alcohol dependence

ALCOHOL DEPENDENCEPREGUES AND RESPONSESRESECURSES

This fact sheet is intended for those who are addicted to alcohol, or who wish to learn about the subject.

Alcohol dependence is an imperative need to drink. It is more common in people with anxiety, depression or who have a lot of stress in their work.

About alcohol dependence
Symptoms of alcohol dependence
Complications of alcohol dependence
Causes of alcohol dependence
Diagnosis of alcohol dependence
Treatment of alcohol dependence
How to avoid relapse

ABOUT ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
Alcohol is an addictive drug and you can become addicted psychologically and physically. In the United Kingdom, about nine out of every 100 men and four out of every 100 women are addicted to alcohol.

Alcohol dependence ("alcohol dependence syndrome", formerly known as alcoholism) is a pattern of habitually drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over a prolonged period, which results in addiction.

It can be associated with psychological and physical health problems and can seriously affect your relationships with family and friends. It can also affect your work.

SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
Alcohol dependence is generally characterized by the imperative need to drink alcohol and the inability to limit the amount of drinking once you started drinking. Some people who depend on alcohol report being worried about it and because the need to drink controls their lives.

If you drink regularly, your body gets used to having a lot of alcohol and may find that you need to drink more and more to feel its effects. This is known as alcohol tolerance and has a role in a person who becomes addicted to alcohol.

Other symptoms of alcohol dependence include:

deny other interests in favor of activities that involve drinking alcohol
spend more time than before drinking and recovering from the effects of alcohol
drink before noon
anxiety or irritability
feel that you can not stop drinking despite the signs that indicate you are damaging your psychological or physical health, your personal relationships or your work
Another sign that depends on alcohol is if you suffer from physical symptoms of withdrawal when you stop drinking. You may feel the need to drink to avoid or relieve those symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include:

tremors
discomfort or feeling sick early in the morning
excessive sweating
difficulty to sleep
feeling that the heart beats fast
anxiety or irritability
COMPLICATIONS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

If you drink large amounts of alcohol, you are more likely to have:liver disease (such as fatty alcoholic liver, alcoholic hepatitis or alcoholic cirrhosis)
high blood pressure and other heart problems (such as heart muscle damage, heart disease, and stroke)
cancer (for example, cancer of the liver, stomach, intestine, rectum, lung, pancreas, and breast)
Loss of memory
depression
suicidal feelings
problems with sex life
alcoholic dementia
pancreatitis
Another possible complication is delirium tremens, which can occur with abstinence from alcohol. This causes symptoms such as tremors, sweating, diarrhea and seizures. It can also cause anxiety, confusion, paranoia and hallucinations (where you see and / or hear things that do not exist). Delirium tremens requires urgent medical attention as it can put life at risk.

CAUSES OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
People drink alcohol for many different reasons. Many people who become addicted to alcohol use it as a way to treat anxiety and depression.

Although it can help reduce your problems in the short term, alcohol usually worsens anxiety and depression. It does so by interacting with chemicals called neurotransmitters that are in the brain, which naturally help fight depression and anxiety.

It is believed that social factors, such as the economic capacity and availability of alcohol, peer pressure and the purchase of rounds in groups have an important role in the cause of alcohol dependence.

DIAGNOSIS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
Recognizing that alcohol is having a negative impact on your life is an important first step in your diagnosis and successful treatment.

If you feel that you may be addicted to alcohol, consult your general practitioner. It will ask you what your symptoms are and you can examine it.

Your family doctor will ask about your drink, how you feel and the effects on your life and well-being. You can ask the following questions to establish if you are addicted to alcohol. These are known as the CAGE Questionnaire.

Have you ever felt that you should drink less?
Has it bothered you that people criticize you for drinking?
Have you ever felt bad or guilty about drinking?
Have you ever drunk early in the morning to calm your nerves or eliminate discomfort after getting drunk (cup to wake up)?
If your lifestyle, psychological or physical illness or your CAGE questionnaire score indicate that you may be drinking too much, your primary care physician may refer you to specialized services for alcoholics. In almost all areas of the United Kingdom, you can find services for alcoholics. Your GP can ask you to attend one because it is an important step for you to be active and take control of your addiction.?

TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
Your treatment will be customized according to your needs and will depend on how much you drink, and any physical or mental problems you may have.

Your GP will assess your level of alcohol dependence. If you have a high level of alcohol dependence, especially if there is evidence of physical damage to your internal organs (for example, in the liver), your doctor may recommend reducing alcohol in order to stop drinking completely. This is called abstinence.

However, it is recognized that some people have a lower level of alcohol dependence and may not want to stop drinking completely. It is important that you work with your doctor to agree on a treatment plan that is realistic for you and that you can meet and, in this case, your goal may be to reduce your alcohol consumption to a lower and more controlled level.

There are many services and professional groups that can give you the help and support you need to stop drinking.

Self help
Recognizing that you depend on alcohol and finding the determination to change and the willpower to do so is important for the treatment to be successful. There are several self-help tools such as brochures and informative websites that can help you stop drinking.

Detoxification
If you are a compulsive drinker, you may need supervision by health professionals while you stop drinking. This is because the physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with quitting can have risks. Detoxification is a planned abstinence from alcohol and may involve taking a short course of medication to help prevent the symptoms of abstinence. Benzodiazepine medications, such as diazepam or chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride, are the most commonly used during detoxification. Your family doctor may prescribe you to take these medications at home or you may need to stay at a specialized treatment center during detoxification. Medications are only available as short-term treatment to help you have control and not as a long-term solution.

Advice
Many people find that talking to someone about their problem is a useful and important part of the treatment. You can talk to your family doctor or trained counselors who can help you understand the reasons for your addiction, and can give you tools to control or stop the urge to drink.

Your partner or family may also be invited to attend counseling with you and participate in your treatment.

Mutual aid support groups
There are many people in the UK who depend on alcohol and who support each other by sharing tips and personal experiences. Mutual help support groups can help you while you stop drinking and can also prevent you from falling back into addiction. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon (a support group for family members and friends who depend on alcohol) are found throughout the country.

Dietary supplements
Some people who depend on alcohol are deficient in vitamins and minerals; The most common is vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. Your doctor may prescribe thiamine tablets and also ask you to take multivitamins.

Alcohol and pregnancy
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can affect the development of your unborn baby and can cause your baby to have a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome. Drinking during pregnancy can also increase the chances of having a miscarriage.

HOW TO AVOID A COLLECTED
After having managed to stop drinking, it is common to start again (have a relapse). There are several ways you can plan ahead and minimize the risks of this happening to you. It is important to remember that treatment for alcohol dependence is a continuous process. You are more likely to succeed in stopping drinking if you receive help and support from family and friends, mutual aid support groups, your family doctor or a counselor.

There are medications your doctor can prescribe to help prevent the desire to drink alcohol (such as calcium acamprosate) or other medications (such as disulfiram), which help to dissuade you from drinking by giving you unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting or headaches if you drink alcohol.