Are you struggling with alcohol-related difficulties? You feel that your entire day revolves around alcohol, morning or evening, that doesn’t matter to you. Whenever you get stressed, you feel the need to rely on that substance. Continued use would make you want to consume that even more. It interferes with your daily life whether it be your social, occupational or recreational activities. Your thoughts seem to wander a lot. You may want to cut down on how much you drink but are unable to do so. Wanting to cut down on how much you drink or making unsuccessful attempts to do so. Do you feel that you have a tolerance to alcohol but you need it more to get its effects? If you can relate to these symptoms, you may be facing alcohol addiction disorder or alcoholism.
What is Alcohol Addiction all about?
As you would’ve read the signs and symptoms above, you would have got an idea about this type of disorder. It does sound scary but there is always a cure once you become self-aware of the effect of alcohol on you. There is one thing that happens to your body when there is an excess of alcohol. This is called alcohol intoxication.
Alcohol Intoxication is a facet that takes place in you when there is excess alcohol in your bloodstream. If there is higher blood alcohol concentration then the effects will inevitably be worse. The effect will be shown in the form of inappropriate behaviour, unstable moods, poor judgement, slurred speech, inattention or memory and poor coordination. You may have periods of “blackouts” wherein you are unable to recall events in your life. If there are very high blood alcohol levels, it can lead to coma, permanent brain damage or even death. Moreover, there is a range of alcohol addiction disorders i.e. mild, moderate or severe.
On the other hand, how do you know if you are experiencing alcohol withdrawal? The very term ‘withdrawal’ means that when you stop consuming alcohol suddenly, you experience physiological and mental symptoms. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, restless heartbeat, sweating, anxiety, agitation and seizures.
Is there any Treatment?
The good news is that you can recover from this disorder. It is possible only when you come to terms with it. Acknowledging and Acceptance is the very first step. It is possible to overcome it only if you learn to accept that you have an alcohol use issue or are an alcoholic. Then only can you go ahead and seek help. It’s like taking therapy without wanting it to work and expecting results without working on yourself.
Your treatment can vary from that of others. It can involve brief intervention, individual or group counselling, and an outpatient or residential inpatient stay, i.e., staying at the rehabilitation facilities for the treatment.
What is Rehab for?
Rehabilitation is a term you would have heard. The term means “a set of interventions designed to optimise functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions interacting with their environment”. It helps individuals get back into their daily lives. During rehabilitation time, alcohol detox or de-addiction takes place. This is a 2-7 day long programme that occurs. You may need to take sedating medication to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Detox is something that takes place only in an inpatient setting i.e. you would have to stay in an addiction center treatment or hospital. These addiction centers help
Other treatment options
Another treatment form is learning new skills and making a treatment plan. Alcohol treatment specialists help with this process. They help set goals, help change behaviour, use self-help manuals, and counselling and help in follow-up care at a treatment center.
Moreover, group or individual psychological counselling along with support groups also helps alleviate the symptoms. Family support is also an integral part of the treatment process.
Along with therapy and social support, medications play another major role. Oral and injected medication are two types. It may help prevent but won’t be a cure. Disulfiram and Naltrexone are two such drugs that can help prevent you from drinking. There are some drugs which are injected into your body once a month such as vivitrol. Do note that you can use these medicines only when prescribed by a health professional and not self-medicated.
Aftercare treatment is a must even if the treatment duration is over and you have recovered from it. It helps people get back to their lifestyle and help manage relapses. This can include medical or psychological care or attending a support group. It’s very important to note that if you are also facing an anxiety disorder, depression or any other mental illness, alcoholism may be associated with it too. Veda has treated NRI’s and
CO’s clients and has even launched an addiction rehabiliation programme- Sober Life to help awareness about the importance of limited consumption of alcohol use and
emphasises on ‘at home deaddiction’ programme. Veda in itself is an addiction treatment center that has three centers i.e in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. These are three rehabilitation centers that help in detox and providing the clients with the necessary therapy and treatment.
Last, but not least, it is estimated that around 400 million people or 7% of the world’s population who are above 15 years of age live with alcohol use disorders. Out of this, 209 million people or 3.7% of the adult population lived with alcohol dependence. Make sure that you don’t fit into these statistics. Take care of that precious health of yours.
