One of the most popular queries, filled with pain and tears, is how to treat alcoholism? The Danko Medical Center always answers honestly: “It won’t be easy for anyone!” So that this isn’t another “empty” article that attracts attention with a loud title, we suggest learning the really important things and determining the vector for solving the problem.
Stages of Alcoholism: It’s Never Too Late to Start Healing
Alcohol addiction never manifests itself spontaneously and unexpectedly. It is a disease (!) that progresses as a result of regular alcohol consumption. Here are 3 signs that can help you determine that you or your loved ones are in trouble:
1. Loyalty to alcohol is changing.
2. A pronounced addiction to alcoholic drinks appears.
3. There is an obvious withdrawal syndrome after stopping drinking alcohol.
The main symptom is a strong irresistible desire to feel intoxicated again. The beginning always lies in the plane of “systematic cultural acceptance”. The first stage can occur at different times, as early as 10 years after the beginning, as late as a year, or even earlier:
· The first stage is a sharp increase in desire. The more a person drinks, the more he wants. Control over the situation is lost. Plans for a party give wings and a feeling of euphoria. At the same time, the person still works, does his own thing, performs social roles, but can only get positive emotions when intoxicated. The existence of a problem is not recognized. Emotional reactions are constantly changing, carelessness of appearance appears. Duration 2-15 years.
· The second stage is associated with increased tolerance to alcohol and daily consumption. After drinking alcohol, a person loses control. Affective disorders and asthenic symptoms (rapid fatigue, lethargy) may appear in parallel. A hangover occurs even after small doses.
· Third stage. Decreased tolerance to alcohol, the appearance of disorders in the functioning of the body. Severe and prolonged hangover. Psychoses, hallucinations, disorders of internal organs.
The transition between stages is smooth, so it can remain unnoticed. It happens that predisposed people go through the whole path in a couple of months. Treatment of alcoholism is possible only after contacting a professional narcologist and undergoing psychological therapy as part of a full course, which can be done at the Danko Medical Center!
Where does treatment begin: the path of struggle!
In 90% of cases, alcoholics do not realize the problem. They do not need treatment, so it is important to show that the person needs to calmly and professionally state the problems, current and future, without manipulating or threatening him. It is best to begin treatment immediately after receiving consent, as it is very fragile. Therapy is always individual and can be divided into several steps:
1. Primary diagnosis based on laboratory data and clinical symptoms.
2. Relief from withdrawal symptoms. This requires detoxification therapy and drug support for systems and organs. The decay products are removed from the human body, then symptomatic treatment is carried out. Only after the condition has stabilized can we talk about global recovery. Without this, alcohol coding is pointless.
3. Restoration of the body. Treatment of diseases, including chronic ones. After the problems of the somatic sphere are solved, there are the first results, you can work on mental health.
4. Psychotherapeutic rehabilitation of the patient. This block can include different types of coding to form a feeling of persistent aversion to drinking alcohol in a person. The Danko center has an affordable cost of coding , but in addition to this, it must be combined with complex psychotherapy and drug support. This is necessary to stabilize the mental state and prepare it for life correction.
5. Medical and social rehabilitation to return the patient to society and adapt to a new life without the possibility of drinking alcohol.
6. Addiction prevention. This is comprehensive support aimed at eliminating breakdowns and failures.
Each course and program is selected individually, so the price for treating alcoholism will be different in each individual case, but one thing is clear – you can and should fight, and the best evidence of this is the stories of our patients.