Alcoholism

Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcoholism is a slow disease, doctors call it a progressive disease because it may take years for someone to turn into a full alcoholic. The unfortunate side of this progression is that getting out of alcoholism is also a slow process. There are no wonder drugs that can stop the problem overnight. In many cases, acceptance by the victim that he or she is in the grip of alcoholism itself takes considerable effort and time.

The nature of alcohol is that it can create physical dependence to anyone who consumes it for a sufficient period of time. Alcohol falls in the category of sedative and hypnotic drugs. These drugs are capable of creating a strong carving after prolonged consumption of the drug. That does not mean that people who are moderate to mild drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. Withdrawal symptoms are for those that have been drinking for a long period of time and in continuously increasing quantities. There is no uniqueness in these withdrawal symptoms, different people exhibit different withdrawal symptoms.

Types of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms appear through psychological and physical problems. These symptoms start appearing from mild to moderate depending on the drinking nature of the alcoholic.

  • Mild then moderate psychological symptoms – Psychological symptoms may vary from sleep disorder to excessive fatigue. Anxiety, nervousness, emotional volatility, problems with judgment and decision making are common complaints experienced by aggressive drinkers.
  • Mild then moderate physical symptoms – Headache, vomiting, loss of appetite, sweating, enlarged or dilated pupils etc. are the common physical withdrawal symptoms.
  • Severe symptoms – Constant black outs, complaints of fever and body ache, living in a state of confusion are the severe withdrawal symptoms.

All these symptoms may appear separately or together depending on the biological and psychological nature of the victim and may vary from person to person.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms treatment

While recent studies and evidences show that everyone who undergo withdrawal symptoms need treatment, in the majority of the cases there is no need for hospitalization. 90 to 95 % of mild to moderate symptoms can be treated on a case to case basis without hospitalization. Since the withdrawal symptoms are physical as well as psychological, many withdrawal symptoms need custom made doses of emotional as well as drug based treatment.

Non-drug detoxification treatments use both social and emotional support techniques to address the symptoms. Techniques like intervention where a group of interested parties approach the patient in a non accusing manner is often used.

Drug based treatments help to reduce the excessive carving for drinking in the patient. They also help to reduce the damage done to brain as well as other internal organs in the body of the patient. The success of many de-addiction treatments depends on how long the patient can abstain from consuming alcohol again to cope with his or her withdrawal symptoms. Self effort on the behalf of an alcoholic is seldom enough to stop alcohol addiction especially in the face of severe withdrawal symptoms. Treatment under a qualified physician along with emotional support by family and friends are most important foot notes of any successful alcohol detoxification treatment.

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Alcoholism Signs And Symptoms

How do you know if you have an alcohol problem? Are you worried that you may be an alcoholic? Sometimes it helps to look at the typical symptoms of an alcoholic.

Alcoholism or alcohol dependence creeps up on you and before you know it will find yourself getting deeper and deeper into an addiction whirlpool that will be very hard to swim out of. Lets look at the most typical symptoms of an alcoholic according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

  • No interest in social, occupational or recreation activities
  • Unintended excessive consumption of alcohol
  • Loss of control of physical and mental faculties while drinking.
  • Unsuccessful in effort to reduce alcohol intake.
  • Looks for ways to spend more and more time in alcohol related activities.
  • Severe withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, anxiety, nausea, loss of memory
  • Need to drink an increased quantity of alcohol in order to feel the same effect.
  • Continued use of alcohol even though knowing it is dangerous to health.

John Hopkins University came out with a quiz that helps you determine if you have a drinking problem or not.

  • Have you lost time from work due to drinking?
  • Is your home life unhappy because of your drinking?
  • Is shyness around people the reason you drink?
  • Is your reputation being affected due to your drinking?
  • Has drinking ever made you feel remorseful?
  • Has drinking been the cause of financial difficulties?
  • Does drinking make you mix with inferior companions and environments?
  • Are you careless of your family’s welfare because of drinking?
  • Has drinking reduced or decreased your ambitions?
  • Do you long for a drink at a specific time daily?
  • Do you feel like drinking the next morning?
  • Is sleeping an issue because of your drinking?
  • Has drinking decreased your efficiency?
  • Is your job or business taking on a hit or in trouble due to your drinking?
  • Do you drink to forget your current troubles or worries?
  • Do you drink alone?
  • Has your drinking ever resulted in a loss of memory?
  • Has you been treated by a health care professional for drinking?
  • Does drinking help you to build up self-confidence?
  • Have you ever hospitalized or institutionalized due to drinking?

According to Johns Hopkins University Hospital, office of health care if you answered yes to three questions from the above set of questions then you could be considered as an alcohol dependent person and is a sign that your alcohol consumption could be potentially harmful. You should consider undergoing an evaluation by a health care professional with respect to your alcohol consumption.

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What Type of Alcoholic Are You?

In a recent research done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism an interesting observation was made. A typical alcoholic falls into any one of 5 types. More on the types of alcoholics shortly. The most proliferate category of alcoholics were found to be “Young Adults”. This is an alarming trend and cause for serious concern.

Out of a sample size of nearly 1500, Dr. Howard B. Moss conducting the research along with a team of researchers found that nearly 31% of the alcoholics were young adults and about 20% did not have a family history of alcoholism and were highly functional individuals.

The NIAAA researchers categorized the alcoholics that were studied as part of the research into 5 categories.

Young Adult Alcoholics

This group was by far the largest with 31.5 % of the total sample size of alcoholics studied. They also found very low rates of parallel substance abuse and low rates of a family history of alcoholism. Another noted characteristic was that this group very rarely asked for any help to stop or control their drinking habit.

Young Antisocial Alcoholics

The second largest group of the lot with 21%. Most of the alcoholics in this group were in their mid 20′s and most of them started drinking at a very early age. More than 50% of this group however had a family history of alcoholism. A large percentage of this group, around 75% also usually had other addiction problems such as smoking cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana and opium addiction. The good news though with this group was that more than 30% actively seek help to curb or recover from their addictions.

Functional Alcoholics

The next group categorized as functional alcoholics were typically well educated, middle aged, relatively well to do with stable families and jobs. This group was slightly lesser than 20% of the total sample, 19.5% to be exact. Also nearly 50% of this group were found to be smokers and about 25% had major depression symptoms and illness at some point in their lives.

Intermediate Familial Alcoholics

This group at 19% also was pretty close as far as the sample size to the functional alcoholics group. Again mostly middle aged with close to 50% of them having some family history of alcohol abuse. Close to half of this group had clinical depression with a smaller percentage also having bipolar disorder. Most of the is group was found to also smoke and nearly 20% were found to be addicted to cocaine and marijuana.

Chronic Severe Alcoholics

The smallest of the sample size thankfully at 9% Again most of them were found to be middle aged and had spiraled down the alcoholism route relatively early on in their lives. Close to 80% came from families with a history of alcoholism and also had high occurrence of depression, bipolar disorder, addiction to smoking and marijuana and anxiety issues. This group was found to be more open to alcohol treatment and made up the most percentage in numbers as far as people currently undergoing alcohol treatment.

Sometimes categorizing alcoholics can help individuals and people who treat them assess the situation and come up with the required help, counseling and alcohol treatment options.

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Are You An Alcohol Abuser Or An Alcohol Dependent Person?

Yes, there is a difference between alcohol abuse and being alcohol dependent. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders a person that is described as an alcohol abuser is one that drinks despite social, impersonal, legal and recurrent problems that arise out of his or her alcohol drinking. An alcoholic that drinks without caring for physical or mental damage is typically known to be an alcohol abuser.

An alcohol dependent on the other hand, meets many of the symptoms and qualities of an alcohol abuser explained above and in addition exhibits many of the following characteristics.

  • Only goes to parties and social gatherings where he or she knows that liquor is going to be present.
  • Needs to drink an increasing amount every time to achieve the feeling of being high.
  • Have severe withdrawal symptoms, shaking and shivering to loss of memory.
  • Continues to drink to relieve themselves of withdrawal symptoms.
  • Very particular about the brand of liquor that they drink.
  • Aware that drinking is bad for their health but continues to do so.
  • Falls off the wagon repeatedly after trying to stay sober or after rehab or detox.

An Alcohol Abuser can be helped relatively easily when compared to an alcohol dependent person. Usually education, an explanation of the harmful effects of alcohol and the social and personal destruction that comes with being an alcoholic is generally enough to convince an abuser to go easy on liquor. An alcohol dependent person though will need much more, usually outside help, psychological and family support, most cases a period of stay at a certified professional rehab or detox center with intensive counseling and follow up sessions to cure themselves of being an alcoholic.

Look at your drinking habits carefully? What are you? An abuser or a dependent? Be honest and you can start down the path of alcohol recovery sooner. Watch your drinking patterns, understand the symptoms of an alcoholic. Recovery is possible only when you are truthful to yourself and will only get easier if you start down the path to recovery sooner rather than later.

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Alcoholism Treatment

Alcoholism treatment often starts with the individual coming to grips with the fact that they are alcoholic. Alcoholism is a very treatable condition and they are many ways to about treating Alcoholism.

Irrespective of how a person has been diagnosed as being an alcoholic, what is key is the fact that the person understands that he is an alcoholic and is sincere and determined in his or her efforts to beat the addiction. There is no point in forcing someone to look for treatment or go into a detox center under pressure because these steps rarely work and pretty soon you will find the person falling off the wagon and well on the road to addiction all over again.

That is not to say that you cannot relapse, infact most alcoholics fall off the program and relapse atleast once before they firm up and get back on the detox program and beat alcoholism. There are many reasons for a relapse and it is important that an alcoholic gets the family support especially spousal support to avoid a relapse.

In the beginning of your Alcoholism treatment almost all alcoholics will experience severe withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can vary from mild shakes to delirium that can be life threatening. You can also experience hallucinations, convulsions and in extreme cases death. It is always important to seek qualified medical help before you start with any Alcoholism treatment program. This is the main reasons that heavy drinkers are treated in specialized Alcoholism treatment centers or rehab or detox centers that cater specifically to alcoholics and detoxification.

Detoxification treatment mainly involves controlled abstinence from alcohol in a carefully monitored environment that involves constant monitoring of vital signs and always on the lookout for any kind of withdrawal symptoms.

Generally the detoxification process which is the initial part of the treatment for Alcoholism takes about a week to run its course. After that, it is important to monitor the patient as most of his dependency or need for alcohol is primarily psychological. There are many facilities in the United States that offer alcohol treatment services. They range from short term to a more long term in-patient hospitalization process along with outpatient therapy and counseling.

Medical Treatment for Alcoholism

Though there is yet to be a breakthrough drug that can treat Alcoholism, there are medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration that are prescribed to alcoholics that can help in their efforts to stop drinking. At the time of writing this article, there are three medications approved in the United States for the treatment of alcoholism.

  • Antabuse – Works as a deterrent against alcohol
  • Naltrexone – Reduces alcohol craving
  • Acamprosate – Relieves the stress

Support Groups for Alcoholism

The oldest and one of the best methods for Alcoholism treatment is still support groups. The most well known is Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous are a group of men and women who share their experiences and help and motivate each other with the common goal of recovering from alcoholism and avoiding a relapse. Alcoholics Anonymous is a free support group and welcome participation.

Research has shown that support groups and family support is vital to alcoholics and Alcoholism treatment. A support group help each other by sharing and supporting one another. This goes a long way in helping an alcoholic staying sober. Support groups combined with other treatment options is most effective for Alcoholism treatment.

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What Do I Do With An Alcoholic Boyfriend?

Question by ai: what will i do with an alcoholic boyfriend?

When me and I my boyfriend met 2 years ago, both of us are alcoholic. After that, I did my best to change, and now, I’m sober. But my boyfriend is still an alcoholic until now. I want him to change just like me, but he keeps on saying, “You met me as an alcoholic, deal with me,” or “Accept me for who I am”. I do love him and accept him for who he is, but I also want him to be a better person. What will I do?

Best answer:

Answer by richard t
I think he will break your heart over and over again and suck you in to drinking again…………..You might love him, but he will destroy you sooner or later……….Find someone else……….

Add your own answer in the comments!

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5 Signs Of Alcoholism You Must Intercept To Avoid Living With An Alcoholic

The signs of alcoholism are often ignored in the early stages until it becomes apparent that you are living with an alcoholic. No matter how much you love someone or want to take care of them, dealing with an alcohol addiction is a situation no one can really prepare for.

As the signs of alcoholism develop and become recognizable in an individual, family and friends can often think back in time and remember the exact signs of alcoholism that they never realized or did not think it was something they should address immediately. Instead of allowing the almost certain end result of living with an alcoholic, learn the top 5 signs of alcoholism that you can interrupt in the beginning stages and prevent yourself or someone you love from dealing with an alcohol addiction.

1. High tolerance for alcohol is one of the signs of alcoholism that are always left undetected. Many people occasionally drink a bit too much during a holiday or random celebration over the weekend. However, when people begin to increasingly need more and more alcohol just to experience the effect of the alcohol they are usually developing number of signs of alcoholism at the same time.

2. Becoming unsociable. Alcoholics are not usually social drinkers; instead, they would rather drink alone. The people who are living with an alcoholic would sometimes notice that the craving to drink has become so strong that the alcoholic finds it hard to focus or think about anything else. Very commonly, they will turn down spending time with family and friends unless the event or celebration actually involves alcohol.

3. Changes in appearance and health. When living with an alcoholic you must remember that alcohol is a drug and for alcoholics the brain becomes dependent on the drug over time. As the alcohol cravings advance nausea, tremors, irritability, loss of coordination and other physical alcoholic symptoms may become evident. Their eyes can become sunken and red rimmed while the skin can turn sallow and dry scaly patches can occur. Many alcoholics will lose a large amount of weight. Alcoholics also tend to neglect their physical appearance and may have a shaggy beard, raggedy hair and wear rumpled ill fitting clothing.

4. Risky behaviors. As the disease continue to develop, you can experience the changes in the behavior of someone controlled by alcoholism. These changes in behavior are sure signs of alcoholism. They may get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence even when they are dealing with legal consequences; they may fail to show up to work or pick up the kids from school and will often not have a valid reason for their absence.

5. Memory loss. This is one of the advanced signs of alcoholism. When consuming large quantities of alcohol, someone with an alcohol addiction can fall unconscious and will often wake up without any recollection of what they have done. Some may remember their actions but feel guilty or regretful over what their obsession with alcohol leads them to do. Under the grip of the drug, an alcoholic’s personality can alter, resulting in verbal or physical abuse.

By recognizing the signs of alcoholism early, you can quickly get started on learning an approach that will get the one you love the help they need before the addiction becomes all consuming. Although living with an alcoholic can feel hopeless the key to getting out of this nightmare is the right knowledge put into action urgently!

The signs of alcoholism must be closely observed when you suspect you might be living with an alcoholic. Knowing what to do and what not to do when dealing with an alcoholic will always give you positive, desirable outcome. I have found some great information related to the signs of alcoholism and living with an alcoholic.

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Fundamental Information about Alcohol addiction Therapy

It is among the leading cause of death, violence as well as injuries around the world which explains why the field of medicine gives this problem the utmost consideration for health-related interventions. Alcoholism results in a massive bad effect in the society. In contrast to a lot of thinking that an alcoholic can do fine with no health care professional, alcohol addiction is actually, another kind of substance misuse. In addition, the alcoholic isn’t the only one suffering when fast treatment is unavailable. All relevant parties will likely be affected as well. This is the reason why correct counseling would involve rehabilitating the alcoholic’s members of the family as well as significant others too.

The medical method of drinking therapy would certainly need several medicines to help reduce the manifestations of alcohol drawback especially at it’s most significant period where physiological manifestations will probably occur. These would certainly contain anti convulsants, relaxants, sedatives as well as anti – psychotics. Medicines for instance benzodiazepines are only best for temporary use as these drug treatments can cause another type of dependency. This medicine, on the other hand could not heal the main dependency with regard to alcoholic beverages as these medications are merely given to deal with anxiousness, restlessness as well as seizures.

Disulfuram or antabuse is yet another type of medication that may help treat alcoholism. This prescription medication has the capability to change the particular body’s capability to remove acetaldehyde which in turn activates a hangover. This permits the body to experience all of the discomforts every time a drinker decides to consume alcohol while ingesting antabuse. This will then deter the drinker from using alcohol. This medicine is fairly effective and it may aid an alcoholic refrain from alcoholic beverages close to 50 percent. On the other hand, unexpected consumption of alcohol of all sorts such as the use of mouthwashes, colognes and makeup products could lead to exactly the same results and could even result in debilitating conditions such as seizures.

Besides professional medical prescribed drugs there are more types of alcohol dependency therapy such as cleansing. Detoxification, as commonly recognized, is generally combined with a medication which replaces the alcoholic’s dependence on drinking. Benzodiazepine is a type of medication subscribed with cleansing.

Treatment would certainly also call the requirement of psychiatric therapy. This is done via mutual support that is made by many alcoholic support groups and also rehab centers. Alanon or Alcoholics Anonymous along with other treatment groups consider the essential actions to be able to restore alcoholics by means of non expert counseling and discussions that will allow alcoholics to be provided with psychological aid as well as support. For therapy to work, both health as well as psychiatric interventions should be taken and have to be performed correctly.

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