Health care for a better life

Archive for the ‘Alcoholism’ Category

Alcohol starts with a pint and has the potential to become a vice which can destroy one s life. There s an old Chinese saying that goes something like first the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man !

Alcohol can destroy the life of the alcoholic and also their family and friends. The best way to curb the habit is to have the alcoholic admitted to an alcohol rehab centre. Alcohol rehab – how to help your alcohol addicted loved one to recover from addiction is an article aimed at guiding family and friends fo alcoholics towards a place of long term recovery.

Most alcoholics are in denial this psychological feature of the illness prevents them from seeing the severity and nature of the negative consequences that their drinking causes and may make them unwilling to join an alcohol rehab. It s important to remember that most alcoholics are forced into rehab and that this has no bearing on whether treatment will be successful or not, the key is to just get them admitted to a quality alcoholism centre.

When alcoholics are forced to go to rehab you can expect them to engage in all sorts of manipulative behaviour in an attempt to not be admitted. They might even try to exert control over their drinking and stop on their own for a short period. Often when alcoholics do this they re saying to themselves and the world look, I can stop drinking on my own, obviously I don t have an alcohol problem and there s not need to go to rehab .

If they can stop drinking alcohol on their own, and most importantly STAY STOPPED then perhaps they re right. Unfortunately if they alcoholics, in time, they ll be back to drinking and all the negative results of that drinking will manifest themselves all over again.

Families of alcoholics need to be very careful in handling alcoholics displaying such behaviour. Such individuals start drinking secretly to avoid detection by their families. They will hide the alcohol in cars, garages, drawers, in study table desks and other hard to detect places, even the cistern of the toilet!

Often alcohol addicts feel very guilty and ashamed about their drinking and to overcome it drink even more. Families of such individuals need to identify the tell tale signs and symptoms of alcoholism. A lot of information on the behaviour patterns of alcohol addicts is available on the net. There are some very good websites which provide a list of good alcohol rehab centres.

These sites will help you to distinguish the different symptoms of alcoholism and provide tips on how to curb the habit if in its early stages, or arrange admission to an alcohol rehab if a full blown addiction is in place. Thus the family of such individuals plays an important role in providing access to alcohol rehab for the addicted.

Families often try in vain for many years to cajole, counsel, manipulate and convince the alcoholic to stop drinking or to look at the advantages of joining an alcohol rehab centre. Most times when all else fails it s up to the family to force the patient into treatment.

For those who are pondering over questions around alcohol rehab and how to help your alcohol addicted loved one to recover we hope this article has shed some light about alcoholism treatment and the crucial role that families play in either enabling the alcoholic to continue drinking or insisting that they get help.

Generally the period of time spent in an alcohol rehab is between 4 weeks and three months. There are shorter programs also available and alcohol rehabs usually take in people of different ages starting from eighteen years old.

Alcohol rehabilitation is split into several phases. Primary Care where detoxification takes place and the peculiar mental twist that enables alcoholics to return to drinking despite the negative consequences is addressed. Secondary Care where underlying emotional issues and dual-diagnosis problems can be more effectively addressed and Tertiary Care where alcoholics can live in a sober environment whilst still receiving slight support.

The time period of the rehab program is usually dependent upon factors like alcohol dependency, psychiatric history and other variables which are worked out by the rehab staff after discussions with patients and their family. The Primary program which usually lasts between 28 and 42 days is known to be one of the most successful rehab programs. The program consists of educational lectures, one on one (individual) addictions counselling, group therapy, yoga etc. These programs create a sense of self awareness, honesty and emotional clarity.

Alcohol detoxification is a tough program as it takes a lot of expertise on the part of the rehab staff to curb the alcohol consuming habit of the addict. Discontinuation of alcohol has severe implications which include heavy sweating, insomnia, vomiting, nausea, hallucinations and other problems. Depending on the severity of the situation and ability of the patient to cope up with the recovery process the duration of the rehab varies. A lot more information on the working of the alcohol rehab as well as the financial variables involved can be found in websites dedicated to alcoholism rehabilitation.

The institutes on alcohol abuse are great initiative that promotes & supports against alcoholism and strives to spread the health benefits for all. Alcoholism abuse is growing at a great pace. The life style today is so stressful that people tend to get to the easy resort of consuming alcohol and drugs. The time is such that not only the colleges, but the school kids are not untouched by the alcohol and drugs. Looking at the need, there are various centers offering help for people who want to know how to stop drinking. Such institutes have become quite dense. The sole reason of such centers is to simply control and cure alcoholism. Having said that it really doesn’t matter how many of such centers are inaugurated, till the time people themselves does not realize that alcohol and drug could not only deteriorate their health, but would also ruin their family life. There are many initiatives taken at national level as well like by the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism to control and provide treatments free or at subsidized cost, the only endeavor being saving the society from the clutches of alcoholism abuse.

As a responsible individual, one must contribute by shouldering the responsibility of checking for alcohol addicts in once own vicinity.

Small contributions such as directing people to alcohol treatments, making them understand the real endeavor of such initiates and moreover, motivating the non-alcoholics to support individuals who are addicted rather than think of them as a taboo. This would really make a difference. One national institute on alcoholism and alcoholism despite doing its best can’t make a change in the society; it is us who would take small steps to eliminate alcohol abuse with a broader vision of help & support to such addicts. Understanding the people, who have gotten into the vicious circle of alcoholism, by extending love and care instead of treating them as untouchables, could be certain small steps that could help the victims of alcoholism abuse go a long way – by the end of which, they would gain the same respect and social status that they had before being addicted.

Alcohol treatments would help the addicts to get rid of the addiction but it is our responsibility to give these addicts an environment of support & motivation which would help then to rebuild their identity. The science of health and treatment of alcoholism abuse could be prevented by -

Spreading awareness around the biological behaviors & functioning related to alcohol abuse.
Improvising the quality of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of alcoholism.
Promoting better health care.