Info on Alcoholism

In medicine alcohol and drug abuse (regardless of the type of drug users) have one common name - according to the disease. Why? In this lecture we will try to answer this question.
From a medical point of view of alcoholism - is a chronic, progradient (progressive) disease caused by the action of alcohol as a drug. The disease has its own characteristic syndromes (manifestations), especially the development and current, as well as some outcomes that are defined by persistent violations of somatonevrologicheskimi (diseases of internal organs and nervous system) and moral degradation (poglupenie, dementia).
So, explain the basic manifestations of alcoholism, especially currents and the formation of the disease.
1. Random drunkenness, episodic drinking.
Very often a patient at the doctor's question "Do you drink alcohol?" Says: "Moderately, as everything on holidays." Then, in conversation, of course, everything comes into place, but nevertheless, it is necessary to clearly understand the difference between graduation and a moderate, routine alcohol and habitual drunkenness or domestic. While it is on the notion of "moderate" consumption of alcohol, it has certain traits:
1. Alcohol is rarely used - not more than 1 per month, small doses and do not cause any noticeable intoxication;
2. When moderate alcohol consumption is fully maintained control over the number vypivaemogo alcohol, as well as critical assessment of his behavior, no visible motor disorders;
3. Alcoholic beverages are used only outside normal working hours, with an appropriate situation.
Alcohol abuse begins, usually with a random or occasional drink. It is used such doses of alcohol, which are expressed by the state of intoxication, but it happens occasionally, and during periods of abstinence attraction to alcohol is absent. Already at this stage, you will notice that a person gradually develops addictive organism to alcohol, a previous dose did not cause significant intoxication, so to obtain the appropriate effect drinker starts to increase the dose. At the medical language is called the growth of tolerance.
2. The systematic abuse of alcohol.
For habitual drunkenness or episodic drinking should be systematic, during which the main symptoms (manifestations) of alcoholism. At this stage, drinking increasing, there are virtually on any occasion, large or small. The person is very difficult to abstain from alcohol, he begins himself to actively look for reasons for drinking. During periods of forced abstinence from alcohol (family turmoil, lack of money, work, etc.) have such a person (habitual drunkards), mood disorders arise, it appears that sense, as if something is not enough, "is not alone." But people already knew "a cure": regular admission alcohol removes all these unpleasant feelings. Alcoholic beverages are used as a general rule, at least 1-2 times a week, and in some cases - every day. But at this stage still monitor the amount of alcohol consumed. Nevertheless, there has clearly expressed increasing tolerance to alcohol (see above). At the same time, protective reflexes disappear. For example, if a person drank before sufficient dose of alcohol and he could be vomiting, then vomiting are now disappearing. It should be noted that even very large, generally very heady dose does not cause vomiting. Simply put, the body tires combated and illness begins to dominate.
3. Primary (first) stage of alcoholism.
A) Increased tolerance - the earliest and most common sign of adjusting to alcohol and the formation of the disease.
B) The next sign of the disease - the formation of pathological attraction to alcohol - in other words, the formation of psychological dependence. Attraction to alcohol can be expressed something more, something less than clear. Often, the desire to drink is quite intrusive in nature, distracts from the work of man, directs his energies to meet their wishes. That is how drunkenness is becoming a basic vital interest. Characteristically, the now-ill man seeks to drinking despite all the opposing points of this: lack of money, family conflicts, bad service, etc. When formed attraction to alcohol, the patient, that is true, does not want to hinder him, and if wants it is typically can not cope with them without medical assistance.
C) Another important feature of the disease - the loss of control over vypitym. After the first portion of alcohol dramatically increases the desire to drink yet, there is a kind of "greed for alcohol." Therefore drinker continues to drink until it is not deep intoxication. So people are deprived of the opportunity "to drink moderately, as all". This myth and the desire can bow out forever. Everything!
Always be mindful that the loss of control over vypitym not disappear even after years of abstinence from alcohol, which is due to the inability to move on to "moderate" consumption of alcohol after treatment and abstinence, and any attempt to resume drinking inevitably leads to relapse ( "disrupt" ) Alcoholism. Of course, you can deny the loss of control, say that you "can not drink that you" napoili or find any justification for their illness and alcoholism. The choice is yours.
D) The next sign of the disease, which is a consequence of the previous two - the changing nature of intoxication. Appears zapamyatovanie tend to end inebriation. That is, to bring ourselves into a state of intoxication, drunk absorbs toxic dose of alcohol - up to 0.5 liters of vodka and more. Naturally, such an expression intoxication can be accompanied by malignancy, aggressive, pugnacious. After protrezvleniya person can not remember how he came to the house of scandals involving his wife and neighbors as Ready for ladder with a neighbor cell and he pulled out all the money out of your pockets. He may sincerely believe that could not have behaved as to how he talk about it. You may even think that he falsely accused.
All these features characterize the initial, or first "preklinicheskuyu" stage alcoholism. The name "preklinicheskaya" due to the fact that not all the signs of the disease are expressed clearly and distinctly. Typically, patients in this stage, unfortunately, do not go to doctors, alcoholics do not consider themselves to defend the notorious "drink everything, and do not wish to be treated.

4. Deployed (second) stage of alcoholism.
Here are the main symptoms. All of the above expressions, align the following
A) Alcohol abstinence syndrome (hangover, opohmelitsya desire to improve his physical condition). Crapulent symptoms are caused not so much by alcohol, but the products of its time of dissolution, formed in the body. Abstinence syndrome also develops gradually, gradually, not overnight. In the early stages of development of the abstinence syndrome need to opohmelenii occurs only after taking large doses of alcohol, for example, 0.5 - 0.7 liters of vodka, and after the use of 200 - 300 ml needs opohmelenii not. In further alcohol abuse need to opohmelenii arose after small quantities vypitogo. Clinically abstinence syndrome in the first phase is manifested headache, weakness, malaise, nausea and sometimes - vomiting, trembling in the hands and body, interruptions in the heart. In a further align and mental disorders: a patient suffers insomnia, he developed anxiety, it can not find a place, there may be gratuitous flash irritability and anger, at that time kept sweating and tremor, with one word: "at the heart dreary." Another important fact: if the earlier "hangover" lasted only a few hours, the more detailed stage, it lasted for 2 - 7 days or even longer.
So, the formation of alcohol abstinence syndrome suggests that the body have been irreversibly changed in relation to alcohol. Alcohol abstinence syndrome, vozniknuv have not disappeared, even after years of abstinence from alcohol. It can only utyazhelyatsya. This is largely determined by medical and tactics: to achieve a total abstinence from alcohol, to exclude the use of any alcoholic beverages throughout later life.
B) Continuing intermittent and zapoynoe drunkenness - one of the manifestations of the disease, which is formed, so let's say, the most familiar rhythm of the abuse of alcohol.
Continuous form is characterized by long, continuous weeks and months to alcohol abuse. This does not mean that in this form can not get a break, but they are rare, and, briefly, usually due to extraordinary situations (for example, systemic diseases, severe or shift work, etc.).
The second form - alternating drunkenness - is as follows: against the backdrop of mnogonedelnogo or months of drinking arose during his sharp control. At the end of this "deeply" can be short (1 - 3 days) breaks associated with the depletion of the body and intolerance of alcohol. Then the expressivity of these events once again declining. There comes a time when the patient is relatively moderate drinkers, followed by a "booze" such as those described above.
The third form - zapoynoe drunkenness. Alcohol is used regularly for several days or weeks. Then follow the "bright intervals. Their duration varies - from 7 - 10 days to several weeks or even months. After finishing "deeply" there is pronounced abstinence syndrome, often there are mental disorders as insomnia, low background moods, feelings of guilt, anxiety, fear, etc. nemotivirovannyh
C) Changes in personality (Alcohol degradation). Now, that is, in the second stage, in the guise of alcoholic apparent features of "moral ogrubeniya", "port character: a man a liar, brag non-existent victories and feats, it is blatant, cavalier, selfish, cynical. Regardless of the interests of the family, alcoholic shown extraordinary perseverance in the demand and dostavanii money on drinks, loses sense of tact. Emotional sphere is also suffering: there are groundless fluctuations of mood - from wanton joviality, gregariousness, optimism to gloom, despondency, malignancy, gnevlivosti. Appears coarse humor - the tendency to flatten went joke. And the sad thing in this is that the very sick, as a rule, does not notice. Suffer around. It may be lowering intelligence and memory: deteriorating mind, reduced ability to remember, the acquisition of new knowledge and skills is also difficult, etc.
D) Alcoholic psychosis - issue a separate lecture.

5. The original (third) stage of alcoholism.
At this, one might say, the final stage of alcoholism, is expressed by the depletion of the body. The portability of alcohol has been declining, intoxication occurs after a small quantity of alcohol (vodka, wine, beer, etc.). Drunkard is in opyanenii and had the urge to appeal to alcohol - drozhaschimi hands stretching for another dose of alcohol, begging, humiliated. "A sober days" very few, they are where the patient is unable to obtain alcohol. Developed severe violations of the psyche until psychosis (recall that this issue separate lectures), especially chronic (long, long) form. Lost the ability to productivity. The patient has been unable to work, lose their skills, striving to parasitic life. We will not talk about that lost spiritual interests, lost family ties. Alcoholic becoming a heavy burden to others. At this final stage of the most expressed destruction of internal organs and nervous system caused by the impact of prolonged alcohol intoxication, including such serious illnesses as polinevrity, cirrhosis, dementia and others.
Described course of the disease attributable to alcohol primarily on the central nervous system, which in chronic alcoholism occurs gradually atrophy (decrease) in the brain, defeat and death of nerve cells, changes in blood vessels. At the same time develop and gradually increasing painful changes to internal organs: the liver, gastrointestinal tract, heart and sexual system. The dissolution of identity, physical nemoschnost - imminent outcomes of alcoholism.
Such people need treatment, and the sooner it is started, the better. But much depends on how the patient understands that he is sick. That awareness and recognition of their illness is the first step to recovery. And the first step, as a rule, always the most difficult.