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 How
to Cut Down Drinking |
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Drinking Diary |
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Anonymous |
| Alcohol
In Low Fat Diet |
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| Our
pages are created to provide medically accurate information that is
intended
to complement, not replace or substitute in any way the services of
your
physician. Any application of the recommendations set forth in
the
following pages is at the reader's discretion and sole risk. Before
undergoing
medical treatment, you should consult with your doctor, who can best
assess
your individual needs, symptoms and treatment. |
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Alcoholism
and Treatments for Alcoholism
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| Alcoholism
is an addictive
dependency on alcohol characterised by craving (a strong need to
drink);
loss of control (being unable to stop); physical dependence and
withdrawal
symptoms; and tolerance (increasing difficulty of becoming drunk).
Alcoholism
is chronic desease, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime, usually
follows a predictable course and it has typical symptoms. Like with
many
other diseases, the risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both
by
a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle. |
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| Alcoholism
is a life-threatening problem that often ends in death, particularly
through
liver disease (such as liver cirrhosis) or kidney disease, internal
bleeding,
brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, it can actually increase the
risk
of heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure, as well as cause
many
other health problems related to alcoholism. Heavy drinking can cause
many
accidents and suicide. |
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| The
physical symptoms when
withdrawing from alcohol are seen to be equal to those experienced
during
withdrawal from heroin. Alcoholics who try to cut down on drinking
rarely
succeed. Cutting out alcohol--that is, abstaining--is usually the best
course for recovery. People who are not alcohol dependent but who have
experienced alcohol-related problems may be able to limit the amount
they
drink. If they can't stay within those limits, they need to stop
drinking
altogether.
A drink
is:
- a
12-ounce bottle of beer;
- a
5-ounce glass of wine;
or
- a 1
1/2-ounce shot of liquor.
These limits
may be too high
for some people who have certain medical problems or who are older.
Talk
with your doctor about the limit that is right for you.
Treatments
Treatments for
alcoholism
include detoxification programs run by medical institutions. These may
involve stays of a number of weeks in specialized hospital wards where
drugs may be used to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
After
detoxification, various
forms of group therapy or psychotherapy can be used to deal with
underlying
psychological issues leading to alcohol dependence. Aversion therapies
may be supported by drugs like Disulfiram, which causes a strong and
prompt
hangover whenever alcohol is consumed. Naltrexone may improve
compliance
with abstinance planning. The standard pharmocopeia of
anti-depressants,
anxiolytics and other psychotropic drugs treat underlying mood
disorders,
neuroses and psychoses associated with alcoholic symptoms.
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