Alcoholics

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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Dealing With An Alcoholic’s Hidden Bottle

Alcoholism has an unfortunate way of sneaking up on people.  It begins with loved ones having a drink or two after work or sharing a bottle of wine with dinner.  The effect is pleasing; conducive to chatty interchange and has the added benefit of loosening the tongue for those who have a tendency to shyness when completely sober.

The effects are even more pronounced if more alcohol is consumed.  Suddenly the bottle of wine is no longer shared.  The drink or two after work turns into a four hour drinking binge every night and work colleagues begin to avoid the person, not wishing to be associated with a heavy drinker and also perhaps finding the person’s activities distasteful as drunken behaviour begins to feature more prominently.

Not everyone who enjoys a drink is an alcoholic.  People in general display different reactions to alcohol and not everyone who can consume enormous amounts of alcohol will be addicted to it.  However, an addict will be unable to sustain a sensible relationship with alcohol and will usually be unable to turn away from alcohol once it has a grip without some form of formal help and support.

Elderly alcoholics might also have elderly problems.  Elderly alcoholics will usually have been drinking out of control for many years but one or two exceptions may have turned to alcohol following bereavement or trauma; even the shock of unwanted retirement can sometimes push a person’s alcohol dependency to an unacceptable level.  For people with elderly problems who might be on strong medication for age related diseases, alcohol can be dangerous.

Simply taking away the bottle will not be a long term solution to the problem.  Someone with an alcohol dependency will move heaven and earth to find a bottle if they are so inclined and addicts are notoriously clever at finding ways to drink in secret.  The older a person is, the more likely they are to have perfected a system of secret drinking and the more annoyed they are likely to be when their subterfuge is finally exposed.

Within a family unit, an elderly drinker with elderly problems might be a grandmother or grandfather accustomed to a level of respect from younger members of the family.  Often the drinker is someone who has enjoyed the affection and esteem of the family for many years and only now is being revealed as an alcoholic without sufficient control of his or her drinking.  This represents a problem for the family as it is important the alcoholic is faced with the reality of having an alcohol dependency that is out of control.

Taking Grandpa by the hand and telling him his drinking will be covered up by the rest of his faithful clan is certainly not going to help him sort out his problems.  Seek professional medical help in the first instance, followed by joining a self help support group to kick start a positive approach to drinking for those with elderly problems.

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