If a person is continuously drinking large amounts of alcohol for several days or weeks, then doctors are talking about drunken alcoholism. Moreover, the patient is far from always able to stop drinking on his own. When alcohol is abandoned, an addict often suffers from poor health, which forces him to continue to drink alcohol-containing drinks in huge doses. In many cases, only the intervention of a narcologist helps to interrupt the binge . How to help the patient? What methods can bring a person out of binge? We will answer these questions in the article.
Stages of alcoholism
Alcohol dependence has been formed in humans for quite some time. Narcologists distinguish the following stages of this pathology:
Consider these stages of the formation of an attraction to alcohol in more detail.
At the initial stage, the patient does not yet experience a painful craving for alcohol. However, as soon as at least a small dose of alcohol enters his body, a person can no longer stop. Loss of control over the amount drunk is the main symptom of this stage. The patient can not be limited to a moderate dose of alcohol and comes to severe intoxication. The next morning, he may feel worse due to intoxication, while there is an aversion to alcohol. Such patients are not sober because they have not yet developed withdrawal symptoms. Drinking at the initial stage, as a rule, is not noted.
The middle stage of dependence is characterized by increased tolerance to alcohol. A person becomes able to consume more and more large doses of alcohol. A physical dependence is formed. When the patient stops drinking, his health deteriorates sharply. Only new doses of alcohol help to stop an unpleasant state. The patient is regularly hung up. It is at this stage that drunken alcoholism forms. A person can drink continuously for several days, weeks, and even months. For some time, he can independently abstain from alcohol, but soon he has a new breakdown.
At a severe stage of alcoholism , ethanol tolerance decreases in humans. However, the patient has an irresistible craving for alcohol. The patient drinks alcohol in small doses, but at the same time constantly supports himself in a state of intoxication. Withdrawal syndrome almost never stops. Drunkenness is not noted at this stage, drinking is permanent.
The main reason for drunken alcoholism is the formation of withdrawal symptoms in the second stage of pathology. Physical dependence causes the patient to drink continuously for a certain period of time.
Doctors distinguish a constant and drunken type of drunkenness among alcoholics in the second stage. In the first case, a person drinks continuously and continuously. With binges, the patient has frequent breakdowns that alternate with short periods of sobriety.
Types of drunkenness
Narcologists and psychiatrists distinguish the following types of binge:
Multi-day drinking is not always a sign of physical dependence. Only a specialist can determine the stage of alcoholism in a patient. Consider in more detail varieties of drunken conditions.
False binge
There are times when a patient drinks for a long time on various social occasions. This happens on weekends and holidays, after joyful events and stress. Sometimes a person continues to drink after a celebration. However, if circumstances force him to stop drinking, he is able to independently abandon alcohol. A person abstains from alcohol, for example, because of the need to go to work or financial difficulties.
In this case, doctors talk about false drinking and pseudo-drinking. This condition is noted in patients at the initial stage of alcoholism. This indicates that the patient does not yet have physical dependence, and he can stop drinking on his own when circumstances so require. Pseudo bouts are also characteristic of the very beginning of the middle stage of addiction.
True drunken state
True binge is observed only in patients at the middle stage of alcoholism. This condition occurs suddenly. This is a sign of not only mental, but also physical dependence. It is in this case that narcologists diagnose drunken alcoholism in the patient.
Drinking is usually preceded by an uncomfortable mental state, which is characterized by:
- depression
- Anxiety
- irritability;
- isolation;
- loss of interest in work and daily affairs;
- decreased appetite;
- insomnia.
These signs indicate the body's need for ethanol. A person begins to drink alcohol almost continuously. This can last from a few days to several months. During this period, the patient has the following symptoms of drunken alcoholism:
- nausea and vomiting due to intoxication of the body;
- diarrhea;
- arrhythmia;
- dizziness;
- swelling and hyperemia of the face;
- sleep disturbances;
- convulsive attacks.
Binge stops only with complete physical exhaustion. There comes a time when the human body refuses to take alcohol. Only this makes the patient stop drinking. When leaving the binge, the patient develops withdrawal symptoms. This unpleasant condition is characterized by the following painful manifestations:
- headache;
- nausea
- trembling limbs;
- dizziness
- anxiety
- Depression
- sleep disturbances;
- nightmares.
The patient's well-being gradually improves over 7-10 days. After that, he returns to normal life and may for some time refrain from alcohol. However, subsequently physical and mental craving for alcohol reappears, and the person goes into a new binge. It turns out a vicious circle, from which it is very difficult to get out without the help of a specialist.
However, with severe physical dependence, the patient very often cannot independently get out of hard drinking. What to do in such a situation? It should be called to the house of a narcologist. The specialist will detoxify the body and relieve withdrawal symptoms.
Dipsomania
This pathology in its manifestations is very similar to a drunken state. However, dipsomania has nothing to do with alcohol addiction; this is just one of the symptoms of mental disorders.
Dipsomania is often observed in patients with depression and bipolar disorder. During an exacerbation of the underlying pathology, the patient suddenly begins to consume a large amount of alcohol. Drinking can last several days or weeks, and then suddenly stops. In this case, the patient is not stopped by possible trouble at work or the discontent of relatives.
With dipsomania, a person outside attacks is completely indifferent to alcohol. He has no alcohol addiction. Withdrawal syndrome is also absent. After binge, the patient may experience only a slight malaise caused by intoxication.
It is impossible to cure dipsomania using various narcological methods. Such a patient must consult a psychiatrist and undergo sedation and antidepressant therapy.
Features of pathology in women
Female drunken alcoholism is much more difficult than male alcoholism. This is due to the characteristics of metabolism. In a woman’s body, alcohol is poorly processed, so her withdrawal syndrome is more pronounced. For this reason, the disease progresses much faster.
In women, the middle stage of alcoholism often occurs in the form of binges. The onset of a breakdown may coincide in time with hormonal bursts or stressful situations. After the end of binge, patients have withdrawal symptoms, accompanied by the following symptoms:
- A painful headache and severe weakness. The state of health can be so severe that the patient can hardly move around the house and is not able to do any business.
- Indomitable vomiting. Nausea is not stopped by drugs or folk remedies. Persistent vomiting exacerbates dehydration caused by alcohol. Dry mouth and severe thirst.
- Depressed state of mind. After binge, patients experience severe depression and anxiety. This is due to the fact that women often reproach themselves for drinking. They feel guilty and ashamed. On this basis, patients with a hangover may experience mental disorders.
The above signs indicate the formed physical dependence. They stop with a new drink. This becomes the reason for the continuation of binge, which ceases only with complete depletion of the body.
There is a misconception that female alcoholism is not treated. However, this is a profound error. If the patient has a desire to get rid of a bad habit, then it is quite possible to defeat the craving for alcohol.
The consequences of binges
Consider the consequences of drunken alcoholism. Long and continuous intake of large doses of alcohol does not pass without a trace for the body. Against the background of alcohol consumption, the following pathologies may occur in patients:
- Delirium tremens (alcoholic delirium). This mental disorder occurs only after cessation of binge. It develops against the background of withdrawal syndrome. Delirium is usually preceded by insomnia and anxiety. The patient's temperature rises sharply, there are visual hallucinations of a frightening nature.
- Alcoholic hallucinosis. This mental disorder also develops against the background of a hangover and insomnia. The condition is accompanied by the appearance of auditory hallucinations. The patient hears voices condemning or blaming him.
- Intoxication. At the middle stage of the pathology, the alcoholic has increased ethanol tolerance. However, during binge, the patient loses control over alcohol consumption. Cases were noted when the patient died due to an overdose of alcohol or received severe poisoning with damage to the digestive tract and liver. In addition, during binge, patients can consume alcohol substitutes and low-quality drinks.
- Alcoholic polyneuropathy. Often during binges in patients, severe pain and numbness of the lower extremities are noted. Sometimes the legs completely fail, and a person cannot move. This is a sign of peripheral nerve damage due to alcohol intoxication.
All this suggests that with binge, the patient needs the help of a specialist. Otherwise, the risk of complications is very high.
The way out of binge with the help of a narcologist
As already mentioned, often an alcoholic without medical help can not get out of hard drinking. What to do in this case? Nowadays, many narcologists offer services for the relief of drunken conditions. Such assistance is provided both at home and on an outpatient basis.
The specialist gives the patient a dropper. The composition of the solution may include the following substances:
- Glucose. Helps remove toxins from the body.
- Eufillin. Improves blood circulation in the brain.
- Insulin. It is used to normalize metabolism.
- Calcium chloride. Restores water-salt metabolism.
- Tserukal. This ingredient reduces nausea and vomiting.
- Sedatives. Relieve depression and anxiety, contribute to sound sleep. This helps prevent the development of alcoholic delirium and hallucinosis.
This set of drugs allows you to relieve intoxication and stop the hangover syndrome. Usually, after a dropper, the patient falls asleep and wakes up in a normal state. However, dwell on this. It is necessary to undergo a course of treatment for alcohol dependence, otherwise a new breakdown is almost inevitable.
What can be done at home
How to remove a hangover at home? If the patient has severe withdrawal symptoms, it is best to seek the help of a specialist. Refusal of medical care may lead to delirium tremens. Before the doctor arrives, the patient needs to drink plenty of fluids to get rid of dehydration. The following drinks are suitable:
- green tea with lemon;
- cucumber pickle;
- mineral water;
- salted tomato juice;
- kefir.
It is also recommended to flush the patient's stomach and put a cleansing enema. This will help to slightly reduce intoxication. You can give the patient a decoction of valerian or motherwort, this will reduce anxiety. Take alcohol tinctures of sedative herbs for alcoholism should not be.
How to remove a hangover with drugs from a home medicine cabinet? Doctors do not recommend prescription drugs on their own. At home, you can take enterosorbents ("Activated Carbon", "Enterosgel", "Polysorb"). This will help remove toxins. Multivitamin complexes are also recommended, because with heavy drinking, the body loses a lot of useful substances. The reception of the drug "Regidron" is shown, this will reduce dehydration.
These measures can help only with short-term binge and the absence of severe withdrawal symptoms. If the patient has severe vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, mental disorders, then it is impossible to do without the help of a narcologist.
Drug treatment
Detoxification and relief of withdrawal symptoms are just first aid measures for drinking alcoholism. Treatment of addiction must be carried out comprehensively. After withdrawal from binge, the patient needs a course of therapy. Otherwise, a new breakdown is almost inevitable.
With alcoholism, patients are prescribed the following groups of drugs:
- Drugs that block the possibility of drinking alcohol (Colme, disulfiram-based medicines). These drugs cause a sharp negative reaction of the body when taken together with alcohol. They are also called chemicals for chemical coding.
- Nootropics (Piracetam, Cinnarizine, Cavinton). These drugs restore brain function damaged by alcohol.
- Sedatives (antidepressants, antipsychotics). Reduce mental stress, which often precedes binge.
- Vitamins of group B. Multivitamin complexes prevent neurological complications of alcoholism.
Is it possible to give a cure for alcoholism without the knowledge of the patient? If we are talking about drugs for chemical coding (Kolme, Disulfiram and its analogues), then this should never be done. If the patient breaks, the reaction of the body can be unpredictable. In patients with pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, even death can occur.
This also applies to drugs that cause vomiting when taken with ethanol. Alcoholics often suffer from stomach ulcers, and a combination of alcohol with such agents can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
What medications for alcoholism without the knowledge of the patient can be mixed in food? In this way, only homeopathic remedies can be used. These include:
- "Edas 121".
- "Protrot 100".
- "Acidum C".
Manufacturers claim that these products reduce alcohol cravings. However, homeopathy does not help all patients. Indeed, for the successful disposal of alcohol dependence, the desire of the patient himself is necessary. Therefore, treatment without the knowledge of the patient is not always effective.
Psychotherapeutic methods
Taking medication alone is not enough to get rid of addiction. It is necessary to create a firm psychological setting for the patient to stop drinking. To this end, hypnosis from alcoholism is widely used, which is often called "coding" in everyday life.
A hypnotic session is carried out in several stages:
- The patient is introduced into a trance state. First, the patient relaxes, and then falls into a deep sleep.
- By the method of hypnotic suggestion, the therapist forms a sobriety setting in the patient. The specialist vividly describes all the dangerous consequences of alcoholism and the advantages of refusing alcohol.
- The patient is taken out of sleep. After that, they give him a sniff of cotton wool soaked in alcohol. If this is disgusting, then the suggestion was successful.
To achieve the full effect, a person usually needs to go through not one, but several hypnosis sessions.
It is important to remember that psychotherapeutic methods work only if the patient is determined to end drunkenness. If a person did not realize the necessity of refusing alcohol, then the treatment will be ineffective.