Addiction to alcoholic beverages has long been recognized as a serious disease.Alcoholism- multifactorial chronic pathology, which is often associated with mental and physiological disorders. They are constantly studying the mechanism of the transformation of a bad habit into a dangerous disease, trying to determine its relationship with a person's genetic characteristics, lifestyle and character.
According to WHO statistics, around 140 million men and women worldwide suffer from alcoholism. The disease knows no age limits. Today, teenagers and the elderly also consume alcohol. Alcohol dependence leads to loss of behavioral control, increased drinking, aggression during sudden withdrawal, and prolonged binge drinking.Alcoholiche gradually loses his family, friends, and career. His social relationships are interrupted, his interests narrow to drinking, and his personal decline begins.
Not only the drunk 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 spending too much of the family budget on alcohol, and endure domestic violence. Often a woman becomes addicted to strong drinks. In such cases, the treatment will be difficult and long, since the fair sex is more emotionally dependent on alcohol. In any case, a person addicted to alcohol needs urgent drug treatment.
Signs of alcoholism
Alcohol dependence is a progressive condition that leads to serious clinical pictures. Your first observationsigns of alcoholism, they should not be ignored or expected to stop drinking on their own. It won't 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:
- every happy or sad event is a reason to drink;
- the demand for alcoholic beverages is increasing daily;
- the dose required for intoxication increases;
- memory problems appear after drinking;
- the protective gag reflex, which previously saved the body from poisoning, disappears;
- Withdrawal syndrome appears - a healthy person does not feel the desire to have a hangover after a feast.
Due to physiological immaturity, alcohol addiction occurs much faster in adolescents than in adults. Addiction often develops in people who grew up in an alcoholic family and consider this lifestyle to be normal. Cravings for alcohol appear under conditions of chronic stress, family or professional problems, loneliness, and in some cases because of too stable and emotionally unsatisfied free time.
Most of the time, alcoholics do not admit that they are sick. It seems to him that drinking is a panacea for all ills and does no harm. This is self-delusion. It is important that our loved ones knowhow to help an alcoholic, stop the disease before critical consequences appear.
Harmful effects of alcohol
Continuous consumption of alcoholic beverages has a negative effect on all internal organs and systems of a person and reduces life expectancy. The central nervous system and the brain are primarily affected. Ethanol and its breakdown products lead to the death of nerve cells. The cells do not recover, the most important nerve connections are interrupted. According to doctors, alcoholics develop microscopic ulcers and scars on the surface of the brain. Long-term drinking 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 for heart attacks and strokes, and to die from cirrhosis and hepatitis. The sexual functions of men and women are impaired and they cannot conceive healthy offspring. Alcohol causes a huge blow to the gastrointestinal system. Varicose veins of the esophagus, intestinal walls are deformed, peptic ulcers and colitis develop. Iftreatment of alcoholismif it is not started in time, the patient is doomed to die.
How can we help an alcoholic recognize the problem?
If someone suffers from alcoholism, they need external help. It is important that close relatives understand that there is no need to play rescue at this stage. You can't put moral pressure on an alcoholic, scold him or constantly control him. Feeling guilty about your drunken behavior will not have a positive effect on the situation. No need to try to solve your problems because of a drunk. Such relationships are called codependent. This is not the norm.
How to help an alcoholic understand the problem? People belonging to the patient's narrow circle must develop behavioral tactics that allow them to build special relationships. During communication, the alcoholic himself must understand:
- how harmful is alcohol consumption for him?
- how a drunken lifestyle negatively affects your family and work;
- how the state of health deteriorated as a result of constant poisoning;
- what if you don't stop poisoning your body with ethanol.
Intervention is the only real and effective way to encourage the patient to look at himself from the outside without being noticed and without pressure. Narcologists often use it to motivate the patient to go to the clinic for proper treatment.
How can we help an alcoholic get rid of excessive drinking?
Binge drinking is a dangerous condition. Long-term consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with severe poisoning. Ethanol poisons the body, its decomposition products cannot be removed by the liver and excretory system, and toxins accumulate. If you suddenly stop drinking, the alcoholic experiences severe withdrawal symptoms, which in particularly critical cases leads to failure of vital organs.
The relatives of the drunk should remember that a hangover is difficult to bear. During this period, the patient seeks a new dose. Without receiving it, he becomes depressed or aggressive. Physical violence against weaker family members - wife, elderly mother, children - is common. Any attempt to shame him into sanity is met with hostility and outrage.
I do not know,how to help an alcoholic stop drinking? Don't risk your health. Contact experienced narcologists who will slowly and stress-free relieve the patient's body, both physical and psycho-emotional. Only a specialist can teach the patient to look at his life from a different perspective through professional intervention. The doctor works with the alcoholic alone or together with a psychologist. An integrated approach always gives good results. Even if you do not immediately agree to further treatment, the process of accepting the problem of addiction has already begun in the subconscious. Often after that, the patient voluntarily hands over the control of alcohol consumption to the helping party.
How can you help an alcoholic?
The duration of consumption is 4-10 days. In particularly severe cases, an alcoholic may drink for a month or more until his body reacts to ethanol. During this period, the patient does not work, does not follow personal hygiene rules, and does not eat properly. The consequences of such a long period of drunkenness are critical as they affect well-being, health and appearance.
How to help a binge drinkerand is this even possible? 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 to stop binge drinking.
In a hospital, hospital or at home, the narcologist performs detoxification, prescribes drugs to stabilize the condition, quickly remove toxins and relieve stress on internal organs. The patient is under the supervision of medical personnel and receives 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 its own.How to help an alcoholic at home:
- organizes a lot of drinking - at least 2. 5 liters per day;
- introduce ascorbic acid or fruits with a high vitamin C content into the diet;
- ensure intake of sorbents, such as active carbon or silicon-based preparations;
- give the patient simple sedatives - valerian, sedative drops;
- provides a gentle diet rich in vegetables, grains and protein.
However, even if the health condition improves and the alcoholic vows to stop drinking, it is recommended not to miss the opportunity to receive effective treatment at an inpatient drug clinic.
How can you help an alcoholic?
In some cases, it is the only effective methodcoding for alcoholism. 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 can independently understand the seriousness of the situation and make a voluntary decision in favor of treatment. After detoxification, the specialist selects the most appropriate coding method and radically improves the alcoholic's life.
Does the patient refuse to visit the clinic? Call a narcologist to your home. A guest doctor guarantees all procedures in a comfortable environment for the alcohol addict, with 100% anonymity.