How Does Medicine Help Exit Alcohol Addiction? Blog

Pharmacology in Alcoholism Treatment

Pharmacology finds its application primarily at the stage of rehabilitation treatment. Detox consists of complete, immediate cessation of the addictive substance. For many alcoholics, this is associated with the occurrence of withdrawal syndrome. Alcohol craving, which manifests through unpleasant ailments threatening the health and even life of the patient. Pharmacological agents do not aim to eliminate the addiction, as this part belongs to psychotherapy. They alleviate these unbearable symptoms and pain complaints. As a result of alcohol withdrawal, many patients struggle with fear about what consequences they can expect in their organism. Common symptoms appearing after alcohol withdrawal are anxiety states and depression. An irrational, often strong fear of consequences appears, which is why pharmacological agents are also used at this stage. Subsequently, the administration of appropriate preparations aims, among other things, to balance and replenish the electrolyte level after alcohol and necessary elements, so that the organism returns to proper functioning. Subsequently, symptoms of accompanying diseases are treated, as well as the coexisting diseases themselves. Pharmacology therefore aims to deal with the consequences manifesting on the physiological side. Medicine on the level of psychological treatment offers a range of therapies, activities, individually tailored programs, as well as meetings in groups for alcoholics.

Comprehensive Alcoholism Treatment

Treatment of alcohol addiction requires comprehensive actions. Above all psychotherapy, but it also cannot do without possible pharmacology when serious disorders of the entire organism's functioning come into play. In the entire treatment process, the selection of appropriate means counts, the choice of the group to which the alcoholic will attend meetings, as well as detoxification of the organism. Exiting alcohol addiction on one's own is practically impossible. The addicted person does not realize that this is a long-term and laborious process. At the recovery stage, professional help from specialists from various branches of medicine counts. Those who will deal with the toxin-poisoned organism, and those who will take care of the addicted person's psyche. The best results are brought by comprehensive, multi-dimensional actions. Based on the cooperation of a number of specialists, but also cooperation from the patient's side, to achieve the desired results. Exiting alcohol addiction and remaining in sobriety – abstinence is possible, but only with the help of professionals, qualified medical staff, and the necessary support of the closest environment, which has a significant impact on the life of the addicted person.

Alcoholism – a Treacherous Enemy That Can Be Fought

Before the person suffering from alcoholic disease admits to themselves that they are addicted and cannot handle it alone, usually a lot of time passes. This is sometimes the most difficult thing an alcoholic can encounter – honesty towards oneself is, however, the foundation when one wants to fight effectively. Most patients would like to know at the beginning of alcoholism treatment what their chances are and in approximately what time "it will be better." However, therapists cannot provide any time frames or suggest anything in this matter. It would be unfair to the patient, who after all has everything in their own hands. However, there are patients with better and worse prognosis, similar to other diseases. Therefore, it's important to realize in this matter that:
  • the longer the addiction lasts, the more difficult its treatment will be and consequently the chances of cure decrease;
  • disciplined people with strong psyche usually have better prognosis in alcoholism treatment;
  • environmental factors such as support from family or friends and overall health condition also affect the treatment process and its success.
Knowing the above, we can at least outline which group we or our loved ones belong to. It is generally believed that people without genetic burden regarding addictions, in good financial situation and with strong motivation have the best prognosis in this matter. However, there is no universal key for assessing the chances of curing alcoholism.

Appearances Deceive, or Why It's Worth Maintaining a Sober Assessment

There are people who, despite support, good socio-economic conditions, and professional therapy, cannot break with addiction. One cannot consider this from the perspective of "hopeless cases," however, it's puzzling how many different factors influence the final success. Sometimes the patient lacks motivation, which therapists mention as the main problem of people who from time to time end up in alcoholism treatment centers. Nevertheless, regardless of what baggage of experience and in what situation we enter the fight against the disease, it's worth fighting. Especially since currently we are not alone in this fight – currently therapy is noting increasingly better results and medicine is getting better at dealing with various types of addictions. One must hope that in the future new, even more effective techniques for dealing with alcohol addiction will be developed. Either way, currently anyone who wants to end this problem can contact specialized centers that will know how to lead the given case so that it has the greatest chances of ending the dangerous romance with alcohol. When one falls into the snares of addiction, it's not easy to get out of them. Fortunately, there are proven methods for this.

Pharmacological Assistance in Alcoholism Treatment

Medicine comes to help in the fight against alcoholism. One of its elements are pharmacological agents. Such an agent is Esperal. The active substance of the drug Esperal has a very important effect. It blocks the enzyme participating in alcohol metabolism. This process takes place in the liver. In the case of a normal cycle, ethanol contained in alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde. This, in turn, is converted into acetic acid harmless to the organism. Esperal prevents the conversion of harmful aldehyde into harmless acetic acid. This causes unpleasant effects after drinking alcohol. Further pharmacological agents are part of detox. It is used exclusively after consultation with a doctor and general examination of the patient's organism. Detoxification fulfills a very important task, it aims to detoxify the alcoholic's organism. It removes toxins accumulated as a result of alcohol abuse. Its task is to restore the patient's vital forces and water-electrolyte balance. Alcohol detoxification replenishes microelements washed out of the organism. In addition, it alleviates the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome. It appears after sudden alcohol withdrawal, it is a state of somatic and mental disorders. It can take various levels of intensity, from slight anxiety with nausea, dizziness and headaches, through life-threatening seizures, to very dangerous alcohol delirium.

Not Only Pharmacology

Medical support in the fight against alcoholism is not limited only to administering appropriate pharmacological agents. The most important element of treatment is psychotherapy. Without it, the treatment will be in vain. Psychotherapy is conducted in a stationary system under the supervision of psychotherapists. Sessions take place in small groups and are supported by individual meetings of the doctor with the patient. The selection of methods takes place according to the specific case, each person has different motivations. The most important task of psychotherapy is maintaining the patient in sobriety and changing their way of thinking about alcohol. This is extremely important, only such a method of conducting therapy gives a chance for complete recovery. It allows restoring the mental balance of the addicted person. They will learn to react differently to stress or have fun without alcohol. The patient will learn to live without stimulants.

Multi-Stage Alcoholism Treatment

Medicine very strongly supports the fight against alcoholism, actually only it guarantees getting on the right track. Treatment consists of pharmacological agents and psychotherapy. Only the combination of these two methods gives measurable results. However, they must be combined with the desire to break with addiction on the part of the addicted person.
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