Alcohol addiction is a known problem for many families.Some people do not realize the danger of alcohol cravings because they consider it a general bad habit that can be overcome with simple willpower.In fact, with the development of psychological and physical dependence on alcohol, only professional narcologists who know how to stop drinking can help the patient.
Alcoholism is a dangerous chronic disease.Without timely treatment, it leads to pathological disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and systems, the degradation of personality, and the probability of early death increases.
How to convince someone to stop drinking
One of the main problems faced by relatives of addicts is how to convince a person of the need to stop drinking.The problem is that after developing an addiction, a person loses the ability to objectively evaluate the surrounding reality.Because of this, you can honestly believe that everything is fine with him;if necessary, you can refuse alcohol on your own at any time.
In fact, physical dependence has time to develop by this time.Ethanol toxins penetrate tissues and internal organs and actively participate in metabolism.Alcohol becomes necessary for the normal functioning of the body, as soon as its level decreases, people experience painful withdrawal symptoms.The easiest way to deal with them is to take another dose of alcohol.This leads to prolonged bouts of drinking, addiction develops, and associated chronic diseases also appear.
It is not easy to persuade an alcoholic to quit, and coercive therapy is prohibited.Such a decision can only be made in court.However, medical care is ineffective without the patient's consent.As long as a person does not want to stop drinking, the likelihood of relapse remains very high.
Alternatives to coercive treatment
Relatives are advised to intervene to obtain the alcoholic's consent.For this, all family members must unite and act together:
- Reject ultimatums, threats and scandals.This will not help convince an alcoholic to stop their addiction.Instead, the person may become even more withdrawn.
- All help in solving the problems caused by alcoholism should be refused until the patient agrees to the drug treatment.
- The use of folk remedies and methods must be abandoned.They can only help in the early stages of addiction, and not always.Often, the patient's condition only worsens, and alcoholism enters the next stage.
- Instead, you must select a drug treatment clinic in advance.
- Take advantage of a situation where the patient is experiencing withdrawal symptoms.They are so painful that most people agree to go to the doctor to stop suffering.
Another option is to see motivational psychologists at a drug treatment clinic.They conduct confidential conversations at home and are well aware of the peculiarities of the psychology of alcoholics in order to achieve results.
Motivation to break free from addiction
An honest conversation helps an alcoholic make an important decision and agree to all stages of complex therapy.In doing so, the relatives can present serious arguments and motives that should convince the responsible decision.These motives can be:
- Children and family - expecting or planning to have children is not compatible with alcoholism, nor is raising small children.For some, the real and tangible threat of losing family is the deciding factor.
- The state of health, when a person develops more and more new diseases, internal organs gradually fail, systemic failures occur in the body, this is clear evidence that it is necessary to stop.
- His career begins to suffer greatly due to addiction.The possibility of losing one's job, everything that was previously achieved in the professional field, becomes a good incentive.Over time, alcohol consumption inevitably affects the success of work: brain activity decreases, the sense of responsibility weakens, and discipline falters.
- Fame isn't often the main reason people stop drinking, but it can be.At the very least, this argument should be used along with other reasons why an alcoholic should give up alcohol.If the patient has a chronic addiction, he loses his self-esteem due to serious psychological changes and the deterioration of his personality.
- Moral or physical fatigue due to systematic alcohol consumption.In some cases, it can be ensured that a person can take an objective look at himself from the outside and realize the senselessness and hopelessness of such a situation.The main thing may be that the patient no longer enjoys alcohol;no trace of the former satisfaction remained.
- There have been significant changes in life.In this case, a clear awareness of the grayness of the current reality and the desire to radically change everything should play a role.
After voluntary and informed consent to the comprehensive treatment of alcoholism, you should proceed to the stages of therapy.The program is developed individually, taking into account the patient's psychological and physiological characteristics.If necessary, regular meetings are held with a psychotherapist in order to maintain the appropriate level of motivation.
Where do I start addiction treatment?
Patients and their relatives should be prepared for the fact that the fight against alcoholism takes a long time - on average, about a year.First, doctors do everything they can to rid the body of the toxins of alcohol and ethanol.
For this purpose, drug detoxification is carried out if the patient cannot simply endure a week without alcohol.This also happens when you withdraw from binge drinking.
The patient is placed on a drip with strong drugs in the form of solutions.There are two reasons why you cannot organize diffusion therapy yourself, even if you read a lot of posts on the Internet:
- Based on the results of express diagnostics, only an experienced doctor can determine which drugs should be added to the drip and what doses should be used.
- Most often, when removing from excessive drinking and cleaning the body of toxins, strong drugs are used, which can only be purchased at the pharmacy with a doctor's prescription.
The dropper is placed for about two hours.The narcologist is by the alcoholic's side all the time and monitors the vital organs.When leaving, he leaves relatives with medicines for the next few days and gives advice on what to do when the patient recovers.
Diagnostics
In order to decide which alcohol addiction treatment methods should be used, a comprehensive examination must be carried out.It enables the accurate diagnosis of the patient and the establishment of all existing risk factors.
Diagnostics includes examining and questioning the patient and ordering laboratory tests.The complex of these measures makes it possible to establish the following:
- stage of addiction;
- physiological and psychological characteristics;
- how long and how often a person drinks alcohol, what alcoholic beverages he prefers;
- if the treatment is not carried out for the first time, clarify past experiences and the reason for the relapse;
- simultaneous chronic diseases and dangerous disorders;
- allergic reactions;
- intolerance to some components of medicines;
- the motivation level of the patient, how much he wants to get rid of the addiction.
After evaluating the obtained results, the narcologist, in consultation with the patient and his relatives, discusses a comprehensive treatment program and makes recommendations for the most effective implementation of the therapy.
Coding
The next stage in the fight against alcohol addiction is coding.Doctors use medicinal and non-medicinal methods.Diagnostics help determine which option will be effective and safe.
Coding for alcoholism can be done at home or in an inpatient setting.Everything depends on the patient's condition and the recommendations of the attending physician.Common coding methods for alcohol consumption are:
- Insertion of an implant or other methods of delivering disulfiram-based drugs into the body.The active ingredient blocks liver enzymes responsible for breaking down ethanol toxins into water and carbon dioxide, which are completely harmless to humans.If this is not done, the relapsed patient experiences painful symptoms of severe poisoning.The patient's condition deteriorates sharply in a few minutes, even with a small dose of alcohol.This is an effective method of prohibitive therapy, as a person develops a stable psychological barrier.He is constantly reminded that he could die if he dares to drink.The probability of death is high if an effective antidote is not administered in time.
- The use of drugs based on naltrexone.This is another method of drug coding, but not as radical as the previous one.In this case, the active ingredient blocks the brain receptors that are responsible for getting the feeling of pleasure from alcohol consumption.As a result, if the patient still risks drinking after coding, he will simply not feel anything.Because of this, he decides to give up alcohol as it is pointless, at least for the duration of the coding period.
- A psychotherapeutic technique based on immersing the patient in a deep trance state.In this situation, the patient's suggestibility increases significantly, while he is fully aware of where he is and what is happening to him.An experienced doctor gives clear instructions about avoiding alcoholic beverages and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the future.
The coding period ranges from several months to five years.Coding is often chosen for a year, this time is just enough to stop drinking, the patient has time to realize the benefits of a sober life and go through the remaining stages of complex therapy.
Psychological rehabilitation
In order to consolidate the effect achieved after coding, a psychological rehabilitation course must be taken at the inpatient department of the drug treatment clinic.If earlier stages of treatment could be organized at home, then hospital treatment will now be necessary.This is the only way to eliminate the possibility of relapse, protecting a person from negative external social influences.
During psychological rehabilitation, it is possible to permanently eliminate the physical and psychological desire for alcoholic beverages.The following methods are used for this:
- Individual and group psychological sessions that help the patient understand his problems, learn to solve life's difficulties and have fun without drinking alcohol.
- The 12-step rehabilitation program is an effective technique originally from the USA.It is based on the recognition of helplessness in solving the problem, accepting help from a Higher Power (this can be religion or a mentor - a former alcoholic who successfully recovered thanks to this program).
- The Day Top rehabilitation program is based on the possibility of self-healing;the doctor takes a careful stance.
- Family psychotherapy helps not only the alcoholic, but also his relatives if codependency develops and helps restore family relationships.
In order to exclude relapse, all patients receive psychological post-rehabilitation after discharge.