition that leads to severe clinical pictures. Noticing the firstsigns of alcoholism, you should not ignore them or expect that the alcoholic will stop drinking on his own. It will not happen. The disease requires medical intervention - only an experienced narcologist can guide a person on the path to recovery.
The following signs indicate the development of alcoholism:
- any joyful or sad event is a reason to drink;
- the need for alcohol-containing drinks increases daily;
- the dose required to become intoxicated increases;
- memory lapses appear after drinking libations;
- the protective gag reflex, which previously saved the body from intoxication, disappears;
- withdrawal syndrome appears - a healthy person after a feast does not feel the desire to have a hangover.
In adolescents, addiction to alcohol occurs much faster due to physiological immaturity than in adults. Addiction often develops in people who grew up in a family of alcoholics and consider this lifestyle to be normal. The craving for alcohol occurs under conditions of chronic stress, against the background of family or professional problems, loneliness, and in some cases due to too stable and emotionally unsaturated leisure time.
Alcohol addicts most often do not admit that they are sick. It seems to him that drinking is a panacea for all troubles and does no harm. This is self-deception. It is important for loved ones to knowhow to help an alcoholic, stop the disease before critical consequences appear.
The harm of alcohol
Constant consumption of alcoholic beverages has a negative effect on all internal organs and systems of a person, and also reduces life expectancy. The central nervous system and brain are primarily affected. Ethanol and its breakdown products lead to the death of neurons. Cells are not restored, the most important neural connections are disrupted. Doctors say that alcoholics develop microscopic ulcers and scars on the surface of the brain. Drinking for a long time leads to deterioration of cognitive functions, loss of short-term memory, auditory and visual hallucinations.
Internal organs suffer from toxic substances. Alcoholics are more likely to be hospitalized with heart attacks and strokes, and die from liver cirrhosis and hepatitis. Men and women have impaired sexual function and are unable to conceive healthy offspring. Alcohol causes a huge blow to the gastrointestinal tract. Varicose veins of the esophagus occur, the intestinal walls are deformed, and peptic ulcers and colitis are provoked. Ifalcoholism treatmentnot started in a timely manner, the patient is doomed to death.
How to help an alcoholic realize the problem?
If a person suffers from alcoholism, he needs outside help. It is important for close relatives to understand that at this stage there is no need to play rescuer. You cannot put moral pressure on an alcoholic, scold him or constantly control him. Instilling a sense of guilt for his behavior while intoxicated will not have a positive effect on the situation. There is no need to try to solve his problems for a drunkard. Such relationships are called codependent. This is not the norm.
How to help an alcoholic understand the problem? People from the patient’s close circle must develop behavioral tactics that will allow them to build special relationships. In the process of communication, the alcohol addict himself must understand:
- how harmful is drinking alcohol for him?
- how a drunken lifestyle negatively affects his family and work;
- how health deteriorated due to constant intoxication;
- what will happen if you don’t stop poisoning the body with ethanol.
Intervention is the only true and effective way to unobtrusively and without pressure encourage the patient to look at himself from the outside. It is often used by narcologists to motivate the patient to go to the clinic to receive adequate treatment.
How to help an alcoholic get out of binge drinking?
Binge drinking is a dangerous condition. Long-term consumption of alcoholic beverages is fraught with serious intoxication. Ethanol poisons the body, its breakdown products do not have time to be eliminated by the liver and excretory system, and toxins accumulate. If you suddenly stop drinking, the alcoholic will experience severe withdrawal symptoms, which in particularly critical cases will lead to failure of vital organs.
Relatives of a drunkard should remember that a hangover is difficult to tolerate. During this period, the patient is in search of a new dose. Without receiving it, he falls into a depressed or aggressive state. There are frequent cases of physical violence against weaker family members - wife, elderly mother, children. Any attempt to shame him, to direct him on the path of sobriety, will be received with hostility and will cause indignation.
Do not know,how to help an alcoholic stop drinking? Don't risk his health. Contact experienced narcologists who will slowly and without stress on the patient’s body alleviate his condition, both physical and psycho-emotional. Only a specialist can, through professional intervention, teach the patient to look at his life from a different angle. The doctor alone or in tandem with a psychologist will work with the alcoholic. An integrated approach always gives good results. Even if consent to further treatment is not immediately received, the process of accepting the problem of addiction has already begun in the subconscious. Often after this, the patient voluntarily transfers control of alcohol consumption to the helping party.
How to help a binge alcoholic?
The duration of the binge is 4-10 days. In especially severe cases, an alcoholic is able to drink for a month or more until his body stops responding to ethanol. During this period, the patient does not work, does not observe personal hygiene rules, and does not eat normally. The consequences of such a long period of drunkenness are critical, since they affect well-being, health, and appearance.
How to help a binge alcoholicand is it even possible to do this? You won't be able to cope with withdrawal symptoms on your own. Drinking plenty of fluids, sedatives and moral support can alleviate the condition, but this is not enough when quitting binge drinking.
In a hospital hospital or at home, a narcologist will conduct detoxification, prescribe medications to stabilize the condition, quickly remove toxins and relieve stress on the internal organs. The patient will be under the supervision of medical staff and will receive emergency care if necessary. Narcologists and psychologists knowHowhelp an alcoholic stop drinking, and successfully cope with this difficult task.
How to help an alcoholic at home?
A short binge (less than 3 days of drinking) can be overcome on your own.How to help an alcoholic at home:
- organize plenty of drinking - at least 2. 5 liters per day;
- introduce ascorbic acid or fruits high in vitamin C into your diet;
- arrange the intake of sorbents, for example, activated carbon or silicon-based preparations;
- give the patient simple sedatives - valerian, sedative drops;
- provide a gentle diet rich in vegetables, grains, and protein.
However, even if your health improves and the alcohol addict vows to stop drinking, it is recommended not to miss the opportunity to receive effective treatment in an inpatient drug treatment clinic.
How to help an alcoholic?
In some cases, the only effective method isalcoholism coding. Turning to narcologists and psychologists will be a real salvation from a sad outcome. Doctors will be able to find words so that the patient independently understands the seriousness of the situation and makes a voluntary decision to undergo treatment. After detoxification, the specialist will select the most suitable coding method and radically change the life of an alcoholic for the better.
The patient refuses to visit the clinic? Call a narcologist to your home. A visiting doctor will carry out all the procedures in a comfortable environment for the alcohol addict, guaranteeing 100% anonymity.