Treatment for Alcohol Dependence
Drinking alcohol is one of those things that is quite normal to do for a lot of people. There are even studies that show that drinking alcohol should be done at least once a day. Although alcohol has health benefits, drinking too much of it will be bad for the health and may lead to alcohol abuse and even worse alcohol dependence. Once a person is dependent on alcohol this is where things get pretty ugly and immediate treatment should be sought.Before going through the treatment modalities, it is important to know some information about alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is a condition where a person is addicted to drinking alcohol. In this condition the person has an uncontrollable urge or craving to consume alcohol. Another name for this condition is called alcoholism. There are several indications or signs that an individual is an alcohol dependent.
Signs of Alcohol Dependency
First is that a person cannot control the amount of alcohol that he or she drinks. This is even with a resolve prior to beginning drinking, and once drunkenness has set in this is especially so. Second is that and individual would experience withdrawal symptoms once he or she stops consuming alcohol such as sweating, anxiety and stomach sickness. This is due to an actual physical dependence that has built up over the course of time.Third, a person spends a majority of his or her time during the day drinking more than any other activities. This is often done prior and through aforementioned activities, as they function better under the influence, or at least feel like they do. Fourth is that a person has tried to stop drinking but still fails to do so. Once one has tried to stop, their habits may go on to get much worse. Fifth, an individual continues to drink even though it already affects his or her relationships with others. They may even place alcohol ahead of relationships they cared dearly about prior to their new friendship with alcohol.Diagnosing this condition is quite a tedious task. A physician would ask several questions of the patient in order to determine if the person really has the condition and how severe the condition is. The doctor may also use some tools that asses the individuals mental health. An example of these assessment tools are as follows: Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire or SAD-Q, CAGE questionnaire, CRAFFT Screening Test, Paddington Alcohol Test and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test or AUDIT.Several treatment regimens are now available for alcohol dependence. These treatments depend on the diagnosis that the person has. Usually the doctor would ask the patient to go through a detoxification process initially. This process flushes the toxins out of the individual’s body. If the person does not go through with the detoxification process then the effectiveness of the medications that he or she must take would not yield the results that are expected. Once an individual is in the detoxification process he or she is given some medications that will help him or her get through the withdrawal symptoms.The next step after detox is changing the lifestyle. It is in this phase that the person will have to stay alcohol free as much as possible, though total abstinence is really ideal. There are also medications that are prescribed to a recovering alcoholic. These medications are as follows: Acamprosate to lower the relapse rate of alcoholics, Disulfiram which will yields a very undesirable effect if a person drinks even a small amount of alcohol and Naltrexone which decreases cravings of alcohol. Depressants may also be given to the person.Other than medical treatments the person also needs to have a strong support group. This is important so that the individual will not feel alone. This will give the individual the strength to carry on through the challenge that he or she is facing. The support group may not necessarily be in the form of family members. They can be in the form of other patients going through the same thing or friends.Then they get back into life with the new tools they have been handed to cope without the use of alcohol. Something interesting happens to most who work with their recovery program, and that is how they don’t necessarily have to fend off the urge to drink, as it seems to have gone away of its own accord. This can be related to their new emotional coping methods, and some would even credit this to their higher power. They literally have a new life where they can start over again, which is really quite exciting compared to the direction they often are headed through alcohol dependence.
Drinking alcohol is one of those things that is quite normal to do for a lot of people. There are even studies that show that drinking alcohol should be done at least once a day. Although alcohol has health benefits, drinking too much of it will be bad for the health and may lead to alcohol abuse and even worse alcohol dependence. Once a person is dependent on alcohol this is where things get pretty ugly and immediate treatment should be sought.Before going through the treatment modalities, it is important to know some information about alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is a condition where a person is addicted to drinking alcohol. In this condition the person has an uncontrollable urge or craving to consume alcohol. Another name for this condition is called alcoholism. There are several indications or signs that an individual is an alcohol dependent.
Signs of Alcohol Dependency
First is that a person cannot control the amount of alcohol that he or she drinks. This is even with a resolve prior to beginning drinking, and once drunkenness has set in this is especially so. Second is that and individual would experience withdrawal symptoms once he or she stops consuming alcohol such as sweating, anxiety and stomach sickness. This is due to an actual physical dependence that has built up over the course of time.Third, a person spends a majority of his or her time during the day drinking more than any other activities. This is often done prior and through aforementioned activities, as they function better under the influence, or at least feel like they do. Fourth is that a person has tried to stop drinking but still fails to do so. Once one has tried to stop, their habits may go on to get much worse. Fifth, an individual continues to drink even though it already affects his or her relationships with others. They may even place alcohol ahead of relationships they cared dearly about prior to their new friendship with alcohol.Diagnosing this condition is quite a tedious task. A physician would ask several questions of the patient in order to determine if the person really has the condition and how severe the condition is. The doctor may also use some tools that asses the individuals mental health. An example of these assessment tools are as follows: Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire or SAD-Q, CAGE questionnaire, CRAFFT Screening Test, Paddington Alcohol Test and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test or AUDIT.Several treatment regimens are now available for alcohol dependence. These treatments depend on the diagnosis that the person has. Usually the doctor would ask the patient to go through a detoxification process initially. This process flushes the toxins out of the individual’s body. If the person does not go through with the detoxification process then the effectiveness of the medications that he or she must take would not yield the results that are expected. Once an individual is in the detoxification process he or she is given some medications that will help him or her get through the withdrawal symptoms.The next step after detox is changing the lifestyle. It is in this phase that the person will have to stay alcohol free as much as possible, though total abstinence is really ideal. There are also medications that are prescribed to a recovering alcoholic. These medications are as follows: Acamprosate to lower the relapse rate of alcoholics, Disulfiram which will yields a very undesirable effect if a person drinks even a small amount of alcohol and Naltrexone which decreases cravings of alcohol. Depressants may also be given to the person.Other than medical treatments the person also needs to have a strong support group. This is important so that the individual will not feel alone. This will give the individual the strength to carry on through the challenge that he or she is facing. The support group may not necessarily be in the form of family members. They can be in the form of other patients going through the same thing or friends.Then they get back into life with the new tools they have been handed to cope without the use of alcohol. Something interesting happens to most who work with their recovery program, and that is how they don’t necessarily have to fend off the urge to drink, as it seems to have gone away of its own accord. This can be related to their new emotional coping methods, and some would even credit this to their higher power. They literally have a new life where they can start over again, which is really quite exciting compared to the direction they often are headed through alcohol dependence.
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