Is Alcoholism Really a Mental Disease?

Scientists around the world do not stop debating what alcoholism is and whether alcoholism is a mental illness. This has not required a separate confirmation for a long time. Doctors of drug treatment centres have been convinced on their own experience and on the basis of patient anamnesis that alcoholism is a mental illness.

Moreover, it gives rise to numerous problems that are considered to be signs of chronic alcoholism. These diseases associated with alcoholism are treated symptomatically, additionally and in conjunction with the drinking itself.

Alcoholism: Stages of the disease

With alcoholism, the stages of development of the disease are emphasized by characteristic signs. The clinical picture of the disease is usually typical. And it is she and the set of concomitant diseases that demonstrates at what stage of alcoholism a person is.

Zero stage of alcoholism disease

At this stage, psychological dependence on alcohol is clearly traced, but, in principle, a person is still able to control himself. On this steel man is still:

1. Does not drink alone and does not feel the urge to drink or get drunk regularly.

2. His character remains relatively normal (he is not irritable if he has not drunk alcohol).

3. A person easily accepts the fact that rest in the company will take place without alcohol.

It's time to sound the alarm if a disease has appeared due to alcoholism, such as mental imbalance, irritability, anxiety, if sleep and gastrointestinal tract disorders have begun. As a rule, problems with bowel movements begin, and the heart begins to ache.

By the way, heart disease in alcoholism begins to develop at the zero stage. It is important to consider alcoholism treatment options for avoiding it to go the next levels.

Alcoholism: causes of the disease

As mentioned above, the real cause of alcoholism is not the alcohol itself, but the formed craving for it. Alcoholics become:

1. Due to the low standard of living and social environment.

2. Due to the fact that alcohol has become the norm and is not considered a drug, it is widely available and widely advertised.

3. Due to mental stress and severe life stress.

4. Due to genetic predisposition.

It should be understood that alcoholism is a chronic disease characterized by numerous symptoms that are not immediately recognized by external signs.

Without a thorough examination, it is impossible to understand how damaged the liver is, how to detoxify, and what a person needs to stop experiencing alcohol cravings.

It is believed that alcoholism is a genetic disease, that the desire to drink alcohol is inherent at the level of genes, subconsciousness. This only partially justifies the development of the disease, since in 80% of cases, the formation of cravings is due to the influence of external factors.

The Dangers of Alcoholism: What You Can Do

The danger of alcoholism lies in the fact that a person, not having complete information about his health, simply cannot know at what point the internal organs will fail and the stage of decompensation will come. Fortunately, you can stop at the moment when the psychological desire to drink more often arose. At this stage, a psychologist and a therapist can help a person, that is, work with a narcologist remains secondary.

The development of neuropsychic diseases in alcoholism is not immediately diagnosed. It is customary to see anger and irritability in loved ones, but when this behaviour becomes socially dangerous, it means that the essence of alcoholism has manifested itself in its entirety: a person ceases to be a person.

Alcoholism and disease: how to treat?

One should not think that alcoholism is an incurable disease. He is being treated, but one must understand that it will be necessary to treat, among other things, concomitant mental illnesses in drug addiction, alcoholism, substance abuse. It will be necessary to restore health, cleanse the body of toxins. This will be followed by rehabilitation, complex psychological work.

It is important to understand that the functioning of the body is a complex system. Only highly qualified doctors, after carrying out a lot of tests and analyses, will be able to choose a course of treatment.

Final Words

Otherwise, a breakdown and the onset of relapse of alcoholism will follow. If you realize that you have the first or second stage of alcoholism, do not hope that a miracle will happen and alcoholism will go away by itself.