While alcohol may help you feel better and reduce stress, it can interfere with your family life, job, and school. Drinking can cause you to stop engaging in activities that you used to enjoy, or to cut them out of your life altogether. You may also end up getting into unsafe or dangerous situations while or after drinking. You may feel depressed, and find that you need more alcohol to feel the same way you did before. Alcohol abuse may result in alcoholism, and you should consider treatment options.
Treatment options
While there are many treatment options for alcohol addiction, some may be more effective than others. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, for instance, focuses on changing thought patterns that lead to heavy drinking. This therapy may be performed one-on-one or in small groups, and the goal is to help patients rewire their brains and improve their lives. It may include counseling or education to help individuals cope better with the stresses of everyday life.
While there are many treatment options for alcohol addiction, most people will need detoxification before starting a full-time treatment program. In medically-managed detox programs, patients will be stabilized for days or weeks to help them overcome withdrawal symptoms. From there, they will most likely need to enter an inpatient program where they will receive treatment around-the-clock. For those who do not want to enter a detox facility, alcohol rehab facilities often provide a home-like environment for clients.
Signs of alcoholism
People with an alcohol use disorder may begin to lose interest in hobbies, sports, and other personal interests. As the condition progresses, their hygiene may also decline. These people often withdraw from their usual routine and ignore the signs of physical and mental health issues. They also may begin to ignore the alcohol smell on their breath. If these signs are present, it's important to seek treatment for your loved one. Signs of alcoholism include the following:
Inability to control alcohol consumption is a warning sign of alcoholism. A person may tell you they'll have one drink but then drink more than they planned. Overtime, they may become drowsy or intoxicated. These signs can help you detect if someone is exhibiting symptoms of alcoholism. Listed below are some of the most common warning signs of alcoholism. To learn more about how to identify if a loved one is suffering from alcohol dependency, consider reading the following signs.
Symptoms of alcoholism
Although heavy drinking is common in society, it is not always indicative of alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease that can cause dependence and alters the person's mood, behavior, and thinking. Symptoms of alcoholism include changes in behavior and mood that occur without warning. Those with alcoholism cannot cut back or stop drinking, and their behavior becomes increasingly erratic and dangerous. In addition to harming their health, alcoholism can affect their work and relationships, and can even affect their performance in school or at work.
A defining sign of alcoholism is the inability to control one's alcohol intake. A person with alcoholism may say, "I'm only going to drink one drink," but end up drinking several glasses of alcohol and becoming intoxicated. If you have noticed these behaviors in someone, they are likely suffering from alcoholism. You may be worried, but there are some simple things you can do to help them recover.
Diagnosis of alcoholism
Diagnostic criteria for alcoholism are based on several factors, including symptoms and duration of alcohol use. The DSM-IV is the most recent edition. While the DSM-III-R is not used clinically, it remains important to researchers. It was the basis for a number of large studies, including the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). The ICD-10 is a more widely used classification system outside the United States.
Currently, the DSM-IV defines alcohol abuse and dependence as a disease. Prior to this, alcoholism was categorized by other classification systems. In the first editions of DSM, diagnostic criteria for alcoholism were vague, and clinicians were free to assign a diagnosis based on the similarity of symptoms and descriptions. The unintended consequences of judging a patient based on a symptom-free classification were demonstrated by studies in the 1960s.
Drugs used to treat alcoholism
One class of drug known as an alcohol craving suppressant is topiramate, which is FDA-approved for various ailments but not alcoholism. It has shown promising results in clinical trials, where people on topiramate remained abstinent longer than with counseling alone. Topiramate has similar effects to naltrexone, an opioid antagonist. In fact, it has recently been approved for the treatment of alcoholism in Europe. It may help reduce alcohol consumption by 60 percent.
Acamprosate is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for alcoholism. This medication, sold under the brand name Campral, reduces the brain's dependence on alcohol by binding to neurotransmitter receptors. Alcoholism causes an imbalance in neuronal excitation and inhibition in the brain. Acamprosate works to restore the balance by binding to GABA B and A receptors. However, it is associated with certain side effects. The drug is not metabolized by the liver and can cause interactions with other drugs.
