According to recent estimates from the federal government’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 6% of men and 3% of women were alcoholics. That translates to nearly 8 million alcoholics in the United States. Alcohol and Drug Detox Centers are scattered throughout the United States. As many as 1.5 million people seek treatment each year. Some enroll in inpatient and outpatient alcoholism treatment programs and supplement that with regular attendance at AA and other self help group meetings. Others find success with AA and similar self help groups alone. Some turn to psychotherapy. Some quit drinking completely on their own.
Alcoholism is a complex disease with physical, social and psychological consequences; not only for alcoholics but also for people closest to them. In the past, alcoholism was often viewed as a moral weakness or character flaw; it was thought that the person could stop drinking if he or she really wanted to. It wasn’t until 1970, that people began to understand and accept that alcoholism is a life threatening, chronic disease involving psychological and physical dependence on alcohol.
Based on the American Psychiatric Association’s 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NIAAA recognizes four signs of alcoholism:
- Loss of control over drinking. Alcoholics may intend to have two or three drinks, but before they know it, they are on their 10th.
- Continued use of alcohol despite social, medical, family, and work problems.
- Increased alcohol tolerance over time, i.e. needing more alcohol to become intoxicated.
- Withdrawal symptoms when alcoholics stop drinking after a period of heavy drinking. The symptoms include anxiety, agitation, increased blood pressure, and, in extreme cases, seizures. These symptoms may persist for several days.
People do not need to have all four signs to be diagnosed as alcoholic. Those who have significant problems controlling their drinking and functioning in social situations because of alcohol may be considered alcoholics without the physical signs, tolerance and withdrawal.
There is a distinction between alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The latter is a less severe problem; unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers do not develop physical withdrawal or compulsive alcohol use. However, like alcoholics, their drinking has negative health, economic and social effects. Both alcoholics and alcohol abusers need treatment, although the goals differ. In most cases of alcohol abuse, the goal is to limit drinking, while for alcoholism, it is to stop drinking altogether.
Why some people become alcoholics remains a mystery, although most scientists now agree that a combination of genetic and environmental factors increases a person’s vulnerability.
Some researchers divide alcoholism into two types. Type I, the most common, occurs in both men and women and is associated with adult onset alcohol dependence. This form, also known as milieu limited alcoholism, appears to be the result of genetic predisposition and environmental provocation, that is, the development of alcoholism in these cases is an interaction between inherited predisposition and the person’s life situations.
Type II, or male limited, alcoholism, on the other hand, is due mainly to genetics. It occurs only in men, usually with early onset in the teen years, and is more difficult to treat. Type II alcoholics tend to exhibit antisocial, aggressive behavior. It has been suggested that there may be a third type similar to Type II but without the antisocial behavior.
People often realize a friend or family member has alcoholism through the consequences of drinking, such as arrests for drunk driving or problems at work, including chronic absenteeism. Alcoholics’ spouses may demand they leave the house. Later in the disease, they may be hospitalized for liver disease or pancreatitis.
Denial of these and other negative effects of alcohol in their lives is common in alcoholics and those close to them. But sometimes the negative occurrences can serve as a catalyst for getting the alcoholic into treatment. Usually, an illness or ultimatum from the spouse or other family member, boss, doctor, or judge is the driving force.
Conventional Treatment
For some alcoholics, treatment begins with “detoxification”. Which is the medical management of acute alcohol withdrawal. This can be done in the hospital or on an outpatient basis and usually lasts one to seven days. This can also be done with a private program, such as this one.
The FDA has approved two antianxiety drugs, Valium (diazepam) and Librium (chlordiazepoxide), for treating alcohol withdrawal effects. Some doctors also prescribe other drugs in the same chemical class, also approved to treat anxiety. These drugs help decrease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, including anxiety and tremors, and reduce the risk of serious consequences of withdrawal, such as seizure and delirium. Dosages are based on the severity of patients’ symptoms. Use of these drugs beyond the withdrawal phase is not advised for alcoholics because of the drugs’ abuse potential and alcoholics’ addictive inclination.
Once sober, patients can begin rehabilitation. While enrolled, patients attend classes and participate in individual, group and family counseling sessions. The activities aim to educate patients about alcoholism, help them recognize that they have the disease, and help them adjust to a life without alcohol. Patients often are introduced to self help groups, such as AA. Family members often get involved, too, and may be referred to Al-Anon, a self help group for family members of alcoholics.
Following this intensive program, patients are often encouraged to continue with some type of aftercare program for at least one year. This might include AA, individual or group psychotherapy, or a sponsored program that continues on a smaller scale the same type of activities offered during the intensive treatment.
Alcoholics also may be helped in their recovery with one of two drugs approved for discouraging alcohol intake. Antabuse (disulfiram), when combined with even small amounts of alcohol causes unpleasant effects such as facial flushing, throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. The drug’s effectiveness depends on patient motivation. Those who want to drink simply stop taking the drug.
A 1986 study found that Antabuse did not improve abstinence rates, length of time to relapse, or psychosocial functioning any more than counseling alone. But, patients on Antabuse who continued to drink drank less frequently than relapsed patients who did not receive the medication.
The second drug, ReVia (naltrexone), acts on the opioid receptors in the brain to help prevent relapse and reduce alcohol cravings in those who drink. In a 12 week study of 70 alcoholic men, 23% of the ReVia treated patients relapsed, compared with 54% of those receiving placebo. Of those who drank during the study, 50% of those on ReVia relapsed to heavy drinking, compared with 95% of those receiving placebo. A separate study of 104 alcoholic men and women found that patients who took ReVia were about twice as successful in quitting drinking as patients who received placebo.
However, because ReVia was tested in conjunction with supportive therapy, FDA approved its use only as an adjunct to supportive therapy (such as group therapy) in treating alcoholism. Studies show the drug is nonaddictive. But it can cause liver toxicity when given at doses higher than recommended. Therefore, it is not recommended for people with active hepatitis and other liver diseases.
Risk factors for Alcoholism Recovery
Being a recovered alcoholic
Recommendations for Alcoholism Recovery
GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)
See the link between Alcoholism and GHB.
Lithium (low dose)
Recovering alcoholics should try Lithium Orotate. Forty-two patients hospitalized for the management of their alcoholism were given 150 mg of lithium orotate every day. It was found that lithium orotate helped improve the effectiveness of alcoholism treatment. Ten of the patients experienced no relapse for over three to ten years. 13 patients remained alcohol-free for one to two years, and the remaining 12 experienced a relapse between 6 to 12 months. Lithium orotate therapy was seen as relatively safe, with minor adverse side effects seen in some patients (muscle weakness, appetite loss, mild apathy). For these patients, symptoms subsided following the reduction of lithium orotate administration.
Over 50% of the alcoholic patients who completed this study were without relapse for over one year and 25% of them made it over 3 years without a relapse. NOTE: The discovery of decreasing mild side effects through slightly reducing lithium orotate supplementation provides further scientific evidence that lithium has no inherent toxicity when taken in smaller, reasonable dosages. -A study titled: “Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions.”
Magnesium
Alcoholics tend to have low magnesium levels, and this mineral can be helpful during withdrawal.
Reading List
Bishop David G. Evans’ book begins where most books end. Many authors have insights into how we can modify our behaviors or how we can manage our emotions, but Healed Without Scars explores the WHY behind our behaviors and emotions. Too often I have found myself treating symptoms only to find myself always having a new set of defeating circumstances to deal with in my life. Healed Without Scars goes beyond the surface aspects of life and helps the reader explore the depths of the human soul, all to bring about freedom.
Bishop Evans offers hope on every page, while taking the journey with the reader towards personal wholeness. There is no way to read this book and not have the tools needed to be healed and free. Bishop Evans balances his personal experiences with his brilliant handle on the Word of God and delivers the Truth on a level that Christian and Non-Christian alike can understand. He explores topics such as the child-father relationship, the importance of faith and praise during the hard times, and the power of forgiveness. Whether you have had issues with abuse, betrayal, addiction, or just everyday pain from life, this book will give you the answers to all of your questions, AND will position you for your healing.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
John Cleary, M.D., observed that some alcoholics spontaneously stopped drinking in association with taking niacin supplements. Cleary concluded that alcoholism might be a manifestation of niacin deficiency in some people and recommended that alcoholics consider supplementation with 500mg of niacin per day. His research suggests that niacin supplementation may help wean some alcoholics away from alcohol. Niacinamide or inositol hexaniacinate, safer forms of the same vitamin, might have similar actions.
Key
| Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative |
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
| Highly recommended |
Glossary
Chronic
Usually Chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Anxiety
Apprehension of danger, or dread, accompanied by nervous restlessness, tension, increased heart rate, and shortness of breath unrelated to a clearly identifiable stimulus.
Seizure
While there are over 40 types of seizure, most are classed as either partial seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain is limited to one area or generalized seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain encompasses the entire organ. Although there is a wide range of signs, they mainly include such things as falling to the ground; muscle stiffening; jerking and twitching; loss of consciousness; an empty stare; rapid chewing/blinking/breathing. Usually lasting from between a couple of seconds and several minutes, recovery may be immediate or take up to several days.
Pancreatitis
Inflammation of the pancreas. Symptoms begin as those of acute pancreatitis: a gradual or sudden severe pain in the center part of the upper abdomen goes through to the back, perhaps becoming worse when eating and building to a persistent pain; nausea and vomiting; fever; jaundice (yellowing of the skin); shock; weight loss; symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Chronic pancreatitis occurs when the symptoms of acute pancreatitis continue to recur.
Acute
An illness or symptom of sudden onset, which generally has a short duration.
FDA
The (American) Food and Drug Administration. It is the official government agency that is responsible for ensuring that what we put into our bodies - particularly food and drugs - is safe and effective.
Nausea
Symptoms resulting from an inclination to vomit.
Placebo
A pharmacologically inactive substance. Often used to compare clinical responses against the effects of pharmacologically active substances in experiments.
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver usually resulting in jaundice (yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, stomach discomfort, abnormal liver function, clay-colored stools, and dark urine. May be caused by a bacterial or viral infection, parasitic infestation, alcohol, drugs, toxins or transfusion of incompatible blood. Can be life-threatening. Severe hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis and chronic liver dysfunction.