Alcohol Dependence
Alcoholism Can Be Recovered From!
Alcoholism is a dangerous and widespread addiction. While stereotypes of alcoholics include destitute drifters and aggressive drunks, the reality is that alcoholism can be found anywhere. Alcoholism can affect both men and women, as well as people from all socio-economic backgrounds, and many continue to survive quite stable lives for years before their addiction catches up with them.
Many alcoholics get into trouble when they begin to self-medicate for anxiety and stress. Since we live in a society where a reasonably high amount of alcohol intake is deemed acceptable, traditions like "a couple of drinks after work" or "drinks at wine o'clock" can easily lead to harmful levels of drinking. While drinking alcohol can alleviate stress in the short term, it inevitably leads to a variety of physical and mental health problems later in life.
Alcoholism can show as both excessive, addicted drinking that is consistent and frequent (like drinking a bottle of wine or a few pints of beer daily) and binge drinking (drinking significantly beyond excess on occasion). Although all heavy drinkers engage in risky behavior, not all of them are addicts. However, these behaviors can be signs of addiction and are exceedingly hazardous to our bodily and mental health. Furthermore, our bodies become accustomed to high amounts of alcohol consumption over time, and we require even more to attain the sensations we seek. Alcohol is therefore no better than any other narcotic in this regard.
Alcoholism is frequently comorbid with a number of other problems. Despite the fact that many alcoholics drink in order to cope with stress or sadness, alcoholism can intensify or even cause these problems. Anxiety, depression, or even suicidal ideation are frequent psychological problems in alcoholics. All this can, naturally, worsen as the person begins to experience physical health issues such as liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke, coronary heart disease, and irregular heartbeats.
What Are the Treatment Options for Alcoholism?
Alcoholism therapy needs a diverse strategy. Those who are physically addicted to alcohol may find it difficult to eradicate it from their systems, and the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal experienced by addicts who decide to stop drinking may be tough to handle. However, there are drugs that can alleviate these symptoms and assist the patient during the challenging early stages of treatment.
Patients are encouraged to seek treatment with a professionally skilled psychologist once the initial detox from alcohol has begun. Participating in cognitive behavioral therapy will assist them in learning strategies to moderate their behavior when tempted to turn to alcohol, as well as recognising the triggers in their lives that frequently provoke alcohol usage.
When the patient additionally has problems with depression, anxiety, or another psychological disorder, it is critical to address this as well, using cognitive behavioral or another appropriate form of therapy. When individuals have control over an underlying psychological problem, they are considerably less likely to feel the need to self-medicate.
It may also be beneficial for the patient to engage in exploratory psychotherapy to better understand the underlying cause of their addiction and to investigate the impact of addiction not only on themselves as well as on their family and friends, as addictive behaviors frequently occur within the context of a larger family dysfunction which may be favorable for therapy.
Therapy is frequently used in conjunction with a programme such as the well-known "twelve steps" programme offered by organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which can offer support and advice after psychological treatment has helped the individual return to a stable state.