One of the folk traditions is drinking alcohol. Under ordinary conditions, they remember her only during a meeting of a holiday or in the presence of a significant occasion.
If a person voluntarily begins to drink alcohol on weekdays, these are the first signs that the situation is getting out of control. Without outside interference, he can quickly get used to alcohol, stepping from the step of a usual habit to the stage of pathological dependence. To help such people, in 1978 the first alcoholism test was developed. After passing it, a potential patient will be able to understand the essence of the problem in time and take all necessary measures to recover.
How to distinguish a drunk person from an alcoholic
Despite the fact that many people like to drink alcohol, not every one of them can be attributed to the category of alcoholics. Alcoholism is a dangerous disease whose existence is recognized at the official level in the list of the International Classification of Diseases. As a rule, alcoholics do not know how to control themselves and without the control of their close circle they will drink as much alcohol as they can find. Drinking - a person independently decides what he will drink today and in what quantities. That is, if today he drank well, then tomorrow he will be able to limit himself to a small dose of alcohol.
Often, under the influence of alcohol, men unwittingly risk their lives, finding themselves in dangerous situations. After all, even a small dose of alcohol affects communicative functions, and then goes into the field of motility. As a result, the drunk man begins to inaudibly speak and move strangely. He is attracted to strange things, so he often finds himself behind the wheel than a drunk woman. These cases became so frequent that they were reflected in article 12.81 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which clearly indicates the punishment of the perpetrator by deprivation of a driver’s license for a couple of years and a fine of at least 30,000 rubles.
Stages of turning a normal habit into a serious illness
The risk group includes all people who drank alcohol in any amount. Therefore, with this disease you need to be especially careful.
Specialists have a clear answer to the question of how many stages of alcoholism exist - 5. They differ among themselves by the strength of desire that arises in a sick person at the sight of his painful hobby. That is, the better he can control himself, the easier it will be to cure him. But it must be borne in mind that no alcoholic will consciously inculcate a dangerous addiction when the lack of alcohol provokes physical torment and mental change. The main causes of the spread of alcoholism are quite harmless. Any case begins with the periodic drinking of alcohol in a close environment for a significant reason, then goes into solitary booze, provoked by fleeting desires. The volume of alcohol consumed increases over and over again, the desire to drink becomes stronger, and only alcohol-containing ones give the patient a good mood.
The second stage of alcoholism
One of the characteristic features of this stage is the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome. In general terms, this is an obsessive desire to get a hangover, expecting that it will help improve overall well-being. He is spurred by constant irritation and nervous depression. Under the influence of discomfort, the head hurts, the hands tremble, the heart beats quickly and the pressure rises regularly. But when a person drinks, these sensations disappear.
Such attempts to improve health are increasingly repeated, dulling the person’s vigilance, and he does not pay attention to the amount of alcohol consumed. Binges occur. Each of them changes the human nature of the alcoholic, who begins to deceive everyone, show off without special reasons, deceive or rush at people in bouts of frantic aggression. The close circle is gradually changing to a new confidential circle, consisting of only drinking companions and those who are able to supply finances or a new portion of alcohol. But this is optional. Many alcoholics, not embarrassed, drink all alone. For them, this is the norm.
The clinical manifestations of the second stage of alcoholism are that it is becoming increasingly difficult for a progressive drunkard to control his desire to drink. He no longer needs any reason for this. As a rule, he just goes to the store, buys alcohol and drinks.
In this case, it is not particularly important how much alcohol is completely eliminated from the body. The patient’s body becomes so accustomed to him that he loses his sense of proportion, each time increasing the dose to achieve his usual state of intoxication.
In a sober state, the alcoholic hardly recalls what he did before, and some cases are generally erased from his memory. More advanced patients experience complete amnesia when it comes to themselves in a drunken state. They lose their ability to concentrate on something specific, their memory worsens, and a disorderly attitude to work and household duties appears.
Signs of the second stage of alcoholism make the patient think that he is highly dependent on the presence of alcohol. At this stage, some of them independently decide to be treated, some are convinced by the close environment. Without the intervention of specialists, within 10 years the alcoholic goes to the third stage of the disease
Characterization of an alcoholic in stage 2
A patient with a second stage of alcoholism acutely feels all the charms of an organism infected with toxins. Among them, headaches, tachycardia, bouts of nausea and vomiting, strange trembling of the extremities are found. A new dose of alcohol helps to soften, and often completely erase all the issues that bother a person.
The psychology of an alcoholic can be described by several characteristics that gradually take root in the character of a sick person:
- aggressiveness and anger;
- depression and apathetic attitude to everything beyond alcohol;
- strange actions atypical for a particular person;
- constant attempts to conflict;
- not quenching desire for a drink.
The patient is less and less coming out of his drinking bouts, and fleeting sober periods regularly reduce their duration. An interesting fact is that the drinker is well aware and can work very fruitfully. How much alcohol is removed from the body depends entirely on the patient’s health status. But every time at such moments, the situation changes dramatically, and a person is no longer able to do or think about anything other than a burning desire to drink.
A sober alcoholic is a prime example of a lethargic personality. He quickly gets tired of the simplest actions, and any unflattering word addressed to him can cause an attack of crazy aggression. The level of intelligence is gradually falling, everyday issues are perplexing, and the desire to sleep is simply not perceived by a tired brain. Thus, all the signs of personality degradation are manifested.
Among the symptoms of the second stage of alcoholism, the presence of painful seizures is characteristic. During them, a person is shaken from severe convulsions, and, having forgotten, he may inadvertently bite his tongue or have the fact of arbitrary urination.
There are frequent cases of hallucinations, popularly known as delirium tremens. They are accompanied by unreasonable jealousy when a sick person harasses his partner with constant mockery and nit-picking, not noticing this feeling of real family problems.
In scientific circles there is a theory about the existence of the Korsakov alcoholic psychosis. By this definition we mean the limited sensitivity of the arms and legs, which is absent or manifests itself in conjunction with excruciating pain, as well as periodic amnesia. It can lead to the fact that the alcoholic, waking up in his own bed, does not understand how he ended up here.
Medication treatment
Drug therapy is carried out in stages. First, special attention is paid to detoxification, aimed at the complete cleansing of the internal organs of toxins and substances that alcohol releases during decay. This stage helps the alcoholic get rid of physical cravings for his favorite drink. Metabolism gradually returns to normal, and sleep stabilizes. For such purposes, use "Sodium thiosulfate" and "Unithiol".
No less important is the work with the psyche of a sick person. In this case, psychotropic medicines or sedatives ("Aminazine", "Levomepromazine") will help. They alleviate general tension and irritation, remove causeless anxiety and have a vegetative stabilizing effect on the whole organism. But when the question is about the psyche, in no case should you self-medicate. Only a specialist will be able to correctly prescribe the appropriate drugs and control their effects in order to avoid the development of dependence. The most popular drugs include Diazepam, Elenium, and Trioxazine.
For lovers of a custom approach, nootropics are suitable. They stabilize the metabolism, helping to reduce dependence on alcohol.
Fans of traditional medicine resort to the equally popular procedure of "coding" a sick person. It is based on the fact that the alcoholic is injected with Disulfiram, which causes discomfort - headaches, nausea and vomiting, tachycardia and so on. In theory, they should cause an aversion to alcohol.
Other ways to help
The doctor analyzes the general condition of the patient, his mood and, depending on them, applies one of the methods:
- Aversive treatment - suitable for cases when the patient resists his own healing. It is based on the fact that specific drugs are added to alcohol, which, when consumed, cause discomfort and very painful sensations (trembling hands and feet, tachycardia, anxiety states, bouts of vomiting, etc.). Most often, "Disulfiram" is chosen for such purposes.
- Detoxification of the body - is the complete cleansing of the diseased body. With the help of droppers, toxins are removed from the body of the alcoholic, and stimulate the immune system to begin the restoration of organs affected by the disease.
- Psychological support and strengthening the interaction of the alcoholic with society.
Doctors emphasize that the ailment under study is a disease of a particular person who cannot otherwise show his disagreement with the reality surrounding it. Therefore, men in the second stage of alcoholism, women, as well as young people and the elderly have a hidden need for the help of a psychologist who is able to correct all angles and direct ambitions in a different way. If the drinker himself wants to get rid of his addiction, then the therapy will not work for him to no avail.
What additional pathologies in the work of the body causes alcoholism of the second stage
Among those, we can distinguish:
- inflammation of the digestive tract, provoking the development of new diseases;
- pathologies in the structure and work of the liver, gradually leading to cirrhosis;
- disorders of the central nervous system, killing cells of the lining of the brain;
- strokes and micro strokes;
- the kidneys gradually fail, thereby provoking the development of insufficiency;
- cardiovascular pathology;
- cramps in arms and legs, atrophy of all muscles and gradual atrophy of skin sensitivity.
As a rule, alcoholics who have reached the second stage of the development of the disease do not even have one healthy and fully functioning organ. The age of the patient, his health before the development of alcoholism, genetics, the type of alcoholic beverages, and so on, exert their influence. Let some moments slow down the development of pathologies, but without treatment, the ending will be the same as the rest of chronic alcoholics.
Changes affect not only the organs within the body. The disease affects the appearance of the alcoholic. Regular lack of water turns the skin into a dry and wrinkled something, a poorly functioning liver covers the whole body with age spots, cardiovascular pathologies and suffering kidneys provoke constant edema that changes the face of the alcoholic to such an extent that his relatives do not recognize him.
An imbalance in metabolism takes away from the body the already constantly missing vitamins and nutrients, which most negatively affects the condition of hair and teeth. A constantly increasing level of toxins atrophies muscles and joints, and the alcoholic begins to move, like a deeply elderly person. Pathologies of the circulatory system in the area of ​​the brain violate the overall coordination. The patient begins to look much older than his real age.
Changes in the psyche, intellect and social interaction of the alcoholic with society
The alcoholic’s intelligence, starting from the second stage of the disease’s development, is rapidly declining, the psyche is changing and social exclusion is developing due to the rejection of social rules. The mood of the patient is rapidly changing, introducing into a stupor a close environment. For example, taking a sip of the first glasses of alcohol, he is cheerful, joyful, and quite friendly. But when the degree of intoxication goes further, a good mood changes to a gloomy state and evil aggression. During periods of sobriety, the patient is irritable and almost constantly in a depressed state. He himself does not know what he is afraid of, which leads him to despair and painful anxiety. Such people often commit suicide.
Sick people cannot globally talk about their own problems. They see only the peak of the disease and simply are not able to understand what it can lead to. Their memory regularly suffers attacks of amnesia, and mental work leads to a headache and loss of strength. The character changes significantly, willpower and a sense of responsibility for any misconduct are lost. Psychosis develops, instilling in the patient an unusual cunning and amazing resourcefulness that help manipulate the people around him. He can quite believably deceive, get out of any situation or try to cause pity on the way to the next dose of alcohol.
The social interaction of the alcoholic with society is gradually weakening. At the beginning of the development of the disease, he works and studies, but from the second stage of dependence all the interests of the patient, which are not related to alcohol and alcohol, disappear. He skips work, not wanting to work without the coveted bottle or money for it. Therefore, most alcoholics are fired. The need to study is forgotten over time. Chronic patients are looking for a job that gives quick money and does not interfere with drinking at any time of the day or night.
The second stage of alcoholism destroys all interests not related to alcohol. Although a person has previously had a beloved work that brings particular moral satisfaction, it will still leave the way of such a merciless disease. There remains one craving, characteristic of all alcoholics, is gambling.
Most alcoholics are left without a family. For the sake of the next dose of alcohol, they are ready for anything: to sell any thing of any value, to steal from the general budget, to demand from a partner, previously harming his health or morale. The internal boundaries of acceptable behavior are erased, and the alcoholic, without hesitation, crosses them. Some individuals more than others succumb to immoral tendencies, replenishing the ranks of inveterate criminals.
Disease rate
Experts have proven that every stage of alcoholism can cause the death of a patient. Therefore, this pathology took 3rd place in the list of the most dangerous diseases, giving way to oncology and cardiovascular diseases. How much they live in the last stage of alcoholism depends on the previous lifestyle of any patient.
Not so long ago, this disease covered about 10% of the world's population. Now this number has grown to 30%. Most of them are women who are sentenced to death by this diagnosis.
Alcohol test
The patient hardly accepts the reproaches of loved ones and aggressively rejects any attempt to arrange a meeting with a doctor. He believes that he can forget about alcohol when he wants to, and makes fun of hints of his addiction. Therefore, tests that determine the degree of dependence on alcohol will not help him: the patient will give deceptive answers so that he is not forced to be treated.
For such people, a special technique has been developed that reveals hidden signs of the disease. Its authors were scientists Yakhin and Mendelevich. It consists of 25 clarifying questions, drawn up in a neutral tone, so as not to arouse suspicion in the patient and thus obtain the most truthful answers from him. The test time does not take more than 15 minutes. Its results are obtained in the form of points, the decoding of which is indicated in the corresponding tables.
If the patient refused to take the test or he was so degraded that he was no longer able to concentrate, then the diagnosis can be clarified using other methods.