Treatments of Alcoholism
Alcoholism can destroy the life of an alcoholic and devastate the alcoholic's family. But it also has overwhelming consequences for society. Consider these statistics from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence:
*In 1988, alcoholism and problems related to it cost the United States an estimated $85.8 billion in mortality and reduced productivity;
*Fetal alcohol syndrome, caused by a woman's drinking during pregnancy, afflicts five thousand infants a year; it costs about $1.4 billion annually to treat the infants, children and adults afflicted with FAS;
*More than twenty thousand people die annually in alcohol related car accidents.
(Institute of Medicine, 1989)
Clearly alcoholism harms society in numerous ways and it is in society's best interest to find effective treatments for alcoholics.
The primary goal of all treatments for alcoholism is to get the alcoholic to stop drinking and refrain from abusing alcohol in the future. The paths to this goal are diverse. Several factors - biological, social and psychological - influence why an individual becomes an alcoholic. So treatments vary, depending upon why the alcoholic drinks and what the physician or therapist believes is the best method for recovery. Some treatments focus on the physical addiction of alcoholism. Others emphasize the alcoholic's social or psychological cravings. Alcoholics Anonymous and Rational Recovery are two support groups that help alcoholics recover. Other alcoholics benefit from one-on-one therapy with counselors, who may help patients understand drinking and change their behavior.
Finally for some alcoholics, the most effective treatments are those that combine medical treatment with counselling. Such treatments enable the alcoholic to more easily break the physical addiction to alcohol as they evaluate their social and psychological reasons for drinking. Two of these treatments are: Nutritional Therapy and Network Therapy.
Nutritional Therapy
"Alan Dalum was 37 years old and thoroughly convinced he was soon going to die. Dalum was not dying of cancer, heart disease or any other illness from which one can leave the world with dignity. Dalum was dying of alcoholism."
(Ewing, 1978) Just when he lost all hope for recovery, Dalum discovered a center that emphasized the importance of biochemical rep...
... middle of paper ...
...ent of the harmful nature of drug use can emerge. Addicts can experience a "conversion" of sorts, perhaps gradual, but real nonetheless.
(Johnson, 1980)
There is hardly any disorder more complicated and difficult to treat than alcohol/drug dependence. Perhaps because alcohol dependence is so complex, it has attracted various professions and approaches, each having its own notion of etiology and treatment. The point is that treatment needs to be conceptualized for the patient as a long term process of years with the principle task for recovery being to provide the most effective treatment for a given person with a given problem. But until and unless researchers find a specific biological cause and cure for alcoholism, treatments will continue to vary, depending upon the alcoholic and the therapist.
References
Ewing, J. (1978). Drinking. Chicago: Nelson Hall Institute of Medicine. (1989).
Broadening the Base of Treatment for Alcoholic Problems. New York: Bergin
Publishers Inc.
Johnson, V. (1980). I'll Quit Tomorrow. New York: Harper & Row.
Newman, S. (1987). It Won't Happen To Me. Toronto: General Publishing Co.
Stepney, R. (1987) Alcohol. New York: Aladdin Books
"The total annual mortality rates due to alcohol-related accidents and health issues are close to 35,000” (“Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse"). This fact explains how many problems come along with alcohol abuse, and tell about health issues and accidents that could be caused by alcohol. Alcohol can be very dangerous and threaten the lives of people even if they are not the one consuming alcohol. Wrecks often happen and kill innocent people as a result of people drinking and driving. There are many alcohol related deaths in the world today whether it is because of drunk driving, or just because someone drank too much and destroyed their liver. Many people think these problems are problems that could easily be avoided if people did not use drinking as a way out of the things in life that are hard. Many people do not realize what they might do when they are drunk, or what it could effect in their life. There is no definite cause of Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism, though there are many reasons as to why people may drink. Alcohol Abuse can ruin lives, goals, families and many other things for a persons life. Many people do think that when you are of age, alcohol is alright to drink here and there, but many think the hard core liquor should have a limit. Alcohol is not just fun and games or just getting together with friends to "have a few drinks." Having a few drinks can turn into a lot more than fun. Drinking can turn into many other things and could be very bad. Alcohol Abuse is a very big deal, and plays a role in the daily lives of many people. Alcohol Abuse can cause fights in families or with other people, and could ruin a relationship or burn that trust you may have had with someone. Alcohol is abused for many reasons, one of those r...
These have help development an intensive rehabilitation program for the patient. It will take an active involvement by the patient to assure optimum recovery.
"NIH Study Finds Chronic Alcohol Use Shifts Brain's Control of Behavior." NIH News Release. 22 Aug. 2013: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Mike Brake’s “Needed: A License to Drink” is a well-written essay that covers the serious issue of alcoholism and goes on to offer a creative proposal to solve the situation. Brake addresses alcoholism as a “primary public health-problem” which holds merit, considering Brake sites alcohol is the cause of 19,000 auto fatalities each year. To remedy these preventable fatalities, Brake proposes to institute a national system of licensing with appropriate penalties for violators. He goes on to say that these licenses should be issued the same way as driver’s licenses. An applicant would have to read a manual, and take a written exam which would include questions such as “How many drinks would it take to intoxicate a 150lb man?” and “What is the penalty for drunk driving?” After passing the written test applicants would be issued a drinking license that would be required for buying any alcoholic drink.
There is a definite link between alcohol abuse and the symptoms of depression. When someone is depressed, they may use alcohol to find temporary relief from the pain. There are many situations where someone may overuse alcoholic substances. The most common reason for consuming alcoholic beverages is to cover for feelings of social inadequacy. When this becomes a regular occurrence the resulting condition can lead to a depressive disorder.
What is a depressant? It is defined as substances that slow down the normal function of the central nervous system. The drugs that are considered as depressants are alchol and barbiturates. Their are many resons as to why people tend to take depressants some do it to reduce tensions, to forget their problems or troubles or to relieve feelings of lonliness or boredome (Morris&Maistro). As I was doing my research their was one depressant that continued to pop up and is the most common one of all of them ALCOHOL.
In this experiment, we extracted the patient’s DNA using his saliva. With this saliva, we were able to take it back to the lab and perform a lysis method that we then used gel electrophoresis to identify the DNA fragments and which ones were more likely to occur. We were able to read these fragments with genome sequencing. Our patient had a kH genome of the rs1799971 SNP on the A allele so expressed the A,A genotype. Individuals who expressed the rs1799971 on the G allele were said to have stronger cravings of alcohol. So if a person has the A,G they would have some signs of alcoholism but if an individual expresses the G,G genotype it is almost certain that the person will have an alcohol use disorder. Alcoholism is not just associated
To begin with, in order for a facility to be successful in treating people with addictions whether it be alcohol, or drugs the facility must have a treatment plan to use and guide both counselors and the client alike to be successful in the program.
A majority of American citizens can honestly say that they, or a loved one, have been personally victimized by the dangerous side effects of alcohol. Yet alcohol is still considered a recreational beverage, that too many people take for granted. The addiction to alcohol is officially labelled as “Alcoholism.” Alcoholism can affect one’s life in a numerous amount of ways. It is an overlooked danger in the U.S. which can negatively affect the youth of America and the economy, which is why it is an enormous danger to the U.S.
Around the world, alcohol is abused by millions of people. Alcoholism is often misunderstood by people who simply drink to converse. Obviously, this is not the correct way to define alcoholism. According to dictionary.com, it is considered a disease in which a human drinks alcohol frequently and depends on it. They will not know or understand when to stop, even while knowing what effects it can cause, such as health. Not only health, but other things in life can be affected by alcohol abuse as well, such as family life and your faith. Therefore, alcohol abuse should be prevented because of the issues it will cause with one’s faith and one’s health.
RENNA, FRANCESCO. "Alcohol Abuse, Alcoholism, And Labor Market Outcomes: Looking For The Missing Link."Industrial & Labor Relations Review 62.1 (2008): 92-103. Business Source Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Several people across the world become addicted to alcohol. There are people, who are not able to live their everyday life without alcohol. Even few people spend whatever they earned in purchasing alcoholic drinks. Alcohol impacts several important areas of their life in a way that is not acceptable plus dysfunctional for them as well as their families. There are a number of ways for handling this alcohol addiction problem. Few people with not too stern alcohol problems are powerful to handle it themselves. But, many alcoholics need to depend on some type of help. We have seen many examples of addicted people, who have solved their problems just with the help of support from family members as well as friends. For more severe cases, an alcohol treatment centers are the best solution.
Objective 3: review the safe use of medications with primary medical physician (Perkinson, Arthur, & Bruce, 2014).
The problem of alcohol abuse has been recognized for thousands of years, but only more recently have we begun to see alcohol addiction as a treatable disorder. According to the Classical Disease Model of `Alcoholism,' habitual use of alcohol can be identified as a disease. Webster's Dictionary defines the concept of `disease' as follows: "Any departure from health presenting marked symptoms; malady; illness; disorder." Therefore, as many occurrences of alcohol excess provoke such symptoms, it is somewhat understandable that `alcoholism' is classified as a disease. The Classical Disease Model appears to offer a hopeful option. Treatment and sobriety can allow people to lead fulfilling lives. Adjacent to the notion of alcoholism as personal failure or moral deterioration, the Classical Disease Model appears to be a more desirable concept as it provides a motive for the alcoholic to seek treatment and gain sympathy, minimizing personal guilt. As alcoholism is seen as a progressive and, to an extent, hereditary illness for which those afflicted are not accountable, victims avoid being ostracized from society (Jellinek, 1960). Labeling the problem as a `disease' allows the medical profession to take responsibility for the treatment of alcoholism, which puts the problem in a more favourable light than if it were in the hands of psychologists or social workers, thus detaching the stigma connected with the problem while it is put on a par with other diseases such as diabetes or cancer. However, critics of the Classical Disease Model believe stigma helps reduce alcohol problems and aids the alcoholic. Any effort to reduce the stigma which is faced by the alcoholic will reduce pressures to moderate consumption and could have the additional ...
There are many drug and alcohol treatment facilities today that all claim to have the best program for a successful recovery; however, treatment facilities focus more on addicts as a whole rather than individually. It would be beneficial to recognize introvert and extrovert addicts individually since they are drastically different both mentally and socially. Along with viewing introverts and extroverts as individuals, each personality type also needs to have their own unique treatment method because using the wrong treatment method can result in extreme damage to the addicts' recovery process. The treatment methods that recovery programs apply to addicts need to be specifically designed for the individual. Introverts and extroverts are on the opposite side of the personality scope due to the fact their brains work