Alcoholism Treatment Options

Author: Heather Colman

| Posted: 04-06-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 16 | Rating: (54)

(?)

Related Videos

Play

What Is Alcoholism?

The Practical Guide To Overcome Alcoholism - http://alcoholism.audioesl.com Alcoholism is becoming a serious...

Play

Dangers Of Alcoholism And Driving Intoxicated

The Practical Guide To Overcome Alcoholism - http://alcoholism.audioesl.com Alcoholism and dui information in...

Play

Different Kinds Of Alcholism Addiction Treatments

The Practical Guide To Overcome Alcoholism - http://alcoholism.audioesl.com Alcoholism is a condition arises...

Medications

The classical use of medications for alcoholism is to encourage abstinence. Antabuse (also known as disulfiram), for instance, prevents the elimination of chemicals which cause severe discomfort when alcohol is ingested, effectively preventing the alcoholic from drinking in significant amounts while they take the medicine. Heavy drinking while on antabuse can result in severe illness and death.

Naltrexone has also been used because it helps curb cravings for alcohol while the person is on it. Both of these, however, have been demonstrated to cause a rebound effect when the user stops taking them. These do allow a person to overcome psychological addictions to alcohol, but they do not treat the neurochemical addiction.

In more recent studies it has been demonstrated that the use of naltrexone while the alcoholic continues to drink can result in extinction of the neurochemical addiction. Referred to as the "Sinclair Method", this technique is used with good results some US states and in Finland but has failed to penetrate much of the world because of the long-standing bias against any treatment that doesn't involve detoxification and abstinence.

Rationing

Rationing or other attempts to control use are increasingly ineffective as pathological attachment to the drug develops. Use often continues despite serious adverse health, personal, legal, work-related, and financial consequences.

Detoxification

Detoxification programs run by medical institutions often involve stays for a number of weeks in specialized hospital wards, where drugs may be used to avoid withdrawal symptoms. In severe cases, detoxification may lead to death. To that point, even a simple "de-tox" can involve seizures, if not properly monitored.

Post Detox Therapy

After detoxification, various forms of group therapy or psychotherapy are recommended to deal with underlying psychological issues leading to alcohol dependence. It is also used to provide the recovering addict with relapse prevention skills.

Aversion therapies may be supported by drugs like Disulfiram, which causes a strong and prompt sensitivity reaction whenever alcohol is consumed. Naltrexone or Acamprosate may improve compliance with abstinence planning by treating the physical aspects of cravings to drink. The standard pharmocopoeia of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and other psychotropic drugs treat underlying mood disorders, neuroses, and psychoses associated with alcoholic symptoms.

Group Counseling

In the mid-1930s, the mutual-help group-counseling approach to treatment began and has become very popular. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best-known example of this movement. Various branches are available for family members of the alcoholic or commonly referred to as the co-dependents. Other groups include LifeRing Secular Recovery and SMART Recovery.

Prevention

Some programs attempt to help problem drinkers before they become dependents. These programs focus on harm-reduction and reducing alcohol intake as opposed to cold-turkey approaches. One such program is called Moderation Management.

Nutritional therapy

Another treatment program is based on nutritional therapy. Many alcohol dependents have insulin resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder where the body's difficulty in processing sugars causes an unsteady supply to the blood stream. While the disorder can be treated by a hypoglycemic diet, this can affect behavior and emotions, side-effects often seen among alcohol dependents in treatment. The metabolic aspects of such dependence are often overlooked, resulting in poor results.

Return to normal drinking

Although it has long been argued that alcoholic dependents cannot learn to drink in moderation, research by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates a small percentage of individuals in the US whose dependence began more than one year earlier are now drinking in moderation. In contrast, a high percentage who undergo naltrexone use-reduction therapy are capable of normal drinking habits. Use of Naltrexone involves taking the medication an hour before any drinking occurs in order to maintain this.

Societal Impact

Today, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are major public health problems in North America, costing the region's inhabitants, by some estimates, as much as US$170 billion annually. Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence sometimes cause death, particularly through liver, pancreatic, or kidney disease, internal bleeding, brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, and suicide. Heavy alcohol consumption by a pregnant mother can also lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, an incurable and damaging condition.

Additionally, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are major contributing factors for head injuries, motor vehicle accidents, violence and assaults, neurological, and other medical problems.

Alcohol addiction is a treatable disease. If you are an alcoholic or are a family member of an alcoholic, contact your physician for the most current treatments available.

This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Alcoholism Treatment, Alcoholic, Alcoholism, Alcoholics, Alcohol Treatment Centers, Alcoholics Anony

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/alcoholism-treatment-options-158349.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:
[Copyright © 2007, Heather Colman. Find more of Heather's articles at eBook Palace. Her articles are available for syndication. Reprinting individual articles is permissible provided no changes are made.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

By: | 31/12/1969 |

Treatment Options for the Alcoholic
By: Heather Colman | 25/07/2006 | Non-Fiction

Alcohol And The Effects It Has On Your Brain
By: Ed Philips | 23/01/2007 | Health

Could it Have Been You?
By: CounselorDave | 13/02/2008 | Addictions

What is the Most Effective Way to Stop Drinking?
By: Patrick Meninga | 16/09/2008 | Fitness

Drug Schedules
By: Dusty Lindemann | 06/05/2007 | Self Help

Fighting Stress Without Using Alcohol
By: Ed Philips | 14/02/2007 | Health

Addiction: Victim, Problem, Solution?
By: CounselorDave | 20/02/2008 | Addictions

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Need help for teen-ager
By: Renee | 16-08-2008
I am looking for meetings that deal with Acoholic and drugs for a 17 year old male. I would like him to be with people of his own age group. I don't know where to turn for help.

How do i know if i'm not getting enough fiber in ...
By: danalee | 10-08-2008
how do i know if i'm not getting enough fiber in my diet?qt=q

Free 33Alcohol Treament Centers in New York City ...
By: Judith Phillps | 10-08-2008
Free 33Alcohol Treament Centers in New York City. I have a friend who is an alcoholic and can't afford the treatments that most places would charge.

Who would like to take a shot at a diagnosis ...
By: Donna Lynne | 09-08-2008
Who would like to take a shot at a diagnosis? Severe squeezing pain in right groin followed by seering sensation from right upper hip and down the thigh. Knee feels like broken glass in it (did have old injury and xray was negative)

Heating time for sauns and steam baths
By: patti09865 | 27-07-2008
How long does it take to get steam baths and saunas up to the necessary temperature for obtaining benifits?

Health problem
By: lisa arvizo | 26-07-2008
can your thyroids make you smell like metal all the time

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Medicine Articles

The Crisis in ADD/ADHD Diagnosis, What Caused It?
By: Jimmy Brownen | 06/10/2008
The prevalence of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis does not definitely indicate that something is dreadfully wrong with the nation's children, but rather that something has definitely changed. Although some cases of out-of-control children being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are most likely due to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies as well as allergies and...

Acne Prevention - 5 Tips to Prevent Acne as Easy as 1 2 3!
By: Wong Darren | 06/10/2008
Acne - a skin condition that only a few escapes can be extremely embarrassing for someone suffering from it. But although it is very nearly inevitable, with a handful tips on proper maintenance of skin, diet, hair and little physical exercise you can prevent acne or stop further spread of...

Medical Transcription Services – New Business Trends
By: Antonius Fastersetin | 06/10/2008
Its a fact, that in todays corporate world the need for medical transcription services is expanding at near exponential perportions. In layman's terms, the task of a medical transcriber is record medical data and records into soft copy format that can then be read by individuals. Due to the diverse range of medical specialties, there is an almost equal number of dictation specialists to address them individually.

Tips to Find Effective Corporate Health Insurance Plans
By: Micheal | 06/10/2008
These days the proverb "Health is wealth" is in more command than the previous saying "Wealth is gone nothing is lost health is gone something is lost, but character is lost everything is lost".

How To Get Rid Of Poison Ivy
By: Sanjib Sarkar | 06/10/2008
Catching Poison Ivy is not a fun experience. Most people do not realize they are even allergic to Poison Ivy until it is too late. Poison Ivy rashes may develop several days after exposure to the plant. Many people think Poison Ivy rashes are just normal rashes...

Get Your Prescription Drug Online
By: Kathleen Chester | 06/10/2008
It is possible for customers to purchase prescription drugs at discounted prices by purchasing them from online pharmacies

Taming the Beast Within the Good Old Fashioned Way
By: Thomas J Bronson | 06/10/2008
Panic attacks can hit anybody, and over the years, each household has devised its own ways to treat the disorder. While it's not feasible to go from house to house to learn them all, a short list of the common ways to treat panic attacks is collected here. Trying out...

Understanding the Relation Between Diabetes and Yeast Infections
By: Larry Do | 06/10/2008
Diabetes is a condition that has many associated health problems attached to it. One such is the possibility of developing yeast infections although many people might not be very expressive about the problem if they are suffering from it. Many feel that a yeast infection is a source of embarrassment...

More from Heather Colman

Healing What Ails You Through Naturopathic Treatment
By: Heather Colman | 07/06/2007 | Medicine
The term naturopathic treatment covers a broad range of modalities that come under the umbrella of alternative medicines. All natural therapies aim to work with the body in treating the cause of illness, not just the symptoms. They also treat people holistically, taking into account not only their physiology, but...

What You Should Consider Before Taking Meridia For Weightloss
By: Heather Colman | 12/09/2006 | Advertising
In the world today, obesity is growing an incredible rates. Children as well as adults have fallen victim to obesity. Research has shown that in the United States alone, over sixty-one percent of the population falls within this category.

The Dangers Of Taking Celexa To Treat Depression
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Advertising
Celexa is an antidepressant used to treat clinical depression in patients. It is prescribed as a "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor" used to balance serotonin in the brain, providing relief from depression.

Why Bextra Was Withdrawn From The Market
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Advertising
Bextra was withdrawn from the market by Pfizer pending further discussions with the FDA. Potential adverse reactions to the drug were found to far outweigh the benefits.

What You Should Know Before Taking Avandia For Diabeties
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Advertising
Avandia is a prescription drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It can be used alone or in combination with other diabetes medications. It increases the response to insulin made in the body without stimulating more insulin production.

What You Should Know Before Taking Ativan
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Advertising
If you are considering taking Ativan because you are suffering through sleepless nights and frustrated with insomnia keep reading this report. It covers important information that you need to know about Ativan before making this decision.

Know The Facts About Amoxicillin
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Advertising
Amoxicillin is a type of penicillin antibiotic. It is a moderate beta-lactam antibiotic, used for the treatment of bacterial infections. It is absorbed easily and hence preferred by the doctors.

Is Alprazolam Effective For Treating Anxiety Disorders?
By: Heather Colman | 28/08/2006 | Diseases and Conditions
Do you have sudden bouts of anger or nightmares? Are you a worrier? Do you feel out of control? Do you get so nervous that it causes dizziness? If you have any such symptoms then chances are you are suffering from anxiety disorders.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.25, 17)

Alcoholism Treatment Options

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Medicine Articles

More from Heather Colman

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter