Alcohol dependence is a progressive disease that worsens if left untreated.
Alcohol dependence can be identified by the following characteristics:
- The amount of alcohol consumed — the person drinks and cannot stop.
- Alcohol-dependent mood — sobriety brings no joy; without intoxication the person cannot feel happy.
- Denial of dependence — talk to a person with alcoholism and you will hear them find an excuse for every drink.
Alcoholism has 3 stages of development
The first stage is characterised by the following:
- A gradual increase in the dose of alcohol while the person’s behaviour and clarity of mind are preserved, which indicates the body’s growing tolerance to alcohol.
- The development of psychological dependence, shown by a constant need to drink alcohol for one reason or another.
- Irritability when alcohol is unavailable.
- Disappearance of the gag reflex in response to excessive drinking.
The second stage of alcohol dependence is characterised by the following symptoms of alcoholism:
- The onset of severe withdrawal syndrome, accompanied by symptoms such as headache, insomnia, palpitations and tremor of the face and hands. Mental disorders may also develop — psychoses and alcoholic delirium.
- The onset of binge drinking. Withdrawal syndrome leads to further drinking, which eases the unpleasant sensations.
- The development of a strong psychological dependence on alcohol. The dependent person feels an irresistible craving for alcohol, even when drunk.
- Inappropriate behaviour due to emotional imbalance, unprovoked aggression, loss of interest in family, work and leisure, and deceit.
The third and final stage of alcoholism has the following symptoms:
- Drinking bouts can last several weeks.
- The dependent person becomes drunk easily, even after a small amount of alcohol.
- The person suffers from serious physiological and mental disorders: cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure and other serious diseases that can be fatal.
- One of the signs of the third stage of alcohol dependence is complete deterioration. The patient is interested in nothing except drinking alcohol.
- The person experiences very severe hangovers.
Statistically, without treatment, dependent people at this stage rarely live more than 5 years, as they have serious pathologies of the body’s organs and systems.
Treatment of alcoholism may include the following:
- Freeing the patient from the influence of the substances to which they are addicted. All procedures are carried out under medical supervision.
- Detoxification, to rid the body of toxins that have entered it from the environment and from food, water and the medicines we take.
- Laboratory tests to identify each client’s biochemical and neurochemical imbalances.
- Psychotherapy, to identify and treat the underlying psychological problems that led to the addiction and any other mental, personal, social or family problems identified in the treatment plan.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) — the use of magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain in order to relieve symptoms of depression.
- My Brain Solutions™ therapy — scientifically developed computer exercises aimed at strengthening attention and memory, reducing stress and fostering a positive outlook.
At first, the body of a person with alcoholism can cleanse itself through vomiting and gradually recover its strength. Over time, the physiological systems can no longer keep pace with the progression of the dependence. Withdrawal syndrome appears — and these are already signs of chronic alcoholism.
Overcoming dependence is possible. At Swiss clinics, comprehensive therapy is tailored to all of the patient’s individual characteristics. Group therapy and work with psychologists, psychiatrists and addiction counsellors are highly effective in combination.
Sobering a person up is only the first step. Treatment means lifelong abstinence from alcohol.
The sooner you seek help, the easier it will be for you to adjust to and return to a normal life.
