What is domestic drunkenness? Stages of alcoholism: from ritual drunkenness to serious illness

Domestic drunkenness- a common phenomenon in Russia and in the world. It begins with moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, but often develops into chronic alcoholism. How are these two phenomena different? How to prevent severe addiction?

Domestic drunkenness (alcoholism)

Domestic alcoholism (drunkenness) is not yet a disease, but a bad habit that can lead to severe consequences. Home drinking is characterized by the fact that a person is able to regulate the amount of alcohol consumed. If the doses of alcohol increase, then after some time they decrease again.

The main danger of alcohol is the formation of addiction. In men it comes later, in women - faster, but with systematic abuse one day a persistent dependence appears. With everyday drunkenness it does not exist, but when “withdrawal” begins during the period of abstinence, we can talk about alcoholism.

Abuse during home drinking is expressed in drinking large doses alcohol. A person may drink a lot of alcohol at a party or during a feast. However, the next day he will experience a headache, nausea, and an aversion to alcohol.

Causes

Various reasons lead to everyday drunkenness. They are all individual, so it is quite difficult to classify them. However, the most common factors can be identified:

• Family traditions.
• Drinking for company.
• Problems and stress.

During the holidays, family members and friends gather for a feast. Drinking alcohol at such events becomes a kind of ritual. It is inconvenient to refuse a glass - it may offend the hosts.

Often alcohol is drunk simply for company - for example, when friends get together on a Friday evening. It becomes difficult to refuse a glass again.

It has developed in society that a drinking party reacts to a sober person with ridicule or even aggression. Advertising has a certain influence in this area, creating a stereotype according to which a bottle of beer is A good reason meet old friends.

A less common cause of home drinking is problems in your personal life and at work. If a person does not know how to relax, he attracts stimulants in the form of alcoholic drinks. If there is a hereditary predisposition, giving up alcohol can be especially difficult.

Classification

Based on the frequency of alcohol consumption, home drunks are divided into several types:

• Moderate drinkers (only on holidays).
• Occasional drinkers (up to 3 times a month).
• Regular drinkers (up to 2 times a week).
• Habitual drinkers (up to 3 times a week).

U different groups Among the population, everyday drunkenness occurs in its own way. In men, dependence on alcohol takes a long time to form, so long time They manage to hide it.

At first, the man drinks only with friends, but as addiction develops, he begins to drink alcohol at home alone. He begins to experience a persistent desire to drink, loses interest in loved ones, and skips work.

Gradually, the doses of alcohol increase, and the person’s mood changes: depression and aggression appear. After drinking a glass, he becomes cheerful again.

Classification of domestic drunkenness (alcoholism)

Over time, the body's defenses decrease, and psychological dependence which is becoming increasingly severe. At the mention of alcohol, a man begins to involuntarily smile and lick his lips. He denies his addiction in every possible way and gets angry when his loved ones point out his problem.

Household alcoholism in women occurs in a similar way, but has some differences. Representatives of the fairer sex quickly lose defensive reactions and start drinking alone regularly. Feeling an irresistible desire to drink alcohol, they are ashamed to admit it to anyone, so recognizing female drunkenness is much more difficult.

U drinking woman Characteristic changes in appearance appear almost immediately:

• swelling on the face;
• capillary network on the nose and skin;
• voice change;
• careless appearance.

A woman quickly loses the desire to take care of herself. She becomes moody, suffers from depression and mood swings. Like a man, a woman who is drunk at home denies the presence of an addiction, and is also very offended by such suspicions.

Domestic drunkenness is especially dangerous for children and adolescents, since alcohol destroys their nervous system and, in general, has negative impact on a young unformed organism, causing:

• memory disorders;
• decreased mental activity;
• deterioration of logical thinking;
• high pressure;
• low levels of leukocytes and glucose in the blood.

By drinking alcohol, teenagers begin to skip school. They often have nervous breakdowns, they run away from home and engage in petty theft. To prevent drunkenness at home, it is important to choose a hobby for your child so that he has something to do in his free time.

Signs and symptoms

Household drunkenness is characterized by the absence of severe dependence. However, you can recognize a bad habit by the following symptoms:

• Drink only when there is a reason.
• Controlling the amount of alcohol consumed.
• Severe hangover.
• Feeling guilty after sobering up.

Unlike a chronic alcoholic, a casual drunkard drinks only during family feasts, meetings with friends and other events. If there is no reason to drink alcohol, a person will not create it artificially.

In addition, at the stage of domestic alcoholism, a person, although he may drink too much alcohol, generally controls the amount of alcohol he drinks. After exceeding the personal dose, very severe hangover, which is expressed in nausea with vomiting, severe headache, weakness.

After sobering up, the everyday drunk feels remorse for his behavior the day before, especially if he hears reproaches from loved ones. Aggressive behavior as a result of drinking alcohol is more typical of chronic alcoholism.

Stages of development

Household drunkenness does not develop immediately. Alcohol addiction occurs gradually and goes through several stages:

• Episodic alcohol consumption.
• Systematic use.
• Habit.
• Chronic alcoholism.

At first, a person drinks in honor of holidays and special occasions. This normal phenomenon, which does not cause much concern. The dose of alcohol consumed per month does not yet exceed 1 liter, the person is already beginning to enjoy it, but euphoria has not yet set in.

Systematic drunkenness is most common among young people aged 18 to 35 years, who drink up to 1 liter of alcohol per week. Addiction is already evident, although the person himself is sure that he can give up the addiction at any time. At this stage, mostly light alcohol is drunk, but it is this that is highly addictive.

When drinking becomes a habit, a person begins to drink 1.5 liters of alcohol per week, realizing that he no longer wants to give up his addiction. Alcoholic drinks at this stage bring not only pleasure, but also euphoria. If measures are not taken, chronic alcoholism will develop, which will be much more difficult to cope with.

Stages of development of everyday drunkenness and the transition to alcoholism

The difference between everyday drunkenness and alcoholism

Domestic and chronic alcoholism are often confused, but this different states. Drinking at home is a harmful habit, but one that a person can still cope with. This is how such drunkenness differs from alcoholism, a serious illness that requires treatment.

The everyday drinker abuses it from time to time, but is aware of this and takes breaks so that the body can recover. The period of sobriety is given to him without difficulty. A chronic alcoholic does not have a stopper: changes occur in his body, so in the absence of a dose of alcohol, he experiences severe withdrawal symptoms.

The next morning after a feast, the everyday drunkard repents and makes a promise to himself not to drink anymore. An alcoholic usually does not remember anything, but even if the memories remain, he does not feel shame, since alcohol leads to complete degradation of the personality.

In addition, the everyday drunk knows exactly his dose, after which he will feel ill, and tries not to exceed it. A chronic alcoholic drinks while he has alcohol.

However, in general it is difficult to find the line beyond which home alcoholism becomes chronic. A person himself may consider himself an ordinary drinker, although in reality he has already developed a severe addiction.

How to avoid transition to alcoholism?

With everyday drunkenness, there is always a danger of chronicity of the process. The best way prevent alcoholism - stop drinking.

It is important to understand that alcohol does not solve the problem and does not help you relax. It only creates the illusion of well-being and temporarily takes you away from reality. However, the next morning the problems will only increase: there will be a hangover and shame for what happened the day before.

If the dependence on alcohol is already clearly visible, and a person is not able to give up the addiction on his own, it is necessary to urgently consult a narcologist. He will examine the patient. If the diagnosis of alcoholism is not confirmed, drug treatment is not required, but consultation with a specialist will not be superfluous.

To prevent complications from home drinking, it is recommended to come up with a hobby, start devoting time to your family, playing sports and participating in social life. These measures will help you spend your free time profitably and have quality rest. In this case, there will be no need for stimulants for relaxation.

On the video, the causes, symptoms, development of domestic alcoholism:

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Alcohol is a common way to relax. Many people think that there is nothing wrong with having an occasional drink after work or in the company of friends. However, this is precisely where domestic drunkenness begins. This bad habit, an addiction to alcohol that a person can still control. But no one knows at what point control will become an illusion. One day, the desire to drink can take over a person's will.

How is it different from alcoholism?

From drunkenness to alcoholism 1 step

But everyday drunkenness is not alcoholism, but its harbinger. The main difference between drunkenness is a person’s ability to regulate alcohol consumption and reduce doses at will.

But when regular use even small doses a person gradually wants to drink more and more alcohol. Addiction sets in quickly, faster in women than in men. Habituation imperceptibly develops into addiction, into a difficult disease to overcome - alcoholism.

Differences between alcoholism and everyday drunkenness in pathological cravings to alcohol. Gradually, degradation occurs, the development of accompanying physical and psychological disorders. Their cause is poisoning of the body with alcohol and violation social life person.

The diagnosis of alcoholism can only be made by a narcologist or a psychiatrist.

Why do people drink, are there any benefits from drinking?

People drink alcohol for different reasons and pursue different goals:

• A person is persuaded to drink by friends in order to have fun in a common company. In this case, the person drinks so as not to stand out among his friends. He wants to become “one of his own”, not to be ridiculed and questioned.
• A man drinks on holiday at the family table. This is how he strives to get closer to relatives, lift his mood and, again, avoid unnecessary questions.
• A person cannot relax after stress or a hard day at work, and wants to forget about problems with the help of alcohol. He succeeds, but later he will want to resort to this method again and again.
• A person wants to “forget”, get rid of disturbing thoughts and put aside his problems.

Little benefit, many consequences

What can be said about the benefits of drinking? Rare and moderate consumption of alcohol does not cause serious harm. Sometimes this helps a person to cheer up, become more cheerful and take a break from problems. In some cases, alcoholic drinks can enhance the creative impulse, liberate oneself in dance and in communication. However, in order for alcohol not to cause harm, its use must be truly rare, conscious and controlled. Outstanding physicians, Bekhterev and Pavlov, agreed on one opinion. Significant alcohol consumption is harmful to human health and mental activity. Intoxication is voluntary madness.

The drunkenness gene does exist. This is an inherited tendency to quickly become dependent on alcohol. In this case, the owner of the gene should be extremely careful in drinking any alcoholic beverages.

Classifications

Scientists Dunaevsky and Styazhkin classified household alcoholism as follows:

Withdrawals	They do not drink alcohol at all, or drink up to 100 ml of wine 2-3 times a year (usually “for company”). Reasons for refusal include personal preferences, illness, religious beliefs. They may drink under pressure from others.
Casual drinkers	Take up to 150 ml several times a month or a year, at a time they can drink no more than 250 ml of strong drinks. They do not experience significant pleasure in the process. They do not want to increase the dose and frequency of alcohol intake. Such people get drunk weakly, maintaining control in everything.
Moderate drinkers	Take up to 150 ml of strong alcohol 1-4 times a month, drink up to 400 ml at a time. Such people like the feeling of intoxication up to moderate euphoria. They drink mainly in certain groups, without being the initiators of drinking alcohol. For people in this group average degree intoxication. In a sober state, behavior is absolutely normal.
Regular drinkers	Drink up to 300 ml of vodka 1-2 times a week. Maximum dose reaches 500 ml. Individuals in this group themselves initiate drinking alcohol in company and strive to find a convenient excuse. Negative social behavior becomes apparent. Alcohol takes an important place in life, overshadowing other areas.
Habitual drinkers	Drink 500 ml 2-3 times a week. People in this group cannot always behave in a socially acceptable manner and experience difficulties with family and work. This stage is not yet considered alcoholism, although it is very close to it. Alcoholics are used to it drinking people differ in that they do not yet have pronounced clinical diseases against the background of drunkenness. Also, systematically drinking man may still return to normal life through volitional effort.

There is also a taxonomy created by scientists Lisitsyn and Stochik. They were guided by the following parameters: how a person behaves when intoxicated, how often and how much he drinks, reasons for drinking alcohol. The classification also takes into account the presence clinical manifestations. According to this classification, people are divided into:

• Not drinking alcohol;
• Moderate drinkers;
• Those who abuse – are divided into:

1. Persons who do not have chronic alcohol disease
2. Persons with initial signs alcoholism

Symptoms and causes

Casual drunkenness and alcoholism often begin with “harmless” drinking in company. Gradually, a person increasingly likes the effect of liberation and euphoria obtained during intoxication. At what point should you sound the alarm? Important signs that drunkenness is progressing is:

• Loss of control and increased cravings for alcohol. Gradually, the desire to drink appears more and more often and it becomes more and more difficult to resist. You no longer need a special occasion to drink alcohol. The social circle is limited to friends who support the destructive habit. Interests in other areas of life fade away.
• Loss of gag reflex. Normal reaction body - vomiting immediately after consuming significant doses of alcohol. With regular drinking of alcohol, the human body no longer removes poisons as before. This signals weakening protective functions body.
• Secret drinking alone. Regular drinking of strong drinks in company can be justified by the desire to socialize. Increased dependence manifests itself in the fact that a person no longer needs communication. His goal is to drink.
• Memory losses. One of the symptoms of brain poisoning. The person does not remember what happened while he was intoxicated. Binge drinking is diagnosed when a person cannot remember events even after being reminded.

In life, many people periodically observe a similar situation happening to someone they know or are close to. At first, people drank to brighten up their leisure time. Gradually alcohol became his " best friend“, and sober life turned into a gray routine. Conflicts began with the family showing concern. Friends who don’t drink have become “boring” and “negative.” It seemed to the man that everyone had turned away from him because of his addiction to alcohol. Because of this thought, he drank even more often and more, so as not to think about the bad. Drinking became an escape from an unpleasant reality.

Frightening symptoms appeared - memory lapses, uncontrollable attraction to strong drinks. When things had already gone far enough, the man was afraid that he himself had not noticed how alcohol had taken over his life. And the process of returning to a sober life took a lot of time and effort.

Can drunkenness turn into alcoholism?

Often “harmless” drunkenness turns into alcoholism, moreover, quickly and unnoticed by a person. This transition is facilitated by:

• weak will of the drinker and inability to stop in time;
• neglect of the dangers of alcohol abuse, unwillingness to think that such drunkenness can really destroy health and family;
• undeveloped areas of human life, boredom and the desire to “decorate” life with cheerful feasts;
• low social and economic standard of living;
• the presence of drinking buddies who encourage you to indulge in a dangerous habit.

Consequences of drunkenness

If we talk about the dangers of drunkenness, it social consequences very serious. These include a weakening of will and indifference to life, job loss and family divorces, an increase in the level of crime and accidents (alcohol-dependent people get into accidents 35 times more often).

On a physical level, a heavy drinker reduces life expectancy by up to 20 years. Alcoholic drinks are the cause of 40% of all cases of myocardial infarction. Alcohol destroys the liver, heart and brain, gradually turning a healthy person into a sick person.

Video

Domestic drunkenness (domestic alcoholism) is usually called a way of life of people, the basis of which is incorrect attitudes and habits associated with alcohol. This is not a disease, but bad habit. Household alcoholism is based on traditions existing in society, as well as attitudes adopted in a group close to the individual (colleagues, relatives, friends).

Alcohol can accompany a person throughout his life, while his permissible quantity will remain at the same level. However, in some cases, it is possible for everyday drunkenness to turn into alcoholism.

The emergence of domestic drunkenness may be due to for various reasons:

Classification of domestic drunkenness

Depending on the amount and frequency of alcohol intake, scientists divide all people who drink alcohol into several groups:

• Moderate drinkers. This group includes people who drink alcohol no more than once a month on special occasions and in small quantities.
• Occasional drinkers. Such people drink 1-3 times a month.
• Regular drinkers. These are individuals who drink 200-300 milliliters of vodka 1-2 times a week.
• Habitual drinkers. This group includes those who drink 300-500 milliliters of vodka 2-3 times a week.

All of the above groups relate to domestic drunkenness. The next group is chronic alcoholics, taking at least a glass of vodka or other strong drinks daily.

Household alcoholism is characterized by the presence of a number of signs:

The difference between everyday drunkenness and chronic alcoholism

Domestic drunkenness and are not the same thing. There are several significant differences between these two conditions:

• As already mentioned, everyday drunkenness is not a disease, unlike alcoholism, which requires mandatory treatment.
• An alcoholic is not able to stop drinking or reduce the amount of alcohol on his own. A person prone to everyday drunkenness can easily give up alcohol, guided by his personal desire.
• With alcoholism, a number of changes occur in the patient’s body, as a result of which he becomes ill without the usual dose of alcohol. Domestic drunkenness does not entail such problems.
• After drinking, an alcoholic in most cases does not remember anything, but a person susceptible household alcoholism, is aware of the events that took place.
• Alcoholism is a progressive disease; it will certainly develop, leading the patient to a constant outcome - complete personality degradation. Household drunkenness remains at the same level for many years. A person drinks alcohol, but does not exceed a certain amount.

It is very difficult for a person to notice the difference between everyday drunkenness and alcoholism, especially if he does not know the signs of alcoholism. He may think of himself as a drinker, but at the same time be already in the first stage of alcoholism.

Alcohol has properties similar to drugs in that it produces a feeling of pleasure and well-being when taken. Accordingly, addiction to it may develop, which will entail the need to consume more and more of it.

This is already becoming the first stage of alcoholism. A person is still able to keep the desire to drink under control, but cannot imagine free time without drinking alcohol. For him, the only worthy pleasure is achieving a state of intoxication.

As already mentioned, distinguish initial stage Only a qualified doctor can treat alcoholism from everyday drunkenness. If you notice that the need for alcohol has begun to increase, you should immediately seek help., because on early stages Alcoholism, like any other disease, can be treated quickly enough.

How to avoid the transition of everyday drunkenness into alcoholism

To prevent everyday drunkenness from turning into alcoholism, you need to give up alcohol or reduce the amount of alcohol you take. To achieve this goal, the following steps should be taken:

• Consultation with a psychotherapist and narcologist, as well as following their recommendations.
• Combination traditional medicine with folk methods.
• Getting rid of excess free time that was spent drinking alcohol.

To achieve this goal, you can act in several directions:

• Maintaining an active social and family life.
• New interests, hobbies.
• Sports activities.

Getting physical and mental relaxation without drinking alcohol will make your life bright and rich, and also avoid such a serious illness as alcoholism.

Casual drunkenness is fraught with many pitfalls; it is dangerous and insidious. To avoid the sad prospects associated with it, it is best to try to stop on time, filling your life with worthy and interesting activities.

When talking about the effect of alcohol on a person, one should distinguish drunkenness from alcoholism. Domestic drunkenness in most cases is possible at home. But with the treatment of alcoholism, everything is more complicated - getting rid of this disease most often requires a rather long hospital stay. What is the difference between drunkenness and alcoholism, and how much alcohol can you drink per day, you will learn from the material posted on this page.

2.4 million Russians have been officially diagnosed with alcoholism. However, in reality, about 17 million people suffer from alcohol dependence to one degree or another. This is almost 12% of total number population. Since 1991, alcohol consumption has been growing in Russia. In 1996, per capita, we drank approximately 7.5 liters of pure alcohol. According to experts, current per capita consumption of pure ethanol is 15 liters. If we take into account only people over 15 years old, then this is already 17 liters.

Currently most scientific research showed that moderate consumption of low-strength, high-quality alcoholic beverages does not harm and even helps our body protect itself from cardiovascular diseases, but any step towards abuse will lead to the exact opposite and very serious consequences.

So how to determine the permissible dose of alcohol and where is the line after which each subsequent glass will harm you? The main role in the formation of a reasonable attitude towards alcohol belongs to family upbringing and influence social environment in which a person develops.

Safe dose of alcohol per day according to WHO criteria

According to WHO criteria, a safe dose of alcohol for men is 2 units of alcohol (30 g of ethanol - 96% alcohol)

A safe dose of alcohol per day for women is 1 unit (15 g ethanol)

1 conventional unit alcohol are:

• 30 g vodka, cognac, whiskey
• 120 g dry red wine
• 330 g beer

For people who completely give up alcohol, the risk of developing complications various diseases, including cardiovascular, and death is slightly higher compared to those who drink alcohol within a safe dose.

The WHO report “Diet and prevention chronic diseases"(1993) the doses of alcohol that reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease were determined.

How much alcohol can you drink per day?

How much alcohol can you drink per day? healthy people so that strong alcoholic drinks have a beneficial effect on the body?

• For men - 10 - 20 g ethanol (96% alcohol)
• For women - 5 - 10 g ethanol

Naturally, no one claims that everyone who drinks more than the specified limit is an alcoholic. However, it is necessary to know that the amount of alcohol consumed by them is dangerous and harmful to health.

Consuming more than 30 g of ethanol per day leads to increased risk development arterial hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis.

Adverse effects of alcohol on the human body

The adverse effects of alcohol on the human body are associated with the effect of ethanol on the human body. At the central level nervous system ethanol acts like a narcotic. The main pathogenetic link of the narcotic effect of alcohol is an increase in the threshold of pain sensitivity, the formation of emotions and behavioral reactions. Disruption of the activity of these systems due to chronic alcohol consumption causes the development alcohol addiction, withdrawal syndrome, change in critical attitude towards alcohol. When alcohol oxidizes in the body, it forms poisonous substance- acetaldehyde, which causes the development of chronic intoxication of the body. A particularly strong effect of alcohol on the body is on the walls of blood vessels (acetaldehyde stimulates the progression of atherosclerosis), liver tissue ( alcoholic hepatitis), brain tissue (alcoholic encephalopathy). In addition, ethyl alcohol increases the stickiness of red blood cells, which leads to the formation of blood clots and significant disturbances in blood circulation in all organs and tissues of the body. This explains the toxic effects of alcohol on health and leads to heart and kidney diseases. Chronic alcohol consumption leads to mucosal atrophy gastrointestinal tract and the development of vitamin deficiency.

In September 2006, surrogate alcohol poisoning became a national epidemic in Russia: about 3,600 people were affected. People were admitted to hospitals with a diagnosis of toxic hepatitis", and not everyone was saved. Due to the fact that ethyl alcohol is taxed, prices for high-quality alcohol are rising. Unscrupulous producers of “leftist” alcohol have switched to another raw material - isopropyl alcohol, which is a hundred times more toxic than ethyl alcohol. This is the drink that is sold for 45-50 rubles, and it causes severe poisoning.

Young people in age group People under 40 are more likely to die in car accidents or violent deaths than from heart attacks. The greater the alcohol abuse, the higher the risk of death from accidents while intoxicated.

In older people, the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. The effect of alcohol on human health in old age is especially detrimental.

The harmful effects of alcohol on a woman's body

For women, the norm for safe alcohol consumption is 2 times lower than for men. Malicious influence alcohol on a woman’s body is due to the fact that the female body is significantly different from the male body. Therefore, the path from drunkenness to alcoholism is much shorter for women - from one to two years (for men - up to 8-10 years).

Firstly, in female body contained less water compared to men's. Accordingly, the alcohol concentration at the same doses in women is initially higher.

Secondly, Negative influence alcohol on women is explained by the fact that their enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase), which breaks down alcohol, is less active, and accordingly, intoxication occurs faster.

In pregnant women, alcohol abuse leads to negative impact for the fruit. Meanwhile female alcoholism most common during childbearing years.

It is believed that alcoholism is inherited. This is not entirely true. In families that drink, negative traditions can lead to children becoming alcoholics more often. The disease itself is not transmitted from parents to children, but hereditary predisposition to alcohol really exists.

What is the difference between everyday drunkenness and alcoholism?

Domestic drunkenness and alcoholism are different concepts. Alcoholism is characterized by a strong mental and physical dependence on alcohol and, as a disease, goes through several stages, which are characterized by an increase in alcohol dependence, a decrease in self-control regarding alcohol consumption, and the development of somatic disorders caused by chronic alcohol intoxication. Among people who abuse alcohol, the following groups are distinguished:

• no signs of alcoholism;
• with initial signs of alcoholism (loss of situational and dose control, binge drinking);
• With pronounced signs alcoholism (regular binges, defeat internal organs, mental disorders).

Test to distinguish between drunkenness and alcoholism

To check the difference between drunkenness and alcoholism, and at what stage you are, test yourself with a small test.

1. Have you ever thought that you need to reduce your alcohol consumption?

2. Do you lose control over your dose of alcohol?

3. Are you criticized for your intemperance with alcohol?

4. Do you feel guilty about drinking?

5. Do you take alcohol in the morning to get rid of unpleasant feelings?

If you answered “yes” to three or more questions, then you need to reconsider your attitude towards alcohol and urgently consult a specialist.

To diagnose alcoholism, the following signs must be present.

Joyful excitement in anticipation of drinking. If it does not take place, then aggression and oppression appear.

Impaired ability to control alcohol use, i.e. initiation, cessation and/or dosage.

Usually an alcoholic does not remember the events of yesterday's drinking, even if he was conscious.

The presence of withdrawal syndrome, that is, a hangover: nausea, headache, anxiety. After taking another dose of alcohol, the condition temporarily improves.

Continuing to drink alcohol despite obvious harmful health consequences.

The patient never admits to himself that he is sick. It is very difficult to persuade him to see a doctor.

Drug and psychological treatment of alcoholism

There are several key points in the treatment of alcoholism:

Drug treatment of alcoholism is used to suppress alcohol dependence and eliminate disorders caused by chronic alcohol intoxication.

Methods psychological treatment alcoholism help to perpetuate negative attitude the patient to alcohol and prevent relapses of the disease.

Measures for social rehabilitation the patient is called upon to restore the patient with alcoholism as a person and reintegrate him into the structure of society.

For successful treatment alcoholism, it is necessary to realize that a drinking person cannot control himself. Drinking glass after glass, he does not relax, does not relieve stress, does not become freer, but only deafens his consciousness. To free yourself from this addiction, you must not only seek help from qualified specialist, but also firmly decide for yourself that you want to break the chain that fetters your will and destroys your life. You should not believe advertisements that “guarantee” 100% recovery or cure in 1-2 sessions. You should seek help from a narcologist with a good professional reputation. In such situation real help Relatives and friends should provide assistance.

Alcoholism on last stage Often incurable, this disease breaks down the body’s internal protective barriers, and sometimes it is no longer possible to restore them. After a drug withdrawal from a drunken state, an alcoholic is prohibited from drinking forever, otherwise Clinical signs alcoholism will return. It is extremely rare for a former alcoholic to return to “cultural” drinking. If he starts drinking in moderation, then a relapse of the disease is inevitable, and the person will soon go “peddling” again.

This must be clearly understood by the patient’s friends and relatives, and this must be instilled in him himself. And after treatment, try to eliminate or minimize situations that can provoke alcohol consumption.

On the pages of this blog I have already said that alcoholism and drunkenness are different things. If everyone understood this, there would be no need to write about it. Out of interest, on the mail.ru resource I asked in different options When asked about the difference between drunkenness and alcoholism, eighty percent answered that they were the same thing. But these concepts cannot be mixed. A person must first understand this issue if he wants to return to normal life. Those who are going to help him with this should do the same.

Briefly, this is: alcoholism is a disease, drunkenness is a hobby, a habit, an addiction. Since Soviet times I have come across the term “domestic drunkenness”, which from someone’s light hand started walking around the world. Why household? What, there is still production? Well, of course, we can also distinguish “garage drunkenness” or “fishing drunkenness”? This is when your wife doesn’t let you drink, and you can vent your soul at work, fishing, or manufacturing.

Well, okay, we’ve long been accustomed to the expression “domestic drunkenness,” so let’s not try to break the tradition. Moreover, this does not affect the essence of the problem in any way. But on many websites on alcohol topics I come across the following idea: “alcoholism is the final stage of drunkenness.” Or: “drunkenness - initial degree alcoholism." Distorted information can be found on the Internet on any topic. And it’s not just that you meet it, it’s just at every step, and finding something worthwhile on an issue of interest can be very difficult. Why?

I will tell the uninitiated, as the owner of three sites, that what we can find on the network by searching, in 95 percent of cases, information is stolen from standing, independent resources. Often simply copied, sometimes excerpts of text are taken from different authors and glued together into one whole. As a rule, this is done by amateurs in the issue being covered, and is called rewriting - rewriting, or, even worse, copy-paste - simply re-copying. Hence, tons of unverified, distorted, and often simply harmful information.

Well, “enough about the sad things,” let’s get back to our sheep. Drinking does not always end in alcoholism. If there is no genetic predisposition, alcoholism does not threaten you. It is now possible, as far as I know, to determine this in advance. Alcoholism does not necessarily stem from violent, binge drinking. There was authoritative evidence that it could be practically innate. I can take myself as an example. Until the time I became an alcoholic, I had never been to a sobering station. Well, by the way, after too. I have never had any drinking related comments at work. My wives never left me because of this. But... nevertheless, I developed alcoholism.

No, of course there were troubles from vodka. Thus, drinking is often associated with trouble. As a psychiatrist I knew once told me: “If we completely take away vodka from humanity, we can easily close half of the prisons and mental hospitals.”
So, to a certain extent, drunkenness is drunkenness, alcoholism is alcoholism.

Since people are very different, all with their own concepts about life, different levels of intelligence, the question of why some people drink is definitely not possible. In any case, the reasons that prompt a person to be friends with the green serpent are, on average, quite different among drunkards and alcoholics. That is, if we are just a drunkard, then the reasons are usually the same, if sometimes an alcoholic breaks into binges, the reasons are different. If it’s 2in1, then it’s something third.

Non-drinking alcoholics need not be considered, since they are freed from their problems, except for one, they can no longer drink at all. If this is not a problem for them, then there are no questions at all.

Let's start with the drunks. Who are drunkards? Let's try to determine. According to my observations, a drunkard without an admixture of alcoholism is a person who does not have more or less serious interests in life. Well, he went to work, then came home, what to do? Boring. It’s also not a bad thing to do on weekends. Everything is fed up. My wife has not aroused any feelings for a long time. To have a normal mistress, there is no money. Children are always spinning underfoot. Total melancholy. These are the people, oddly enough, who are the hardest to stop. First of all, because this is their way of life, their own understanding of reality. What can you offer or oppose to such a person?

Yes, some of them may have thought about it themselves, but the street is full of people like him. Round-robin support begins. Since I’m not the only one, there are many of us, then everything is fine. These are the non-drinkers, the fools, but with us everything is in order. And if someone doesn’t think like that, he’ll start thinking like that after a glass, because he’s finally starting to “comprehend the truth.” In the sixties, someone who drank a lot was looked upon with much more disapproval than now. Society's intolerance means a lot.

A meeting of this type of people goes something like this:
- Hello, Vasek.
-Oh, good health, Kolek.
-Well, what do you have?
- No shit. I've been waiting for an hour, maybe someone will come out. What about you? Nothing too?
- Yes, there were grandmothers yesterday. I know for sure they were. Probably my bastard scooped it up while I was sleeping. (He's talking about his wife).
- Well, let's go see Alekseich?
-What about Alekseich?
- So pension yesterday, I guess.
-Well, let's go.

Then Grinya and Tolyan pulled up, and off we went. And so on day after day. From month to month. Year after year. Grinya was buried, he managed to grow up and take a job, joining the necessary, useful business of Sanya. They buried Tolyan, Vovan took the baton. The ranks are not thinning. AND main reason here – LACK OF LIFE GOALS.

A drunkard and an alcoholic in one body, this, it seems to me, is the worst of the options. You can understand that every morning is incredibly bad, but instead of thinking about how to stop, a person just thinks about where to get more. A simple everyday drunk can easily not drink in the morning if he needs to abstain. An alcoholic drunkard cannot. He's not much of a worker until he gets a hangover. He drinks and starts working. But he went a little too far, and again he couldn’t do anything. The whole life of such people is a continuous, continuous binge. They get so used to the fact that they feel bad, sometimes a little better, sometimes not at all, that they can no longer imagine what can and should be just “normal.” Everything goes in one circle. It’s very bad in the morning, a little better by lunchtime, but not at all by the evening, because it’s already time for Drabadan.

I simply call alcoholics those who have binges from time to time. Alcoholics who drink intermittently spend most of their lives sober, although often a significant part of their time and effort is spent on correcting mistakes and making up for the losses made and incurred during the binge. Usually these are people with significant creative and intellectual potential. At one time, due to certain circumstances and genetic predisposition, they developed alcoholism. We will consider the topic of circumstances separately someday.

Among psychotherapists, this is the most capricious and disobedient group. Alcoholics who drink intermittently are usually unpredictable. IN electronic devices Sometimes there is a type of breakdown when it sometimes works, sometimes it doesn’t work. You take it apart, turn it on - it works. Once you put it back together, it doesn’t work again. If you knock, it works again. It is very difficult to find the cause until you figure out the pattern. This is what this device looks like drinking time alcoholic from time to time. No one, not even himself, knows when the next binge will hit. But in the pursuit of sobriety, they are undisputed leaders, and understanding their real situation, they try to find a way out. Although, of course, there are no rules without exceptions.

In my opinion, a drinking person is always bad. Drunkenness is a road to nowhere. And in order to turn off this road, first of all, the drinker needs to impartially assess his situation. If he is satisfied with it, then it is difficult to advise him. If he simply doesn't want to admit it because his pride won't allow it, you need to gently push him to necessary conclusions. But in such a way that it’s as if he did it himself. The main thing is probably to get it into his head that drinking uncontrollably is more shameful than being treated. Then hint that the treatment can be carried out without anyone knowing. Like, everyone will think that he quit drinking himself. They will respect you more. This is a proven, working motivation.