Alcohol addiction. How to cope with the disaster?

Alcohol addiction is a fairly common problem. Unfortunately, the disease develops imperceptibly, and its treatment is difficult. It is proved that the occurrence of alcoholism depends on the number and frequency of drinking, as well as certain individual characteristics of the body.

Alcohol dependence and its symptoms

In fact, it is not always easy to determine the presence of alcoholism. Moreover, a sick person, as a rule, denies the presence of a problem. Nevertheless, in modern medicine there are several criteria that testify to the presence of the disease:

• Greatly increases the tolerance of the body to alcohol in large quantities. And since the previous dose of alcohol no longer causes lightness and euphoria, the patient unconsciously gradually increases it.
• A person with addiction can not stop - he drinks to a state of complete intoxication.
• The alcoholic denies his own intoxication and does not notice his condition.
• An important symptom is the memory dips - the next morning the patient, as a rule, completely does not remember the previous events.
• Further, there is a desire to drink each time as soon as possible.
• Over time, the main protective mechanism disappears - the gag reflex, which, under normal conditions, signals an excess of the amount of ethyl alcohol in the body.

Almost every dependent person in one way or another denies the existence of any problems.

Alcohol dependence and its development stages

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that develops gradually and unnoticed for the patient. It is customary to distinguish several main stages of the development of dependence:

• At the initial stage, frequent dips in memory are observed . The patient can not drown out thoughts about drinking and drinks in large quantities. During this period, he still feels guilty for his addiction to alcoholic beverages.
• The critical stage is accompanied by a complete loss of control over oneself. After the first sip, a person can no longer stop. Along with this, he becomes stubborn, arrogant and aggressive - refuses help, seeks every possible justification for drinking, accuses others and others of his own problems.
• The chronic stage is accompanied by almost constant drinking-bouts and a daily hangover. An unpleasant sensation of the patient removes the same alcohol. Over time, there is a gradual disintegration of personality, absent-mindedness, memory impairment. At this stage, alcoholic psychoses and the so-called "white fever" are not uncommon.

Treatment for alcohol dependence

In most cases, you can get rid of this problem. However, there is no universal drug that would help cure the patient. Treatment of alcoholism must necessarily be comprehensive. And, of course, the patient must acknowledge the existence of a problem. The only sure way to cure is a complete refusal of alcoholic beverages. So, modern methods of treatment of alcohol dependence:

• Alcohol detoxification is, as a rule, the first phase of treatment, which implies a sharp cessation of alcohol consumption. In most cases, this stage is very difficult and even painful for patients. During detoxification, ethyl alcohol is replaced with a number of drugs that help to relieve physical symptoms.
• Alcohol dependence also implies proper medication. For example, patients are discreetly mixed with special drugs that, when combined with alcohol, cause pain, seizures and other symptoms - a person is afraid for his own life and refuses to drink alcohol.
• Of course, a very important psychological approach is that an experienced therapist should work with the patient, who will help determine the emotional causes of alcoholism and choose suitable behaviors.
• As a rule, even after the completion of treatment, it is necessary to continue the social rehabilitation of the patient. A person should receive help and support from others (for this purpose there are groups of anonymous alcoholics). Unfortunately, in our country this technique is practically not used.