Alcoholism can rightly be considered a problem of humanity. However, not everyone can say with accuracy when and how this disease can manifest itself. Meanwhile, alcoholism, like any other disease, has several stages.
There are 4 stages of alcoholism in total. Not only the duration and effectiveness of the treatment, but also the final result will depend on the degree of neglect and the situation in the patient's environment.
After all, many who have recovered even after a few years return to their old habits.
It is not about treatment, but about the wrong approach to the main cause of this problem, ignorance of the characteristics of the patient's character, as well as insufficient psycho-emotional support for relatives and friends.
The initial stage of alcoholism: causes and treatment
Read more: what is alcoholism.
The first stage of alcoholism is not always perceived as the beginning of personality degradation and disease progression as such. Treatment and its duration may depend on parameters such as:
- Age of the patient;
- Disease stage;
- Emotional state and atmosphere in the family;
- Predisposition (heredity);
- surroundings;
- Stability/instability of the human psyche;
- Perception of the problem, as such, not only by the patient, but also by all his friends and relatives;
- Gender of the patient (male or female).
- Doses of alcohol are gradually increased;
- The reception of strong drinks is possible even for a minor reason;
- A person loses control, it is difficult to control movements, thoughts after drinking;
- Aggression towards acquaintances and friends is more often manifested;
- It cannot stop even after emptying the stomach of accumulated alcohol (vomiting);
- There is a severe hangover with pain in the head;
- So far, he reacts negatively to a hangover (rejection of alcohol);
- Contradictions in actions and words, both in an alcoholic state and in a sober state;
- Negative attitude towards alcoholics, does not consider his problem important.
Treatment of the initial phase
Also, do not miss the effects of alcohol on all human organs. Therefore, research on:
- Diseases of the liver and pancreas (heaviness, nausea, vomiting, pain and colic, flatulence, indigestion);
- Vegetovascular diseases (bloated veins, heaviness in the legs, swelling and pain after a day);
- Hypertensive diseases (sudden jumps in pressure, loss of strength, severe headaches, nausea);
- Nervous disorders (headaches, convulsions, swelling, irritability, sleep disturbance, jingling hands, aggressiveness, irritability).
How to determine the stage of alcoholism? You cannot figure it out on your own, without the help of a qualified professional. The first signs should alert you. Early diagnosis and treatment are the basis for success in productive treatment.
The second stage of alcoholism: what are the symptoms and methods of treatment
The patient reacts sharply to criticism and remarks from the outside, is aggressive and open in his expressions.
The degree of alcoholism and its treatment varies from case to case. One will need more psychological help, the other will need difficult conditions and boundaries beyond which he will not be able to cross. However, one thing becomes obvious: it cannot be done without outside help. The second stage of alcohol addiction is treated with an integrated approach:
- Medical cleansing of the body. An important step that allows you to get rid of accumulated toxins. The intoxication of the body in this case is high, and the drugs allow you to cope not only with the side effects of consuming a large amount of alcohol, but also to accelerate the process of breaking down ethanol in the blood plasma;
- Aversive treatment - drugs are given intravenously to develop an aversion to alcohol. Often such drugs do not cause discomfort in people who do not drink. But the simultaneous intake of alcohol and such a drug causes vomiting, nausea, severe headaches and rejection at the subconscious level;
- Psychologist's help. After all the manipulations with the patient's body have been performed, the brain has been freed from the effects of ethanol, it is time to move on to the main stage of treatment - psychological help and adaptation to normal life.
How long such treatment can last is an individual characteristic of the patient. At this stage, it is important to identify the main causes of alcohol cravings.
After all, the effect of drugs will not reduce the psycho-emotional dependence on relaxation, which can be obtained by drinking alcohol.
This stage and its effectiveness depend entirely on the professionalism of the doctor and the willingness to accept the results of all relatives. Only in this case is it possible to avoid the recurrence of the disease.
The third stage of alcoholism: a problem of society and not only
The third stage of alcoholism is no longer a problem only for the family and close circle of the patient. It is the problem of the whole society: a person degrades, violates all existing norms and rules of communication, does not respond to the comments and requests of relatives, is a "burdening" factor for the family. Indeed, often the 3rd stage of alcoholism forces a person to refuse work, to ignore the wishes of relativesand friends. This means that such a patient is not able to provide for the purchase of expensive alcoholic beverages. As a result, funds, expensive equipment and food are stolen from the house. Also, the third stage of alcoholism is accompanied by such additional features as:
- Deformation of appearance: thin arms and legs, large torso and abdomen, burgundy or gray skin with obvious blockage of veins, swelling in any condition on all limbs and under the eyes, loss of teeth, blackening;
- The psyche is disturbed: inadequate reaction to simple things, unwillingness to contact, aggression for no reason, unwillingness to change anything;
- Alcohol is the basis of nutrition, which replaces all healthy human nutrition. How much a person can drink depends in part on their configuration;
- Distortion of speech;
- Paralysis of certain parts of the body, more often the face, hands, legs;
- Health problems: hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, cancer, indigestion, urinary and fecal incontinence;
- Alcohol tolerance (smaller doses, but more often).
Alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy
Treatment of alcoholism at this stage is a difficult task and is not always effective. This is primarily a consequence of the complete deformation of the human psyche, the questioning of his values and priorities in life.
Often, such an addict does not set any goals for himself, except for the extraction of the next portion of alcohol.
However, all the first three stages of alcoholism can be treated only if this issue is approached correctly.
Which stages are difficult to treat?
An important sign of the third stage of alcoholism is the danger to human life: 80% die even after treatment due to long-term intoxication of the body and irreversible processes of changes in internal organs. Exhaustion of heart tissue, vascular deformity, chronic diseases of the liver, kidneys and pancreas (in women and the reproductive system) create dangerous conditions for the quality of the future life of the cured. Supporting the most vulnerable organs after treatment is the main task.
The last stage of alcoholism: no options
Alcoholism is an insidious disease. She sneaks up at a time when it seems the whole world is armed against you. Often, the first stages of alcoholism are skipped, they are not perceived as a real problem. And then the progression and speed of development of complications is inevitable. Years can pass from the moment of transition from the first stage to the fourth.
When the first signs are not identified and skipped, the complexity of treatment increases every day. Alcoholism in the stage of development of the fourth degree is before sentences. Life is counted in months and weeks.
The body is completely exhausted, and the organs can no longer cope with the basic functions of metabolism. But not a punishment exclusively for the sick.
This is a diagnosis for those who could not help in time, lend a helping hand, and do not perceive the disease as a problem.
Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to help in the fourth stage. The patient is not amenable to persuasion or hospitalization. Worst of all, the Stage 4 person in front of you has nothing to do with the person you've ever known.
His brain is so warped by alcohol that it's impossible to recognize him in the person you used to know. Complete degradation of the subconscious, basic instincts are replaced by new ones (drinking). Even a professional psychologist and hypnosis will not help you get rid of the problem.
Alcoholism is a disease. This is important to remember. Remember and know what can be done to avoid the unenviable fate of an alcoholic, from whom all relatives and friends have turned, crossing him from the world of the living in advance.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a disease caused by systematic abuse of alcohol, characterized by psychological dependence in intoxication, somatic and neurological disorders, and degradation of personality. The disease can progress even with abstinence from alcohol.
In the CIS, 14% of the adult population abuses alcohol, and another 80% drink alcohol moderately, which is a consequence of certain drinking traditions that have developed in society.
Factors such as conflicts with relatives, an unsatisfactory standard of living and the inability to realize oneself in life often lead to abuse. In youth, alcohol is used as a way to feel inner comfort, courage and overcome shyness. In middle age, it is used as a way to relieve fatigue, stress and escape from social problems.
Constantly resorting to this method of relaxation leads to permanent addiction and the inability to feel inner comfort without alcohol intoxication. According to the degree of addiction and symptoms, there are several stages of alcoholism.
Stages of alcoholism
The first stage of alcoholism
The first stage of the disease is characterized by an increase in the dose and frequency of alcohol intake. There is a syndrome of altered reactivity, in which the tolerance to alcohol changes. The body's protective reactions to overdose disappear, and especially there is no vomiting when drinking large doses of alcohol.
With severe intoxication, palimpsests are observed - memory lapses. Psychological addiction is manifested by a feeling of dissatisfaction in a sober state, constant thoughts about alcohol, raising the mood before consuming alcohol.
The first phase lasts from 1 to 5 years, while the attraction can be controlled, because there is no physical dependence syndrome. The person does not degrade and does not lose the ability to work.
Complications in first-stage alcoholism are primarily manifested in the liver, alcoholic fatty degeneration occurs.
Clinically, it is almost not manifested, in some cases there may be a feeling of fullness in the stomach, flatulence, diarrhea. The complication can be diagnosed by the enlargement and thick consistency of the liver.
During palpation, the edge of the liver is rounded, somewhat sensitive. With abstinence, these symptoms disappear.
Complications from the pancreas are acute and chronic pancreatitis. At the same time, pain in the abdomen is noticed, which is localized on the left side and radiates to the back, as well as decreased appetite, nausea, flatulence and unstable stool.
Often alcohol abuse leads to alcoholic gastritis, in which there is also no appetite and nausea, pain in the epigastric region.
The second stage
Alcoholism of the second stage has a progression period of 5 to 15 years and is characterized by an increase in the syndrome of altered reactivity.
Tolerance to alcohol reaches its maximum, so-called pseudo-intoxication occurs, their frequency is not related to the patient's attempts to get rid of alcohol addiction, but to external circumstances, for example, lack of money and inability to get alcohol.
The sedative effect of alcohol is replaced by an activating one, memory lapses when drinking large amounts of alcohol are replaced by complete amnesia at the end of intoxication. At the same time, daily drunkenness is explained by the presence of mental addiction syndrome; in a sober state, the patient loses the ability for mental work, and mental activity is disorganized. There is a syndrome of physical dependence on alcohol, which suppresses all feelings except the craving for alcohol, which becomes uncontrollable. The patient is depressed, irritable, unable to work, after drinking alcohol these functions return to their place, but control over the amount of alcohol is lost, which leads to excessive intoxication.
Treatment of alcoholism in the second stage should be carried out in a specialized hospital, narcologist or psychiatrist.
Acute rejection of alcohol causes such somatoneurological symptoms of alcoholism as exophthalmos, mydriasis, hyperemia of the upper part of the body, tremors of the fingers, nausea, vomiting, loose bowels, pain in the heart, liver and headache.
There are mental symptoms of personality degradation, weakening of the intellect, delusions. Often there is anxiety, night anxiety, convulsive attacks, which are signs of acute psychosis - delirium tremens, popularly called delirium tremens.
Complications of second-degree alcoholism on the part of the liver are alcoholic hepatitis, often in a chronic form. The disease is more common in the persistent form than in the progressive form.
Like complications of the first degree, hepatitis is rarely manifested by clinical symptoms. It is possible to diagnose a complication with gastrointestinal pathology, heaviness appears in the epigastric part of the stomach, right hypochondrium, slight nausea, flatulence is observed.
During palpation, the liver is compact, enlarged and slightly painful.
Alcoholic gastritis in the second stage of alcoholism can have symptoms that are masked as manifestations of withdrawal symptoms, the difference is painful repeated vomiting in the morning, often with admixture of blood. Palpation reveals pain in the epigastric region.
After prolonged drunkenness, acute alcoholic myopathy develops, weakness, swelling in the muscles of the hips and shoulders appear. Alcoholism most often causes non-ischemic heart disease.
The third phase
Alcoholism of the third stage is significantly different from the previous two, the duration of this stage is 5-10 years. This is the final stage of the disease and, as practice shows, most often ends in death. Alcohol tolerance decreases, intoxication occurs after small doses of alcohol. Drunkenness ends with physical and mental exhaustion.
In the state of intoxication, emotional instability manifests itself, which is manifested by symptoms of alcoholism, joy, irritability, anger alternates unpredictably.
Degradation of personality, reduction of intellectual abilities, inability to work, lead to the fact that the alcoholic, having no money for alcohol, uses surrogates, sells things, steals. Use of substitutes such as denatured alcohol, cologne, varnish, etc. leads to serious complications.
Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver is the most common complication of third-stage alcoholism. There are two forms of alcoholic cirrhosis - compensated and decompensated form.
The first form of the disease is characterized by persistent nervousness of anorexia, flatulence, fatigue, low apathetic mood. Thinning of the skin occurs, white spots and spider veins appear on them.
The liver is enlarged, dense, and has a sharp edge.
The patient's appearance changes greatly, there is a sharp weight loss, hair loss. The decompensated form of liver cirrhosis differs in three types of clinical symptoms.
These include portal hypertension, which leads to hemorrhoids and bleeding from the esophagus, ascites - accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Jaundice often occurs in which the liver is greatly enlarged, in more severe cases liver failure occurs, with the development of coma.
The patient has an increased content of melanin, which gives the skin an icteric or earthy hue.
Diagnosis of alcoholism
The diagnosis of alcoholism can be suspected by a person's appearance and behavior. Patients look older than their years, with age the face becomes hyperemic, skin turgor is lost. The face acquires a special kind of voluntary promiscuity, due to the relaxation of the circular muscle of the mouth. In many cases there is impurity, carelessness in clothing.
The diagnosis of alcoholism in most cases turns out to be quite accurate, even when analyzing not the patient himself, but his environment. Family members of an alcoholic have a number of psychosomatic disorders, neuroticism or psychotization of the spouse who does not drink, and pathologies in children.
The most common pathology in children whose parents systematically abuse alcohol is congenital cerebral insufficiency. Often such children have excessive mobility, are not focused, have a desire for destruction and aggressive behavior.
In addition to congenital pathology, the child's development is also affected by a traumatic situation in the family. Children have logoneurosis, enuresis, night terrors and behavioral disorders.
Children are depressed, prone to suicide attempts, often have difficulties in learning and communicating with their peers.
In many cases, pregnant women who abuse alcohol experience the birth of an alcoholic fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome is characterized by gross morphological disorders. Most often, fetal pathology consists of an irregular head shape, body proportions, spherical deep-set eyes, underdevelopment of the jaw bones and shortening of the tubular bones.
Treatment of alcoholism
We have already briefly described the treatment of alcoholism depending on its stages. In most cases, a relapse may occur after treatment.
This is due to the fact that treatment is often aimed only at eliminating the most acute manifestations of alcoholism. Without properly conducted psychotherapy, lack of support from loved ones, alcoholism repeats itself.
But, as practice shows, psychotherapy is an important component of treatment.
The first stage of treatment for alcoholism is the elimination of acute and subacute conditions caused by intoxication of the body. First of all, drunkenness is stopped and withdrawal disorders are eliminated. In the later stages, the therapy is carried out only under the supervision of the medical staff, because the delirium syndrome that occurs when you stop drinking requires psychotherapy and a series of sedatives. Alleviation of acute alcoholic psychosis is to quickly put the patient to sleep with dehydration and support of the cardiovascular system. In cases of severe alcohol intoxication, alcoholism treatment is carried out only in specialized hospitals or psychiatric departments. In the early stages, anti-alcohol treatment may be sufficient, but more often when alcohol is given up, there is a deficit in neuroendocrine regulation, the disease progresses and leads to complications and organ pathology.
The second phase of treatment is aimed at establishing remission. A complete diagnosis of the patient and therapy of mental and somatic disorders is carried out. Therapy in the second phase of treatment can be quite unusual, its main task is to eliminate somatic disorders, which are key in the formation of a pathological craving for alcohol.
Non-standard methods of therapy include the Rozhnov technique, which consists in emotional stress therapy. A good prognosis in treatment is given by the hypnotic effect and the psychotherapeutic conversations that precede it.
During hypnosis, the patient is instilled with an aversion to alcohol, a nausea-vomiting reaction to the taste and smell of alcohol. The method of verbal aversive therapy is often used.
It consists of setting the psyche using the method of verbal suggestion, reacting with vomiting to drinking alcohol, even in an imagined situation.
The third phase of treatment involves extending remission and returning to a normal lifestyle. This stage can be considered the most important in the successful treatment of alcoholism. After the previous two stages, a person returns to his former society, to his problems, friends, who in most cases are also addicted to alcohol, to family conflicts.
This has a greater impact on disease recurrence. In order for a person to independently remove the causes and external symptoms of alcoholism, long-term psychotherapy is needed. A positive effect is given by autogenic training, they are widely used for group therapy.
The training consists in normalizing autonomic disorders and removing emotional stress after the treatment.
Behavioral therapy is used, the so-calledlifestyle correction. A person learns to live in a sober state, to solve his problems, acquiring the skill of self-control. A very important step in restoring a normal life is achieving mutual understanding in the family and understanding their problem.
For successful treatment, it is important to achieve the patient's desire to get rid of alcohol addiction. Forced treatment does not produce the same results as voluntary treatment.
But still, the refusal of treatment requires the local narcologist to forcefully refer the patient to LTP treatment.
Therapy in the general medical network does not give positive results, because the patient has open access to alcohol, drunk friends visit him, etc.
In the case when alcohol abuse started in adulthood, an individual approach is needed in the choice of therapy. This is due to the fact that the somato-neurological symptoms of alcoholism appear much earlier than the onset of addiction and mental disorders.
Mortality in alcoholism is most often associated with complications. There is decompensation of vital organs caused by long-term drinking, abstinence states, intercurrent diseases.
20% of elderly patients with alcoholism have signs of epilepsy, acute Gaye-Wernicke syndrome is somewhat rarer. Attacks of both diseases during intoxication can be fatal.
The presence of alcoholic cardiomyopathy significantly worsens the prognosis. Continuous systematic consumption of alcohol leads to mortality.
Less than 25% of patients with this complication live longer than three years after diagnosis. A high percentage of deaths in an alcoholic state is the result of suicide.
This is facilitated by the development of chronic hallucinosis, alcoholic paraphrenia, delusions of jealousy.
The patient is unable to control delusional thoughts and commits unusual acts while sober.