Alcohol & Drug Rehabilitation

Description

What is Alcohol & Drug Rehabilitation?

As defined, “Alcoholism is a condition when a person is addicted to long term alcohol consumption.” The person gets mentally and emotionally dependent on alcohol.

Alcoholism is a disorder caused due to regular drinking habits. One might not know that their daily habits are the steps to this disorder. The condition can be treated or controlled with the help of psychological and medication help. There can be many reasons for this condition.

Symptoms and signs of Alcohol & Drug

Symptoms include various physical, mental, and emotional conditions.

Symptoms due to excess alcohol consumption are:

• Blackouts, cravings, sweating, aggression, agitation, self-destruction, loneliness depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and guilt.
• Vomiting, liver, and kidney damage.
• Coordination and decision-making issues.

Causes of Alcohol & Drug

• Peer pressure in college or workplace.
• The emotional feeling of dependency on alcohol.
• This ailment is also known to be genetically present in families.
• Assuming alcoholism is an escape or solution for problems.
• Lifestyle or living cultures where alcohol is acceptable at a young age.

Treatment of Alcohol & Drug

Counselling and Self Analysis

Psychological therapy leads the person into self-analysis and realization. In the initial stages, a person can make changes in lifestyle habits and thus cure alcoholism themselves.

FDA Drugs

Psychological and self-changes to cure alcoholism are useful only in the initial stages; however, if symptoms and habits are severe, must consult a doctor for medication. Many people think alcoholism treatment is just confessing in front of the counselors, but they are unaware of the drugs available in the market.

The significant drugs approved by the FDA for treating alcoholism are mentioned as follows.

• Disulfiram
• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate

Side Effects of Treatment

Since the drugs are heavy on the human system and are too consumed for long term for complete treatment, they have side effects on the person undergoing treatment.

The effects include – Eye pain, mood, and mental changes, yellow skin, and eyes, skin rashes, dark urine, unusual tiredness, decreased sexual ability in males, liver and kidney damage.

Prevention of Alcohol & Drug

• Avoid unhealthy drinking patterns.
• Educating and spreading awareness amongst the youth.
• As people enter older age groups, they tend to become ignorant about their health and may consume alcohol at higher levels. Also, after a certain age, the body stops its wear and tear mechanism, and thus, one needs to take care more in later years.
• One of the significant reasons for alcohol consumption amongst people is stress. Therefore, workspaces should themselves take care of their employees and conduct various campaigns and programs to reduce alcoholism in society.

Diagnosis of Alcohol & Drug

Diagnosis can be performed and understood by various physical and psychological methods:

• Questionnaire regarding the lifestyle of the patient by doctors, counselors, family, and friends.
• A physical exam is done to check fitness levels (for example, body weight) to check the physical fitness of the patient.
• Various biochemical lab tests and imaging tests explain abnormal functioning of enzymes, organs, hormones in the body.
• Psychological tests can be conducted to check if the person feels like being dependent on alcohol and consumes it frequently.
• DSM criteria.
• Diagnostic and Statistical Methods of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition is a set criterion by the American Psychiatric Association. It is a criterion referred for identifying a person having alcoholic symptoms in a certain period.