What is alcoholism?
Addictions to toxic substances are chronic diseases that affect the brain and behavior, characterized by dependence on one or more drugs that are harmful to the body, in this case alcohol. There are two types of alcoholism:
- Type I: occurs in adults and is characterized by having stages with large occasional ingestions with intervals of abstemiousness, but these intervals are increasingly smaller, and can lead to great dependence and the development of liver disease.
- Type II: occurs in adolescents and is often related to a history of violence. The increase in alcohol consumption is not progressive.
What are the symptoms of alcoholism?
Symptoms of alcohol addiction are craving for alcohol, loss of control, inability to stop drinking, physical dependence, which causes withdrawal syndrome (sweating, fever, tremors) when alcohol is stopped, and tolerance (need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol).
In addition, excessive consumption of this drug leads to serious health problems, both mental (depression, psychosis) and physical (liver and brain damage), and even death.
What are the causes of alcoholism?
Currently there is no common cause, but there are several important factors in the development of this disease. For example, a person with an alcoholic parent is more likely to acquire it.
Another cause is related to psychological factors, i.e., conflict in interpersonal relationships, need to relieve anxiety, depression, social acceptance of alcohol consumption or low self-esteem.
Can alcoholism be prevented?
The prevention of this disease should start from adolescence, preventing the adolescent from drinking alcohol before the age of 18. To this end, the family’s attitude is important, not only by prohibiting them, but also by not drinking alcohol frequently in front of them or talking about how much they drank when they were young, since this way the young person can see alcohol consumption as something normal and desirable when with friends.
It is also important to inform the adolescent of the consequences of alcohol and to improve their social skills and self-esteem.
What does alcoholism treatment consist of?
Since alcoholism has several causes, treatment must be carried out from a multidisciplinary approach. The first step is for the patient to recognize the addiction. To treat the withdrawal syndrome, hospital admission may be necessary. This phase is called detoxification, and the last phase is detoxification, which aims to stop the patient from drinking.
Treatment is multidisciplinary, including psychological therapy, such as group or individual therapy, family or couple psychotherapy, relapse prevention, drug administration, self-help groups, social services, specialized care, among others.