Alcoholic beverages are a hidden threat to the he alth of all those who prefer to use them at the festive table or in the evening as a means of relieving stress. All this can lead to the development of alcoholism, which can hardly be called a weakness or a bad habit of a person. After all, such a condition is considered a rather serious disease of a chronic nature.
According to statistical studies, almost 90% of people have tried alcohol at least once in their lives. But only 10% of them developed dependence on the background of the use of these drinks. So why does the disease only affect certain people, and how can degrees of alcoholism be determined?
Addiction Occurs
Alcoholism is a disease that is simply impossible to catch. A person himself takes this path if he often begins to take alcohol on significant dates, holidays and other life events. And every glass you drinkalcohol-containing drink is a direct road to torment and suffering not only for him, but also for loved ones.
According to narcologists, not all people can become alcoholics. As a rule, the disease affects the one who turns out to be weak in moral and plan, as well as those who have weak willpower. For such people, alcohol-containing drinks are a real salvation. After all, drinking vodka or wine, a drunkard gets real pleasure, feeling a surge of energy and strength. So maybe such people should constantly take a hot product? No!
Such use most often develops into addiction, which, like many other diseases, is very dangerous for he alth. What are the main reasons for its appearance? According to scientists, alcoholism threatens primarily those who:
- Has a genetic predisposition to it. These are people whose families have a history of alcohol or drug use. In this case, the probability of addiction increases 6 times.
- Had early contact with alcohol. Very often alcoholics become those people who began to drink alcohol in adolescence.
- Smoking. This factor increases the likelihood of alcoholism by five times.
- Prone to frequent stress. In unpleasant situations, a person's mood decreases, anxiety arises and performance decreases. Many try to get rid of such unpleasant sensations with a glass of vodka or a glass of wine.
- Drinks for company. If a person's friends regularlydrink alcohol or are already prone to alcoholism, then he himself begins to reach for a glass more often.
- Suffers from depression. To relieve symptoms of depression, people often resort to self-medication, using alcohol as a medicine.
- Adapted by ads. Very often in the media, alcohol is portrayed as an attribute of a “beautiful” life. According to experts, such advertising, which mentions alcohol in a positive way, creates confidence among certain audiences in the acceptability of its excessive consumption.
Alcoholism develops gradually, passing through certain degrees and manifesting itself with specific symptoms. Observing the existing signs of the disease, the specialist is able to accurately determine the stage of the pathology. This will allow him to offer the most effective treatment regimen to the patient.
Signs of alcoholism
In order to understand that a person who uses alcohol has become addicted to it, it is necessary to notice the specific symptoms of the disease. And for this it is important to know the degrees of alcoholism and their signs. The latter include the following states:
- A person starts drinking alone. He doesn't need company to do this. In addition, an alcoholic is able to "take" any amount of alcohol alone with himself.
- The emergence of a clearly felt desire to drink. Drinking alcohol ceases to depend on situations, that is, holidays or the presence of the company. There is only the need to take strong drinks.
- Drinking alcohol in secret from relatives and friends. Such a person increasingly begins to go “to the country house” or “to picnics”, and lollipops, chewing gums, as well as products that allow you to beat off the smell of strong drinks appear in his pockets.
- The alcoholic begins to make "stash". He hides already drunk bottles of alcohol in secret places, sometimes pouring it into unusual containers - jugs, decanters or plastic bottles.
- Lack of control over how much you drink. A person takes alcohol in such volumes in which he can do it. He loses the ability to protect himself from raising another glass, and loses all sense of proportion.
- Memory blackouts that happen while drinking. Having already sobered up, a person sometimes cannot even remember some of the events that occurred while drinking alcohol.
- The emergence of a drinking ritual. You can talk about alcoholism if a person drinks alcohol, for example, before or after work, “for appetite” or while watching TV and gets annoyed if he does not succeed or someone from those present allows himself to comment on such actions.
- Loss of interest in what you love. A person abandons his long-term hobby, does not communicate with relatives, does not care for pets, refuses to travel and travel.
- The appearance of aggression. Drinking alcohol is a direct road to family quarrels and scandals. At the same time, a person suffering from alcohol addiction shows aggression towards friends and relatives.
He alth condition
Depending on the degreealcoholism in a person can be observed:
- diseases of internal organs that have close contact with alcohol entering the body;
- sudden development of psychoses;
- depression;
- violations in the exchange processes;
- malfunctions of the central nervous system.
The above signs and symptoms characterize the development of pathology. That is why if they are found, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor. Only timely therapy will allow curing the disease within a short time and without complications, restoring the functioning of the body.
Mechanism of addiction
With the regular use of alcohol in the brain, the metabolic processes of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which controls the impulsivity of glutamate, which stimulates the nervous system and the pleasure hormone dopamine, are disturbed. What follows this? Over time, changes relate to the metabolism of dopamine, which occurs in the "pleasure" centers. Without these substances, a person ceases to be satisfied with life. This provokes the human brain to consume alcohol, which, when taken, can get rid of unpleasant sensations and begin to feel good.
What are addicts hiding?
How many degrees of alcoholism do experts distinguish? The disease has 4 phases. At its initial stages, it is very difficult to judge the presence of one degree or another of alcoholism. Drinking alcohol is often mistaken for domestic drunkenness. It's hard to tell even from a test.
This happens becausethe drunkard denies or downplays his addiction to alcohol. But it is worth noting that such behavior is one of the symptoms of the development of alcoholism. They call it dissimulation. This sign is characterized as anonymous alcoholism. A person is not just telling a lie. He hides the fact of his illness.
First stage pathology
It is possible to determine that a person has reached the 1st degree of alcoholism by the most important symptom of this phase of the disease, which is the loss of the gag reflex. And this, in turn, leads a man or woman to exceed the dose of alcoholic beverages, leading to severe intoxication.
How to determine the degree of alcoholism in the initial phase of the disease? The second, scientifically proven symptom of this period is memory lapses. Moreover, it becomes impossible to restore the previous state of a person even after contacting psychiatric specialists.
The first degree of alcoholism is characterized by a certain regularity and duration of drinking. This frequency is 2 to 3 times a week. Moreover, in this phase, the aversion to drinking, which previously appeared on the second day, disappears. In the presence of the first degree of alcoholism in men and women, the feast can last more than one day.
The next sign of the first phase of pathology is an increase in the amount of strong drinks that are required for intoxication.
Psychic addiction in the first stage
For this phase of alcoholismtypical:
- the appearance of pleasant memories of the state of intoxication in the patient, which provokes thoughts about alcohol;
- a person's search for any reason to start drinking, as evidenced by the mention of this topic in a conversation with people;
- justifying not only your behavior, but also the actions of other drunkards;
- raising the mood with the approaching feast;
- mental satisfaction from drinking;
- the emergence of conflicts in the family and in the workforce due to alcohol abuse.
Psychic addiction to alcohol leads to poor he alth. The person becomes irritable. His performance is deteriorating. All this clearly indicates the presence of the first degree of alcoholism.
Second stage pathology
For alcoholism of the 2nd degree, all the symptoms described above are characteristic. However, they are even more aggravated and, in addition, more and more new signs appear. They are able to indicate the development of the second degree of alcoholism.
A person on a mental level is able to partially realize that he is addicted to alcohol. However, he is no longer able to refuse it.
When reaching the second degree of alcoholism, a person becomes maximally efficient only after he has taken a small amount of strong drink. In addition, the dose of alcohol that he needs for intoxication becomes 6-10 times greater than the amount that a he althy person would drink.
In psychology, the second degree of alcoholism is called a pseudo-drunk period. After all, the patient can go into a bingefor a few days, then take a short break. Very often it is difficult for such a person to fall asleep without a glass of strong drink.
In the second stage of alcoholism, memory lapses become even deeper. A person, as a rule, forgets exactly what is associated with his bad behavior. In addition to the mental develops and physical dependence on alcohol. When drinking a large amount of strong drinks, a person begins to feel:
- trembling in limbs;
- increased heart rate;
- severe pain in the temple area;
- weakness in the body;
- rising blood pressure.
At the initial stage of development of the 2nd phase of the pathology, alcoholics suffer from convulsions, similar in nature and course to epileptic seizures. The most difficult for a person are the first 2-4 hours after he has taken an impressive dose of alcohol. This is the period when he does not think well, cannot think adequately and speak clearly.
Third stage of pathology
What are the symptoms of the third degree of alcoholism? At this stage, the withdrawal syndrome begins to develop. It manifests itself in stable mental and physical dependence and drug delirium. Alcohol blocks the production of various hormones, which does not allow a person to independently give up harmful addiction.
The symptoms of alcoholism of the 3rd degree are expressed in the fact that even when taking an unsafe dose of alcohol, a person is completely absentvomiting reflex. To eliminate the hangover, he takes a new dose of strong drinks, which leads to prolonged binges. With alcoholism of the 3rd degree, the liver is affected. Pathological malfunctions in the work of the nervous system begin to appear. With the forced cessation of binges, the state of an alcoholic is similar to the withdrawal of drug addicts. This is the period when the drinker becomes aggressive, violent and unpredictable. That is why this degree of alcoholism is very dangerous for human he alth, which requires its immediate treatment.
Fourth stage of pathology
This degree of development of the disease is characterized by a loss of tolerance to alcohol. This is due to the occurrence of dysfunction of many organs of vital importance. In order to get drunk, such a patient needs a small amount of strong drinks.
In the fourth phase of the development of alcoholism, the gastrointestinal tract and liver are damaged. They begin to develop malignant tumors. Pathological changes also affect the blood vessels.
At this last stage of alcoholism, a person completely loses all interest in the life around him. All his thoughts and actions are aimed at finding the next dose. Women who have reached this state stop worrying about their natural destiny. They don't care about getting pregnant. Of particular danger is teenage female alcoholism, which has reached the fourth stage of its development. Medicine is practically powerless before such a state.
Very oftenthis stage of the pathology is characterized by indifference to the type of alcohol consumed. Such people have the same attitude towards alcohol, cologne and glass cleaner. Physical dependence becomes very strong. If such patients are abruptly and forcibly forced to give up strong drinks, then they may simply die.
In addition to the symptoms of the fourth phase of alcoholism described above, its signs are manifested in impaired coordination of movements and incoherent speech. In addition, muscle wasting occurs. That is why alcoholics are distinguished by pronounced thinness.
