Contents
Alcohol is one of the oldest drugs known to mankind. In the old days, almost all peoples strictly regulated the use of alcohol: they drank it only a few times a year, on major holidays. In addition, living conditions were so difficult that the poor, who abused alcohol, most often died.
Everything changed in the XNUMXth century, when strong alcoholic drinks became widespread, and the moral prohibitions imposed by society weakened. In our time, alcoholism has become a serious problem, and the number of patients is increasing every year.
Causes of alcoholism. There are three groups of reasons that lead to excessive alcohol consumption, and then to alcoholism:
Physiological. The rate of addiction to alcohol depends on the individual characteristics of the body, the ability to neutralize the negative effects of ethanol. Often an irresistible craving for alcohol is felt by those who have had alcoholics in the family. In such cases, we are talking about a genetic predisposition to this disease.
Psychological. People “drown” their troubles, conflicts, loneliness, self-doubt, losses in alcohol, perceive alcohol as the best way to relax and unwind after stressful situations.
Social. It is customary to treat people who do not drink as “white crows”. The ubiquitous advertising, cinema and television form the image of an energetic, self-confident person who drinks at least a couple of beers and countless drinks a day. Young people are especially susceptible to propaganda.
Symptoms of male alcoholism
According to statistics, 70% of alcoholics are men. It is very difficult for a drinking person to face the truth and recognize himself as an alcoholic, and even more difficult to turn to a narcologist.
It is common for any person to enjoy a good drink, a pleasant company, a beautifully designed interior of a bar or restaurant. A sure sign of alcoholism in men is the desire to just drink, indifference to the company, to the environment, even to the type of drink, if only it was stronger.
Depending on the stage of the disease, significant changes occur in the behavior and appearance of an alcoholic:
- dark circles appear under the eyes, rosacea on the face (constant use of alcohol weakens blood vessels);
- the face becomes puffy, the skin acquires an earthy hue, the nose turns red;
- the veins on the legs swell, varicose nodes form, and the legs themselves become thinner;
- due to cirrhosis of the liver, the stomach can increase significantly;
- there is a frequent change of mood, after depression, the alcoholic abruptly falls into an anxious state and vice versa;
- the patient experiences indifference even to the closest;
- alcoholics often tremble hands;
- memory losses;
- the patient ceases to take care of himself;
- in the later stages – incoherence of speech, inability to correctly express one’s thoughts even in a sober state;
- in his social circle, an alcoholic includes exactly the same drinkers as he himself;
- unmotivated cruelty towards others is possible;
- over time, in order to get alcohol, the patient is ready for anything, up to theft and even murder.
Signs of female alcoholism
The symptoms of female alcoholism are almost the same as in men, but it is worth remembering that in women this disease occurs one and a half to two times faster, since the metabolism in a woman’s body is much slower. As a result, the breakdown products of alcohol linger longer, causing irreparable damage to reproductive function.
Signs of alcoholism in women are easy to recognize:
- bags and bruises under the eyes, sallow complexion, couperose mesh;
- premature aging of the skin;
- hair loss;
- to hide changes in appearance, some women put on too bright and vulgar makeup;
- in the later stages of alcoholism, women stop taking care of themselves;
- patients become very restless, nervous, quickly move from complete apathy to hyperactivity;
- alcoholism is often accompanied by varicose veins;
- due to impaired metabolism, patients either gain weight (the stomach is especially swollen), or literally “dry up”.
Symptoms of beer alcoholism
It is usually unpleasant for beer lovers to hear that it is a kind of alcohol, and therefore it is necessary to use a foamy drink in moderation. Arguments about the mass of useful substances that are contained in the composition immediately come into play. This, of course, is true, but only in relation to live beer.
A half-liter bottle of 5% ABV beer contains 25 grams of pure ethanol, which is equivalent to about 50 grams of vodka (actually a little more). Accordingly, a liter of beer is 100 g of vodka. What is 100 g of vodka in the heat when beer is drunk in liters? Sparkling foam contains the danger of heart attacks, strokes, and injuries. And if for several years you drink 1–3 bottles of beer every day (that is, the equivalent of 50–150 g of vodka), chronic alcoholism is guaranteed.
Even for beer alcoholism of the last stages, periods of binge drinking are uncharacteristic, but the patient is applied to the bottle several times a day, not having time to sober up. Therefore, it is in a state of intoxication for weeks, months and even years.
Mental symptoms of beer alcoholism:
- frequent drinking (more than 3 times a week);
- the need to increase the dose to obtain the initial intoxication;
- lack of beer causes irritability, sometimes aggression;
- a person begins to drink beer regardless of the place and company;
- without beer it is difficult to cheer up or relax.
Stages of alcoholism
Alcoholism does not affect a person immediately. On average, it takes seven years for a man to become addicted to alcohol, and five for a woman.
There are four stages of the disease:
Zero (prodromal) stage, colloquially – everyday drunkenness. This is the period when a person can still avoid the disease himself, without the help of a doctor. A stable alcohol addiction has not been formed, although there is already a craving for alcohol. A person regularly drinks with friends on holidays. If too much alcohol enters the body, vomiting begins. As a rule, there is no hangover, or it passes in a mild form: there is no desire to drink alcohol in the morning. People in this stage never drink alone and drunkenly: they always find company and come up with a suitable excuse.
The first stage
The craving for alcohol intensifies and becomes irresistible. The patient is still ashamed to drink alone, but he no longer needs serious reasons: there would be a company. The main symptom of alcoholism at this stage is the absence of an emetic reaction, even if the dose of alcohol is exceeded. A person often gets drunk to insensibility. In the morning the patient experiences a hangover. Gradually there is apathy, loss of interest in work, sleep disturbances.
The second stage
The patient is no longer ashamed to drink alone. He drinks alcohol in the morning to get rid of a hangover. Doses of alcohol are constantly increasing. Drinking starts. During this period, changes in appearance can no longer be hidden: an alcoholic is given out by a reddened nose, a network of dilated blood vessels on the cheeks, bags under the eyes, trembling hands. There may be memory lapses (alcoholic amnesia), when the patient cannot remember his actions while intoxicated.
If he is sober, he has an abstinence syndrome. Depending on the severity of the syndrome, the patient begins to vomit, he may suffer from headaches and insomnia. Mental abilities deteriorate significantly, hands tremble, in especially severe cases auditory or visual hallucinations appear, an alcoholic is able to harm himself and others. Patients with withdrawal symptoms need medical attention.
The third stage
The abdomen in alcoholics at this stage is most often distended due to cirrhosis of the liver. Withdrawal syndrome in patients occurs in especially severe forms, up to epileptic seizures. During the day, an alcoholic drinks alcohol several times. Ethanol destroys the neurons of the brain, so the patient no longer perceives any arguments and exhortations and completely degrades as a person.
Forms of alcoholism
Alcoholism is an insidious disease that can occur in various forms:
Drunken alcoholism. Periods of alcohol abuse alternate in patients with periods of sobriety. Because of this, the alcoholic has the erroneous opinion that he can stop drinking at any time without medical help.
Chronic alcoholism. People with this form of the disease usually do not notice how their disease progresses. Usually a chronic alcoholic sets aside time for himself when he meets with the coveted vodka or beer. The family often does not mind: after all, the husband and father do not scandalize or rowdy, but simply drink 100–150 g of vodka every day (the doses gradually increase). As a rule, when such an alcoholic can be persuaded to visit a doctor, all organs and vessels are already literally corroded by ethanol.
Hidden alcoholism. This form of the disease is usually characteristic of people who value public opinion. Often this form takes female alcoholism. Patients show miracles of ingenuity in order to hide their vice from those around them. Unfortunately, sooner or later the appearance and psyche of alcoholics change to such an extent that nothing can be hidden.