Signs of alcohol addiction

The signs of alcohol addiction are well-studied and not a secret.

We tried to briefly describe all the signs of alcohol addiction and answer basic questions.

How can you tell if a person just likes to drink or has signs of alcohol addiction?Is there a line between drinking alcohol "for recreation" and alcohol addiction?

What are the signs of alcohol addiction?

1. Craving for alcohol.This can be manifested by the appearance of reasons for drinking that were not previously noticed.In anticipation of the drink, the mood improves, the person is excited and full of enthusiasm.Stocks of beer, wine and vodka may appear at home.
2. Everything related to the drinking of alcoholic beverages is jealously defended and defended.Alcoholic friends gain authority and respect.A list of excuses for your own drunkenness appears.Life values are changing, moral principles are being restructured.Criticism of one's behavior disappears.
3. Loss of control over the dose of alcohol.An alcoholic cannot limit his alcohol intake;he is unable to stop at small doses.When he starts drinking, he drinks to the last drop (or until he passes out).
4. There is no vomiting when drinking large amounts of alcohol.The gag reflex is the body's defense against alcohol poisoning.In drunkards, this reflex disappears.
5. Changes in tolerance (sensitivity) to alcohol.In the first stages of alcoholism, it increases (the person drinks a lot and does not get drunk), it decreases over time, and the alcoholic gets drunk from smaller doses of strong drinks.
6. Regular drinking.It is believed that if a person drinks rarely, then he is not an alcoholic.Meanwhile, regular drinking of beer, wine, cognac or vodka, even once a week, is already a cause for concern.If it happens more often, we can talk about alcoholism.

How to recognize the signs of alcohol addiction in yourself?

• Try to answer a few questions honestly.
• Have you started drinking more often?Drinking alone?Do you secretly drink from everyone?
• Are you excited for the upcoming holidays or weekends when you can drink alcohol?
• Does your character change when you are sober and when you are intoxicated (you can ask relatives and friends)?
• Do cases of disorientation in time and space occur when consuming alcohol?Do you experience memory lapses the morning after a feast?
• Have you ever had withdrawal symptoms?
• Does the thought of having to give up alcohol make you angry?
• Can you reduce the amount you drink?
• Have you ever been drunk?
• Have you ever had problems at home or at work because of alcohol?
• Has your appearance changed recently?Do you take care of your clothes, hairstyle, appearance?
• Are you worried about your heart, liver, stomach?

Positive answers to the above questions are a signal that you need to seriously consider solving the problem of alcoholism.

Reasons for alcohol consumption

You've probably heard the expression "let's have a drink and warm up" more than once.In everyday life, alcohol is believed to be a good way to warm up the body.It is not for nothing that alcohol is often called "strong drinks".Doctors, on the contrary, believe that a patient with an ulcer should absolutely not drink alcohol.Where is the truth?After all, small doses of alcohol really stimulate the appetite.Or another popular belief among people: alcohol excites, invigorates, improves mood, well-being, makes conversation more lively and interesting, which is important for a group of young people.Alcohol is not taken for nothing "against fatigue", when you don't feel well, and almost at all celebrations.At one of the doctors' congresses, a resolution was adopted on the dangers of alcohol: "...there is not a single organ in the human body that is not subject to the destructive effects of alcohol; alcohol does not have such an effect that could not be achieved by another medicinal agent that works more useful, safer and more reliably; there is no such painful condition in which it is necessary to prescribe alcohol for a long time. So, talking about the benefits of alcohol is a fairly common misconception. Let's take, for example, the obvious fact - appetite stimulation after a glass of vodka orwine. But it is only for a short time, while alcohol causes "juice to ignite".In the future, drinking alcohol, including beer, only harms digestion.

Alcohol

Alcohol paralyzes the work of such important organs as the liver and pancreas.The need for alcohol is not one of the natural life needs of a person, such as the need for oxygen or food, and therefore alcohol has no motivational power for a person.This need, like some other human "needs" (eg smoking) arises because society, firstly, produces this product and, secondly, "reproduces" the customs, forms, habits and prejudices associated with its consumption.Of course, these habits are not inherent to everyone to the same extent.

The effect of alcohol on the human body

Alcohol from the stomach enters the bloodstream two minutes after consumption.Blood carries it to all cells in the body.The cells of the brain hemisphere are primarily affected.The conditioned reflex activity of a person worsens, the formation of complex movements slows down, the ratio of excitation and inhibition processes in the central nervous system changes.Under the influence of alcohol, voluntary movements are disturbed, and the person loses the ability to control himself.

The effect of alcohol on the nervous system

Signs of alcohol addiction begin to form due to the particularity of its effect on the nervous system.The penetration of alcohol into the cells of the frontal lobe of the cortex releases a person's emotions, unwarranted joy, silly laughter and ease of judgment appear.After increasing excitation in the cerebral cortex, there is a sharp weakening of inhibitory processes.The cortex stops controlling the work of the lower parts of the brain.A person loses restraint, modesty, says and does things that he would never say or do if he were sober.Each new portion of alcohol increasingly paralyzes the higher nerve centers, as if connecting them and not allowing them to interfere with the activity of the lower parts of the brain: movement coordination is disturbed, for example, eye movement (objects begin to double), and an uncomfortable, staggering gait appears.Disorders of the nervous system and internal organs are observed with any alcohol consumption: one-time, episodic and systematic.

Where does drunkenness begin?

The need for alcohol is not one of the natural life needs of a person, such as the need for water or food, and therefore alcohol has no motivational power for a person.So what is the reason for drinking alcohol?

Before reaching the age of 11, the first introduction to alcohol happens either by accident, or it is given "for appetite", "medicated" with wine, or the child tries alcohol just out of curiosity (a motive mostly characteristic of boys).In old age, traditional reasons become motives for drinking alcohol for the first time: "holiday", "family celebration", "guests", etc.

From the age of 14-15, reasons such as "it was inconvenient to lag behind the boys", "friends persuaded me", "for company", "for courage", etc. appear.Boys are characterized by all these groups of motives for their first introduction to alcohol.For girls, the second, "traditional" group of motives is mostly typical.Usually it happens, so to speak, an "innocent" drink in honor of a birthday or other celebration.And although this happens with the consent of the parents, it is still dangerous to introduce children to wine in the family circle.After all, when you touch alcohol, the psychological barrier is removed and the teenager believes that he has the right to drink with friends or even alone, if such an opportunity arises.No wonder people say: "rivers begin with a stream, and drunkenness with a cup."

Alcohol is a common topic for people who are not familiar with it.The company has gathered, everyone is somehow restrained.They drank - you see, they are already laughing, dancing, getting to know each other, having fun.Alcohol is gradually becoming an indispensable attribute of communication.Alcohol quickly and easily creates the illusion of psychological security and a problem-free existence.A person gets used to this illusory way of solving problems and increasingly switches from real actions to withdrawing into an alcoholic haze.

Where is the line?

An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism.Before the disease develops, there is usually a more or less prolonged period of episodic alcohol use.This period in medicine is called the period of alcoholism.The onset of the disease is considered to be the transition to systematic, daily alcohol consumption.The answers to the questions below will help you determine the degree of predisposition to alcoholism.Try to answer them honestly.

1. Have I already tried to limit my alcohol consumption several times?
2. Do I feel remorse for drinking?
3. Do I drink alcohol in the morning to relieve a hangover?
4. Do I have a hard time handling criticism from colleagues and loved ones about my drinking?

If you answered yes to at least two questions, you are at risk and should take appropriate action as soon as possible.

Signs of alcohol addiction is a disease

There's a reasonable question that's easy to ask when looking at an alcoholic from the outside: "If you have signs of alcohol dependence and an alcohol problem, why don't you just stop drinking? Stop—that's all."The first obvious answer: "No willpower" is incorrect.Not only weak-willed, weak-willed people suffer from alcoholism and cannot stop, but also those who achieve success, know how to deal with problems and know how to win.The point is not that the will is weak, but that the enemy is strong.Alcoholism is a serious chronic disease that is difficult to cure in most cases.It develops on the basis of regular and long-term alcohol consumption and is characterized by a special pathological state of the organism: an uncontrolled craving for alcohol, a change in the level of its tolerance and a degradation of the personality.Alcoholism develops according to this pattern:

Initial stage: intoxication with memory loss, "blackout".A person constantly thinks about alcohol, it seems to him that he has not drunk enough, he drinks for future use and develops a craving for alcohol.However, he remains aware of his guilt and avoids talking about his craving for alcohol.

Critical phase: loss of self-control after the first sip of alcohol.The desire to find an excuse to drink, resistance to all attempts to prevent his desire to drink.A person develops arrogance and aggressiveness.He blames others for his troubles.He starts drinking, and random drinking buddies become his friends.He is forced to quit his full-time job and loses interest in anything that has nothing to do with alcohol.

Chronic phase: daily hangovers, disintegration of personality, memory loss, confusion of thoughts.A person drinks substitutes for alcohol, technical liquids and cologne.He develops unfounded fears, delirium tremens and other alcoholic psychoses.One of the characteristic complications during drinking is delirium tremens.Delirium tremens is the most common alcoholic psychosis.It usually occurs in a state of hangover, when the drunkard has inexplicable fear, insomnia, trembling hands, nightmares (chases, attacks, etc.), auditory and visual deceptions in the form of sounds, bells and moving shadows.The symptoms of delirium tremens are especially pronounced at night.The patient begins to experience vivid experiences of a frightening nature.About the Drunkard, for example, there seems to be a conspiracy against him.Not seeing a way out of this situation, he may commit suicide.

Alcohol and people

The signs of alcohol addiction and the effects of alcohol on a person are immediately noticeable.And if you ask people who drink how often they drink, most will say it's not regularly.However, even after drinking alcohol once, people have a restless night and wake up in the morning broken, with a swollen face and a headache.The working day, as a rule, turns out to be ruined, and if a person's work is connected with machines, for example with a machine tool or a car, consider that on this day he has a sharply increased risk of an accident or even a disaster.For mental workers, after consuming alcohol, thinking processes are significantly impaired, the speed and accuracy of calculations decreases, and, as they say, their work falls out of their hands.Therefore, even after irregular, accidental consumption of alcohol, serious problems occur in the body that indicate severe poisoning.If the use of alcohol becomes systematic, a person drinks at any opportunity, looking for any reason to get drunk, then it is already called domestic drunkenness.For the drunkard, the meaning of the festive event is not important;he doesn't care if others approve of his behavior.In this stage of initiation into alcohol, the attitude of the person who drinks to others changes significantly, according to generally accepted and acceptable norms of behavior.Signs of alcohol addiction are actively forming.For a drunkard, his closest people are his friends, even if they met at the same table for the first time.The time, place and environment in which people drink becomes less important.Therefore, the difference between occasional drinking and drunkenness is not only in the amount drunk at one time, but also in the psychological attitude of the person who drinks.In the first case, the person is celebrating some festive or significant event, and in the second case, he is drinking just to get drunk.If you stop a person from drinking in time, you will prevent him from falling and developing alcoholism.

What does it mean to have a chronic disease?

This means that the signs of alcohol addiction and the changes in metabolism brought to the body by systematic alcohol consumption are difficult to reverse.Those.until the end of life, the body remains "ready" to restore the whole image at the first intake of alcohol into the body.Signs of alcohol dependence return quickly, even if this happens many years or even decades after stopping alcohol consumption.

Can alcoholism be cured?

Yes and no.No - in the sense that it will never be possible to continue the "cultural drink".The metabolic processes of the brain are disrupted, and the normal reaction to alcohol will never return.Any consumption of alcohol will inevitably lead to a breakdown, immediately or some time later.If metabolic disturbances occur, consider your barrel or tank drunk.Even long-term abstinence does not allow you to count on the fact that "the body is cleansed" and that you will be able to drink culturally.

Yes - in the sense that even with severe alcoholism, complete and indefinitely long abstinence from alcohol is possible.A person is not just a physical body.And his psyche does not consist only of what the disease brought, but also contains unused resources.Man is characterized by higher moral feelings - love, desire for beauty and harmony.After a long and hard work on himself (with help, of course), developing mentally and spiritually, a person is able to change his attitude towards alcohol and give it up forever.But, of course, we can only talk about absolute sobriety.To drink or not to drink - alcoholism leaves no third option.With their own unwavering determination and medical help, even very seriously ill patients can achieve amazing results.

What to do if the patient does not agree to treatment?

If there are signs of alcohol addiction, it is necessary to constantly try to convince the patient of the need for therapy.It requires the combined efforts of all interested and important persons for the patient (relatives, friends, spouses, employees, teachers, etc.).There is a specially developed method of encouraging alcoholics to seek help, which is called "intervention".Each of the participants in the intervention (parents, spouse, child, boss) tries to help the patient understand the presence of the problem by reporting the changes in him and the changes in their life that are caused by alcohol consumption.When the desired result is achieved, they offer a solution - treatment in a specific health facility, a rehabilitation program.This method often requires the participation of a psychotherapist in order to coordinate and dose the efforts of the actors.

Is it possible to treat a patient without his consent?

In our country, assistance to people suffering from alcoholism is regulated by the Law of our country "On psychiatric protection of the population and the rights of citizens in its provision".According to the law, treatment of patients with drug, substance or alcohol addiction is carried out based on their voluntary consent.Treatment without the consent of the patient is carried out only by order of the court when the citizen is held criminally liable.

As mentioned earlier, alcoholism is a disease and, like any disease, requires thorough and long-term treatment.Appealing to dubious "specialists" who treat alcoholism with "photographs", "without the patient's knowledge", is firstly a waste of time, and secondly, it instills in the patient the belief in the incurability of this disease.

What is involved in helping a patient overcome?

Such assistance consists of several stages.First, the patient needs help during the "withdrawal" period.This problem is usually solved by doctors, preferably in a pharmacy or psychiatric hospital.After 5-10 days, the so-called post-withdrawal period begins, which lasts up to 1.5 months.There are two approaches to treating patients at this stage.

The first involves the continuation of drug treatment of the patient with the aim of stabilizing his mental and physical condition: improving mood, restoring sleep, reducing the strength of the desire for alcohol (so-called craving), and correcting behavioral disorders.It is recommended that during this period the patient be isolated from his usual environment and be in a hospital environment.

Another approach to the treatment of patients in the post-abstinence period has a psychotherapeutic focus and immediately includes the patient's inclusion in one or another rehabilitation program with psychotherapeutic management, also in a hospital environment or rehabilitation center.

The third stage is rehabilitation.It is usually done on an outpatient basis.Patients continue to work according to the selected program, attend psychotherapy groups or self-help groups.The goal of rehabilitation is to teach a patient with alcoholism to live without alcohol.

Is it possible to stop drinking at home?

It is preferable to treat a patient in the phase of withdrawal from alcohol in a medical hospital under round-the-clock medical supervision.Home care only worsens the course of the disease.The disease not only gets stronger, but serious accompanying diseases also develop.In addition, it becomes much more difficult to convince the patient to undergo full therapy.

How can you "code"?

As already mentioned, the addictive power of alcohol is very great.The attraction to its use often exceeds even the fear of mortal danger.Coding doesn't help everyone stick around for a while.It cannot be considered an independent method of treatment for patients with alcoholism.Instead, it gives some patients a gain in time when they can start working on themselves, develop psychologically and spiritually, and get involved in one or another rehabilitation program.The method has a very important negative side - it replaces one's own will and responsibility for abstaining from alcohol and behavior in general with an artificially imposed attitude.

What are the results of treatment for alcoholism patients?

All over the world, the effectiveness of helping people with alcoholism is the same.Help limited only to the first stage ("stop drinking" or "coding") gives a very low result.But completing a rehabilitation program for patients increases the effectiveness of care by almost 10 times.

After what time can we talk about the reliability of the achieved result?

Experts dealing with the problem of alcoholism agree that the process of psychological and social recovery takes about 5 years.It is very important that the recovering person does not stop in their psychological and spiritual growth in the future.

Methods of chemical protection

"Torpedo".One of the most famous and widespread radical methods of treating alcoholism.A group of drugs is administered intravenously and deposited in the patient's tissues.The method does not have a negative effect on the body, it only reduces the desire for alcohol, but in interaction with alcohol it creates a strong toxin (poison) that can cause serious health problems, even death.

"Nurophysical blockade" is a treatment method that uses weak impulse currents to specific parts of the brain.This achieves the effect of normalizing the state of the central nervous system and its regulatory effect on other systems of the body.As a result of the treatment, the craving for alcohol is suppressed, irritability, anger and aggressiveness are reduced.

"Acupuncture" One of the oldest, proven methods of treatment for addiction to alcohol, drugs and nicotine.Choice of points, way of influencing them (needles, electromagnetic waves, laser).

"Biological Coding".The most reliable method of radical treatment of alcohol addiction.After intravenous administration of the drug, in order to check its effectiveness, it is suggested to take a small amount of alcohol, i.e. to prove the incompatibility of alcohol and the administered drug.This method allows you to remove doubts and instill confidence in the patient in the high efficiency and reliability of the anti-alcohol drug.Coding is performed only in the intensive care unit or resuscitation unit;Food and liquids are prohibited 3 hours before the procedure.

Intramuscular administration of a long-acting anti-alcohol drug that suppresses the desire for alcohol.In addition, the drug is also a highly effective therapeutic agent (increases human immunity, improves liver and brain function).Within 3 days, the drug adapts to people.After that, the drug is "released" into the blood with a frequency, depending on the patient's biorhythm, in a period determined by the patient himself.

Drug implantation is a reliable and decades-proven method of treating alcoholism.In 1996, the production of a drug that reacts more strongly and longer to alcohol using new advanced technology continued in France.The operation is performed in hospital conditions with asepsis and antisepsis.After anesthesia with novocaine, the drug is inserted through an incision in the skin and the incision is sutured.