Signs of alcoholism

The signs of alcohol dependence are well studied and not secret.

We try to briefly describe all the signs of alcohol dependence and answer basic questions.

How can you tell if someone likes to drink or if he has signs of alcoholism?Is there a line between drinking alcohol "recreationally" and alcoholism?

What are the signs of alcohol addiction?

1. Craving for alcohol.This can be indicated by the appearance of reasons for drinking that were not noticed before.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 drinking alcoholic beverages is defended and defended.Alcoholic friends gain power and respect.A list of excuses for your own hangover appears.Life values are changing, moral principles are being rearranged.Criticism of one's behavior is lost.
3. Loss of control over alcohol intake.An alcoholic cannot limit his alcohol intake;He could not stop at small doses.Once he started drinking, he drank every last drop (or until he lost consciousness).
4. 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 (susceptibility) to alcohol.In the first stage of alcoholism, it grows (the person drinks a lot and does not get drunk), over time it falls, and alcohol becomes drunk from smaller doses of drinks.
6. Drink regularly.It is believed that if a person rarely drinks, then he is not an alcoholic.Meanwhile, drinking regular beer, wine, cognac or vodka, even once a week, is already the main culprit.If this happens more often, we can talk about alcohol.

How to identify the signs of alcohol addiction in yourself?

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

A positive answer to the above questions is a signal that you need to think seriously about solving the alcohol problem.

Because of drinking alcohol

You may have heard the expression more than once: "Let's drink and warm ourselves."It is believed in everyday life that alcohol is a good way to warm the body.It is not for nothing that alcohol is often called "strong drink."Doctors, on the other hand, believe that ulcer patients should not drink alcohol.Where is the truth?After all, small doses of alcohol really stimulate the appetite.Or another popular belief among people: Alcohol is fun, refreshing, improves mood, well-being, makes conversation more lively and interesting, which is important for a group of young people.It is not for any alcohol that is taken "against fatigue", when feeling unwell, and at almost any celebration.One of the congresses of doctors adopted a resolution against the dangers of alcohol: "... there is not a single organ in the human body that is not subject to the damaging effects of alcohol; So talking about the benefits of alcohol is a fairly common misconception. Take, for example, the obvious fact - the stimulation of appetite after a glass of vodka or wine. But this is only for a short time, while alcohol causes "juice ignition". In the future, drinking alcohol, including beer, only harms digestion.

Alcohol

Alcohol paralyzes the action of important organs such as the liver and pancreas.The need for alcohol is not one of the natural life needs of a person, like the need for oxygen or food, and therefore alcohol itself has no motivating force for a person.These needs, like some other human "needs" (for example, smoking) appear because society, firstly, produces these products and, secondly, "reproduces" the customs, forms, habits and prejudices associated with their use.Of course, this habit does not exist for everyone to the same extent.

Effects of alcohol on the human body

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

Effects of alcohol on the nervous system

The signs of alcohol dependence begin to form due to the unique effects it has on the nervous system.The penetration of alcohol into the cells of the frontal lobe of the cortex frees a person's emotions, inappropriate joy, silly laughter, and ease of judgment appears.Following the increased excitation in the cerebral cortex, a significant weakening of the inhibitory process occurs.The cortex no longer controls the work of the lower part of the brain.A person loses restraint, modesty, he says and does things that he would never say or do if he was aware.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 part of the brain: the coordination of movements is disturbed, for example, eye movements (objects begin to double), and a startling and startling gait appears.Disorders of the nervous system and internal organs are observed with alcohol consumption: one-time, episodic and systematic.

Where does hangover start?

The need for alcohol is not one of the natural needs of a person's life, like the need for water or food, and therefore alcohol itself has no motivating force for a person.So why drink alcohol?

Before the age of 11, the first contact with alcohol occurs either by chance, or it is given "for appetite", "treated" with wine, or the child himself tries alcohol out of curiosity (a motive mainly characteristic of men).At an older age, traditional reasons become the motive for drinking alcohol for the first time: "Holiday", "Family Reception", "Guest", etc.

From the age of 14-15, reasons such as "it's inconvenient to miss men", "friends persuade me", "for company", "for courage", etc. appear.Boys are characterized by all these groups of motives for their first contact with alcohol.For girls, the second group of "traditional" motifs is typical.Usually this happens, so to speak, an "innocent" drink in honor of a birthday or other celebration.And even if this happens with the consent of the parents, in the family, it is still dangerous to introduce children to wine.After all, as soon as you touch alcohol, psychological barriers are removed and teenagers consider themselves entitled to drink with friends or even alone, if the opportunity arises.No wonder people say: "A river begins with a river, and drunkenness begins with a glass."

Alcohol is a common topic for people who are unfamiliar with it.A company has gathered, everyone is quite restrained.They drink - you see, they are already laughing, dancing, getting to know each other, having fun.Gradually, alcohol became an indispensable attribute of communication.Alcohol quickly and easily creates the illusion of psychological safety and a problem-free existence.A person gets used to illusory ways to solve problems, and increasingly turns away from real action to retreat into an alcoholic fog.

Where is the line?

An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcohol.Before the disease develops, there is usually a period of lower episodic alcoholism.This period in medicine is called the alcohol period.The onset of the disease is considered a transition to systematic and daily alcohol consumption.The answers to the questions below will help you determine the level of alcohol addiction.Try to answer them honestly.

1. Have I tried to limit my alcohol consumption several times?
2. Do I feel sorry for my drinking?
3. Do I drink alcohol in the morning to relieve a hangover?
4. Do I have a hard time denying criticism from coworkers 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.

The signs of alcohol addiction are a disease

There is a reasonable question that is easy to ask when looking at an alcohol dependent person from the outside: "If you have signs of alcohol dependence and a problem with alcohol, then why don't you stop drinking? Stop—that's it."The first obvious answer: "There is no will" is incorrect.Not only weak, weak, weak people suffer from alcoholism and cannot stop, but also those who achieve success, know how to overcome 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, in most cases it is difficult to cure.It develops on the basis of regular and long-term alcohol consumption and is characterized by a special pathological state of the body: an uncontrollable desire for alcohol, changes in the level of tolerance and deterioration of its personality.Alcohol develops according to this pattern:

Early phase: drunk with memory loss, "Eclipse."A person constantly thinks about alcohol, it seems that he is not drunk enough, he drinks for future use, and he develops a greed for alcohol.However, he remains aware of his guilt and avoids talking about his desire 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 stop his desire to drink.A person develops arrogance and aggressiveness.He blames others for his problems.He started drinking, and random drinking buddies became his friends.He had to leave his regular job and lost interest in everything that had nothing to do with alcohol.

Chronic phase: Daily hangovers, split personality, memory loss, disorientation.One drinks alcohol substitutes, technical fluids, and cologne.He developed unfounded fears, delirium tremens, and other alcoholic psychoses.One of the characteristic complications of binge drinking is delirium tremens.Delirium tremens is the most common alcoholic psychosis.It usually occurs in a drunken state, when the drunkard develops fear, insomnia, trembling hands, nightmares (chasing, attacks, etc.), auditory and visual illusions in the form of sounds, bells, and the movement of shadows.Symptoms of delirium tremens are especially pronounced at night.The patient begins to have vivid experiences of a frightening nature.Regarding drunkards, for example, there seems to be a conspiracy against him.Seeing no way out of this situation, he might commit suicide.

Alcohol and people

The signs of alcohol dependence and the effects of alcohol on a person will be visible immediately.And if you ask people who drink how often they drink, most will say that it's not common.However, even after drinking alcohol once, people have a restless night, and in the morning they wake up 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 associated with machinery, for example with machine tools or cars, consider that on this day he has an increased risk of accidents or even catastrophes.For mental workers, after drinking alcohol, their thought processes are significantly affected, 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, indicating severe poisoning.If the use of alcohol becomes systematic, a person drinks at any time, looking for a reason to get drunk, then this is already called household drunkenness.For drunkards, the meaning of festive events is not important;He doesn't care if others approve of his behavior.At the initial stage into alcoholism, the drinker's attitude towards others, towards accepted and generally accepted norms of behavior significantly.Signs of alcohol dependence are actively forming.For a drunk, his closest people are his drinking buddies, even if this is the first time they find themselves at the same table.The time, place and environment in which people drink becomes less important.Therefore, the difference between occasional drinking and drunkenness lies not only in the amount drunk at one time, but also in the psychological attitude of the drinker.In the first case, a person celebrates some important or important event, and in the second, he just drinks to get himself drunk.If you keep someone from drinking in time, this prevents him from falling and developing alcoholism.

What does it mean to have a chronic disease?

This means that the signs of alcohol dependence and metabolic changes that lead to systematic alcohol use in the body are difficult to reverse.They are.For the rest of your life, the body remains "ready" to continue the whole picture at the first intake of alcohol in the body.Signs of alcohol dependence quickly return, even if this happens years and even decades after stopping drinking alcohol.

Can alcoholism be cured?

Yes and no.No - in the aspect that it will not be possible to continue "drinking culture".The metabolic processes of the brain are disrupted, and the normal response to alcohol will not be restored.Any use of alcohol inevitably leads to damage, immediately or some time later.If metabolic disturbances occur, consider that your barrel or tank is drunk.Even years of abstinence do not allow you to count on the fact that "the body has been cleansed" and you will be able to drink culturally.

Yes - in the sense that even with severe alcoholism, complete and short-term abstinence from alcohol is possible.A person is not only a physical body.And his soul is not only composed of what the disease brings, but contains untapped resources.Humans are characterized by higher moral feelings - love, desire for beauty and harmony.Having done long and difficult work on oneself (with help, of course), developing psychologically and spiritually, a person can change his attitude to alcohol and give it up forever.But, of course, we can only talk about absolute tranquility.To drink or not to drink -alcohol does not leave a third option.With their own unwavering determination with medical help, even very seriously ill patients can achieve extraordinary results.

What should be done if the patient does not agree to be treated?

If there are signs of alcohol dependence, it is important to make continuous attempts to convince the patient of the need for therapy.It requires the combined efforts of all those who are interested and important to the patient (relatives, friends, spouses, employees, teachers, etc.).There is a specially developed method to encourage alcoholics to seek help, called "intervention."Each participant in the intervention (parent, partner, child, boss) tries to help the patient to realize the presence of a problem by reporting changes in himself and changes in their lives caused by alcohol use.When the desired result is achieved, they offer a solution - treatment in certain medical institutions, rehabilitation programs.This method often requires the participation of a psychotherapist to coordinate and negate the efforts of the actors.

Is it possible to treat a patient without his consent?

In our country, help to patients with alcoholism is regulated by our national law "on psychiatric care to the population and the rights of citizens in its provisions."According to the law, the treatment of patients with drug addiction, substance abuse or alcohol is carried out based on their voluntary consent.Treatment without the patient's consent is only carried out by court order when the citizen is brought to criminal liability.

As mentioned earlier, alcoholism is a disease, and like any disease, it requires comprehensive and long-term treatment.An appeal to dubious "experts" who treat alcoholism "by picture", "without the knowledge of the patient", firstly, is a waste of time, and secondly, it instills in the patient a belief in the incapacity of this disease.

What helps the patient overcome involves?

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

The first involves continuous drug treatment of the patient to stabilize his mental and physical condition: improve mood, restore sleep, reduce the severity of the desire for alcohol (called craving), and correct behavioral disorders.It is recommended that during this period the patient is isolated from his usual environment and is in a hospital setting.

Another approach to the management of patients in the post-abstinence period has a psychotherapeutic focus and immediately involves the admission of the patient in one or another rehabilitation program with psychotherapeutic management, also in a hospital or rehabilitation center setting.

The third stage is recovery.It usually occurs on an outpatient basis.Patients continue to work on the chosen program, attend psychotherapy groups or self-help groups.The goal of rehabilitation is to teach alcoholics to live without alcohol.

Is it possible to stop drinking at home?

It is best to treat patients at the stage of alcohol withdrawal in a medical hospital under medical supervision at all times.Home care only worsens the disease.The disease not only becomes stronger, but also severe co-morbidities.In addition, it becomes more difficult to convince patients to undergo full therapy.

How can you "code"?

As already mentioned, the power of dependence on alcohol is great.The appeal of its utility often outweighs the fear of mortal danger.Coding doesn't help everyone survive for a while.It should not be considered an independent method of treating patients with alcoholism.On the other hand, it gives some patients an advantage at a time when they can start working on themselves, develop psychologically and spiritually, and join one or another rehabilitation program.This method has a very important negative side - it is the replacement of a person's will and responsibility to stay away from alcohol and behavior in general with an artificially imposed attitude.

What are the results of treating patients with alcohol?

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

After how much time can we talk about the reliability of the results achieved?

Experts who deal with alcohol problems agree that the psychological and social recovery process lasts for 5 years.It is very important that in the future the recovering person does not stop in his psychological and spiritual growth.

Chemical protection methods

"Torpedo".One of the most famous and widespread radical methods of treating alcoholism.A group of drugs is administered intravenously and stored in the patient's tissues.This method has no negative effects on the body, but only reduces the desire for alcohol, but when interacting with alcohol, it forms a strong toxin (poison) that can cause severe health problems, even death.

"Neurophysical Block" is a treatment method that uses a weak pulsed current 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 body systems.As a result of treatment, the desire for alcohol is suppressed, irritability, anger, and aggression are reduced.

"Acupuncture" one of the most ancient methods, proven to treat alcohol, drug and nicotine addiction.Selection of points, methods of influencing them (needle, electromagnetic wave, laser).

"Biological Coding".The most reliable radical treatment method for alcohol addiction.After the intravenous administration of the drug, to check its effectiveness, it is recommended to take a small amount of alcohol, that is, the incompatibility of alcohol and the administered drug is indicated.This method allows you to remove doubts and instill confidence in the patient in the high effectiveness and reliability of anti-alcohol drugs.Coding was only carried out in the intensive care ward or resuscitation department;Food and liquid consumption is prohibited 3 hours before the procedure.

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

Drug implantation is a reliable and decades-tested method for treating alcoholism.In 1996, the production of drugs that react more strongly and longer to alcohol was resumed in France using new advanced technology.This operation is performed in a hospital environment using asepsis and antisepsis.After anesthesia with novocaine, the drug is introduced through a skin incision and the incision is injected.