SELF HELP – Alcohol Rehabilitation
# Moderate use of alcohol is normal, but alcohol ABUSE or DEPENDENCE is a serious problem. While some research suggests that small amounts of
alcohol may have beneficial cardiovascular effects, there is widespread agreement that heavier drinking can lead to health problems.
For most adults, moderate alcohol use–no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women and older people–is relatively harmless. (A “drink”
means 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, all of which contain 0.5 ounces of alcohol.)
Moderate use, however, lies at one end of a range that moves through alcohol abuse to alcohol dependence.
People with alcohol use disorders drink to excess, endangering both themselves and others. Too much alcohol affects the central nervous system and how
the brain functions. It affects perception, thinking, and coordination. It impairs judgement, reduces inhibitions, and increases aggression.
# CAUSES -
- Problem drinking has multiple causes, with genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors all playing a role.
- PSYCHOLOGICAL traits such as impulsiveness, low self-esteem, and a need for approval prompt inappropriate drinking.
- Drink to cope with or “medicate” emotional problems.
- SOCIAL and environmental factors such as peer pressure and the easy availability of alcohol can play key roles.
- Poverty and physical or sexual abuse increase the odds of developing alcohol dependence.
- GENETIC factors – Alcoholism tends to run in families. The mesocorticolimbic pathway (MCLP) is central to release of the neurotransmiter dopamine
and in mediating the rewarding proprties of drugs.
# ALCHOHOLISM is a term commonly used to describe the medical disrder of alcohol dependence. It is also called ” Alcohol Dependence Syndrome” – a
state, psychic and usually also physical, resulting from taking alcohol, characterized by behavioral and other respnses that always include a compulsion to
take alcohol on a continious or periodic basis in order to experience its psychic effects, and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence; tolerence
may or may not be present.
ALCOHOL ABUSE is different from ALCHOHOL DEPENDENCE. Abuses are not necessarily addicted to alcohol, but develops problem as a result of
their alcohol consumption and poor judgement, failure to understand the risks, or lack of concern about damage to themselves or others.
DEPENDENCE is suspected when -
- Abuse
- Compulsive drinking behavior
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal signs.
# The CAGE questionnaire is commonly used to determine the risk of alcohol related problems:
C – Have you ever felt that you should CUT down on your drinking?
A – Have people ANNOYED you by criticizing your drinking?
G – Have you ever felt bad or GUILTY about your drinking?
E – Have you ever had an EYE OPENER – a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
People who regularly consume alcohol suffer from health problems such as liver disease, chronic pancreatitis, gastritis, cardiovascular and neurological
problems. Alcohol abuse may even lead to cancer and a painful death.
# Those who have difficulty in moderating drinking, neglect daily activities and show physical symptoms of withdrawal are in need of ALCOHOL
REHABILITATION.
- The treatment program chosen for alcohol rehabilitation should fit the specific needs of the addict. If an incorrect evaluation is made at the initial stage,
then the chances for failure heighten.
- Alcohol rehabilitation is alcohol intervention. Be aware of your situation.The longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able
to stay sober.
- Work to improve self-esteem and self-worth, heal core traumas, learn life-skills, gain control over addictive patterns and improve the health of the body
in addition to recovering from alcohol abuse.
- A Self-help group meeting is another tool of alcohol rehabilitation. Such meetings follow the 12-step model of recovery.
- One key factor to TREATMENT is admission of the problem and motivation to beat it.
- Individuals often hide their drinking or deny they have a problem. Support of family members and/or friends helps in resolving the problem faster.
# Help from a PSYCHOLOGIST -
- A psychologist can guide the family or others in helping to increase the drinker’s motivation to change
- Can begin with the drinker by assessing the types and degrees of problems the drinker has experienced
- Using one or more of several types of psychological therapies, psychologists can help people address psychological issues involved in their problem
drinking
- Can be very helpful for diagnosing and treating these “co-occurring” psychological conditions when they begin to create impairment.Many individuals
with alcohol problems suffer from other mental health conditions, such as severe anxiety and depression, at the same time.
- Can also provide marital, family, and group therapies, which often are helpful for repairing interpersonal relationships and for long-term success in
resolving problem drinking.
- Can also provide referrals to self-help groups
#
SELF HELP – (in brief)
~ Reduce frequency of use.
~ Reduce dosage used/consumed per time.
~ Change the type or form of substance. ( eg. substitute beer for wiskey)
~ Changing type of job or place of employment
~ Changing place of resident
~ Changing friends
~ Joining a self- help group. programs [such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)].