Alcoholism is a complex disease that can be attributed to both the mental sphere of human life and the physical one. From year to year the number of registered patients is growing. The treatment of alcohol dependence is handled by narcology, which is a sub-discipline of psychiatry. Why is conventional medicine not concerned with the problem of alcoholism? After all, a sick person experiences poor he alth and suffering on a physical level. The answer is simple: the most effective ways to treat alcoholism are in the spiritual realm, and psychiatry deals with it.
What harm do drinks containing ethyl alcohol do to the human body?
The culture of drinking has taken root deep into society. It is considered normal and common to drink a variety of alcoholic beverages not only on holidays, but also on weekends.
Some people drinkalmost every evening, justifying their behavior with fatigue or stress. The typical behavior of an addict is to find excuses for their pathology. In narcology, such self-deception is called "alcohol alibi". The patient is sure that he needs to drink, because everything is bad in the country, the economic situation is at an impasse, the wife screamed, the boss cut the bonus. In a similar situation, a he althy person would not even think about drinking.
Harmful of drinks containing ethyl alcohol:
- provoke paralysis of the nervous system and the death of hundreds of thousands of neurons (nerve cells);
- burning of the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach;
- intoxication of all body systems;
- the liver is forced to work in the so-called wear mode in order to neutralize the harmful metabolites of ethyl alcohol;
- due to paralysis of the central nervous system, some parts of the brain degrade - developing alcoholic encephalopathy and polyneuropathy;
- Beer alcoholism affects the kidneys, long-term abuse of beer leads to the development of chronic renal failure.
Stages of development of alcoholism
Modern narcology identifies three stages in the development of dependence on alcoholic beverages. Depending on the level of development of the disease, the methods of treating alcoholism will differ.
- The first stage is characterized by the least damage to internal organs and the psyche. Ways to treat alcoholism at the initial stage of addiction development - work with a psychotherapist, visits to AA groups,disulfiram coding, the use of healing decoctions. The main problem is that in the first stage, rarely anyone is aware of their illness. Confessing to your alcoholism is tantamount to suicide for sick people. Therefore, they most often perceive the advice of loved ones about the need for therapy aggressively.
- The second stage is characterized by the appearance of memory lapses and increased tolerance to doses of alcohol. Chronic diseases of the internal organs characteristic of alcoholics develop: chronic pancreatitis, cirrhosis, toxic hepatitis, cholecystitis, encephalopathy. Cognitive abilities, memory, adequate perception of the surrounding reality suffer. Ways to treat alcoholism in the second stage of addiction development - coding, attending AA meetings.
- The third stage is characterized by the complete destruction of the patient's physical and mental he alth. That is why alcoholism is called a deadly disease. If the patient survives to the third stage, he dies from irreversible multiple damage to the internal organs. Cirrhosis, ascites, chronic renal failure, stroke, thromboembolism are the most common causes of death.
Can alcoholism be cured forever?
Getting rid of alcohol is possible for a patient only in one case: if he himself wants to lead a socially acceptable lifestyle. Narcologists report at each consultation on the problem of alcoholism the fact that if the nervous system remembers the state of intoxication, and tolerance to ethanol-containing drinks has increased - completelyAn alcoholic cannot be cured. He may go into remission.
How many months or years the remission will last depends on him. Reviews of effective methods of treating alcoholism report that encodings, pills and herbal infusions are good only in the first months. After all, a person cannot take medicine all his life. Therefore, the achievement of long-term remission depends on the patient himself and his desire.
Classic Therapy Options
Ways to treat alcoholism can be divided into several main areas:
- Coding (with or without hypnosis): sewing an ampoule with a drug containing disulfiram under the shoulder blade or into the gluteal muscle.
- Visiting a consultation with a narcologist-psychotherapist.
- Attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings;
- Folk treatments for alcoholism.
Each method is effective in its own way. Depending on the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the sick person, the optimal method of therapy should be chosen.
Pills for alcoholism: the principle of action
Modern pharmacology allows you to treat addiction with drugs. All drugs can be divided into two large groups:
- disulfiram ("Teturam", "Esperal", "Lidevin");
- containing cyanamide ("Colme").
Reviews about the method of treating alcoholism with the help of "Teturam" are different. People in their responses confirm that the drug is available and is cheap. confusesmost often the principle of operation of this tool. He does not fight off the craving for intoxication. Disulfiram (the main active ingredient of "Teturama", 150 mg in each tablet) is incompatible with ethyl alcohol metabolites. An alcoholic on pills is faced with a choice: get drunk and die, or stay sober and feel good.
If an addicted person decides to get drunk during treatment, an unpleasant surprise awaits him. The pressure will rise, the patient will fall into a pre-infarction state. If professional medical care is not provided to him in time, then a heart attack, stroke, mechanical asphyxia (suffocation from his own vomit) is possible.
Attending A. A. and therapist meetings
This method of treating alcoholism is the most loyal, safe and at the same time effective. Suitable only for those patients who themselves want to end the bad habit once and for all.
Every day, a sick person attends special meetings of alcoholics like himself. For an hour, people talk about the roots of their problem and share emotional experiences with each other. These conversations are excellent group therapy. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have been able to overcome their addiction through attending AA meetings.
Coding and hypnosis for alcohol addiction
The coding process is when an ampoule of disulfiram is sewn into a patient's muscle. For example, Esperal. The disulfiram reaction was described above.
The method of hypnosis is that before the procedure withpatients are interviewed by a certified psychotherapist. He is trying to enter into the subconscious of an alcoholic information about the dangers of ethyl alcohol and drinks containing it.
If the patient drinks while the ampoule is in his body, he may die.
Methods of treating alcoholism without the knowledge of the patient
This topic is of most interest to relatives of an addict. Are there folk ways to treat alcoholism without the knowledge of the patient? Unfortunately no, they do not exist.
Alcoholism is an incurable mental illness, this thesis will be confirmed by any narcologist. Achieving remission is possible only if the patient himself wishes. When he begins to realize the full depth of his problem and take real steps towards a cure, then gaps in his condition will begin.
In no case, without the knowledge of a sick person, should you pour drops of "Colme" into his food or any other infusions, decoctions and the like. If a dependent person dies due to poisoning, the relative who gave him the "medicine" will be held criminally responsible for his act.
Can an alcoholic be coded so that he doesn't know about it?
This question is most often of interest to mothers and wives of dependent people. Alas, it is impossible to encode a person without his consent and knowledge. The coding procedure involves making an incision with a special medical scalpel, sewing a tiny ampoule of medicine into it. This is a kind of surgery. Anyone can feel thisinterference.
It is strictly forbidden to carry out the coding procedure when the patient is intoxicated. This can lead to death, and the doctor who performed such an operation can be convicted (if a relative of the patient wants to file a lawsuit).
Folk treatments for alcoholism: list
Using decoctions and infusions of herbs is the safest method of all of the above. Ways to treat alcoholism at home, the most popular among patients and their families:
- In equal parts (one teaspoon each), mix yarrow herb with wormwood, St. John's wort and mint. Brew 500 ml of boiling water, let it brew for two to three hours. Take on an empty stomach half an hour before each meal. It is believed that the mixture of these herbs reduces the pathological craving for intoxication and restores the functionality of the liver.
- Two or three bay leaves are added to 250 ml of vodka. The infusion is kept warm for a couple of weeks. An addicted person can take two teaspoons of infusion before meals. Bay leaf contributes to indigestion and vomiting, which literally completely discourages cravings for alcohol. The course of treatment lasts about ten days.
- Unpeeled oats are poured into a two-liter saucepan up to its middle. Water is poured on top, filling the oats to the top with it. The pan is put on the stove and the contents are brought to a boil, after which they are boiled for about half an hour. The broth is drained, put in it 100 g of calendula flowers. Cover with a lid, wrap and put in heat. After 12 hours, the broth is filtered. Reception of a decoction: a glass on an empty stomach two to three times a day. Aversion to alcohol appears around the third day.
Narcologists most often refer to such prescriptions with a dose of sarcasm. Official medicine recognizes that the most effective way to treat alcoholism is to code or take pills containing disulfiram.
Products to help reduce alcohol cravings at home
It has been scientifically proven that in the first months of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages, the patient's body experiences a shock. Still, because ethyl alcohol has already begun to integrate into the metabolism. The brain has learned to draw energy from carbohydrates, which alcohol generously gives to the bloodstream.
In order for the first months of giving up the poison to go smoothly and the person was disturbed by the urge to drink as little as possible, doctors recommend eating foods regularly:
- any berries and fruits to eat as much as you want and at any time of the day;
- oatmeal, buckwheat, rice porridge is an excellent source of slow carbohydrates;
- chocolate, sweets, honey, marshmallows, cakes, any foods and sweets high in carbohydrates;
- soups and liquid dishes in bone-in broth.
Combination of folk therapies with pills
Patients and their relatives often have questions about whether it is possible to combine pharmacological therapies with folk recipes. Of course you can. If an addict wants to be treated, then you can use at least allways right away. The main thing is that it keeps him from relapse.
Drugologists recommend in the first months (and in some cases of severe addiction even years) to refrain from psycho-emotional stress, overwork, physical activity. A common cause of breakdowns in alcoholics is that they dive headlong into work, overwork and stress come. The weak psyche and nervous system of an addicted person is not able to withstand such a load: as a result, a breakdown occurs and all therapy goes down the drain.
