7 percent the Polish population has experienced alcohol abuse disorders at least once in their lifetime. Annually, the treatment of alcoholism concerns about 200 people. In Warsaw alone, drinking is a problem for about 200 inhabitants: hazardous and harmful drinkers. The study of the mental condition of the Polish society Aesop II showed once again that alcohol addiction is the most common mental disorder.

Alcohol-related disorders affect many people

Dr. Jacek Moskalewicz, a sociologist from the Institute of Alcoholism and Toxicomania of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, co-coordinator of the EZOP II population study examining the mental condition of Polish women and Poles, points out that despite the large number of addiction patients recovering from addiction and the widespread availability of AA meetings, death rates have been increasing in recent years, the cause of which is there is alcohol.

The EZOP II study was conducted in 2018-2021 by scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology) among a randomly selected representative sample of 15. people in three age categories:

  1. children up to 6 years of age
  2. children and adolescents aged 7-17
  3. adults.

During the November presentation of the report, Dr. Moskalewicz emphasized that over 7 percent. of respondents have experienced an alcohol-related disorder at any time in their life. In terms of percentage, the largest group of people with alcohol problems is among unemployed men: almost 35 percent. of them – about 109 thousand. However, numerically more working drinkers are: 12 percent. in this group, which translates into over 1,3 million people! It should be remembered that the alcoholism affects the whole family of the drinker. Couples and partners often struggle with co-addiction, and children bear the cost of the disease throughout their lives because a home ruled by alcohol is not a safe environment.

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How does alcohol addiction develop?

Agata Szulc and Piotr Gałecki, in the textbook “Psychiatria” published by Edra & Partners, describe the following four stages leading to the deadly disease of alcohol addiction:

  1. Initial phase: conventional drinking, within accepted social norms, but a person prone to addiction discovers that alcohol regulates their emotions, treats this substance as a provider of pleasure and eliminates unpleasant emotional experiences; tolerance to the amount of alcohol drunk increases.
  2. Introductory phase: there is an episode of “breaking the movie”. In this phase, a person begins to look for an opportunity to drink, he drinks secretly. At this stage, she is able to notice that she drinks alcohol differently than others.
  3. Critical phase: loss of control over drinking, whereby the person denies having any drinking problem despite being pointed out by others. Strong urge to drink alcohol coming up with various justifications for drinking (“This is my lifestyle”, “there was just a party”, etc.), development of grandeur attitudes, neglect of work, meals, loss of previous interests, decreased libido, unsuccessful attempts to control drinking – in this phase, a person is still able to maintain periodic abstinence alcohol, but it doesn’t take long. There may be disorders in the form of pathological jealousy.
  4. Chronic phase: drinking sequences, sometimes lasting several days, decay of moral principles, disturbed thinking, inability to critically evaluate facts. There may be alcohol-induced psychosis, panic attacks, tremors, and decreased physical and motor performance.

What is conducive to alcohol addiction?

It’s good to know that some are more prone to developing addiction than others. Predestining factors are:

  1. the occurrence of addiction in the family;
  2. low ability to cope with difficult stressful situations;
  3. emotional overdependence;
  4. poor self-esteem;
  5. impulsiveness;
  6. sociability;
  7. perfectionism;
  8. tendency to take risks,
  9. difficulties in interpersonal contacts;
  10. early alcohol initiation.

According to Dr. Moskalewicz, a policy of high alcohol prices and reduced availability of alcohol would bring good results in preventing alcohol addiction.

– If prices really increase, the physical availability of alcohol decreases, the number of people with disorders will decrease. It also has a great symbolic meaning. It cannot be that we explain to children and adolescents that alcohol is harmful, but meanwhile it is sold on every corner, sometimes 24 hours a day, says the expert, who believes that more emphasis should be placed on environmental prevention.

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Alcohol addiction is treatable

Alcohol dependence is a treatable disease. The therapy uses medications, individual and group psychotherapy, the patient learns other than drinking alcohol ways to reduce tension, recognize his own emotions, and deal with conflict situations.

Author: Justyna Wojteczek.

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