Mental Health & Substance Abuse

Treatment for alcoholism

Treatment for alcoholism

Alcoholism is often cured with the help of natural remedies and other treatments that include rehabilitation and detoxification. Curing alcoholism medically is, therefore, irrelevant and not possible. There are several programs and treatment procedures that are designed to cure all types of alcohol addictions. These treatments help patients combat their alcohol addiction over a given period of time. Therefore, it is important to stay patient throughout and watch out for any signs of relapse. Apart from this, treating alcoholism is successfully possible only when the patient is willing and not when it’s been forced upon them.

Relapse

It is possible to treat alcoholism successfully when the patient is aware of their condition and wants to cure it. Therefore, expecting positive results by forcing them into rehabilitation is not advised as it doesn’t reap positive results in the long run. However, even when an alcoholic is under treatment on their own will, one can expect at least one relapse before they are completely out of alcohol addiction. However, those who are strongly motivated to quit alcohol for good may experience relapse as a mere bump.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal symptoms can always be seen among alcohol addicts when they suddenly stop drinking. Some common withdrawal symptoms include physical and mental discomfort, mild shakes, life-threatening delirium tremens (DTs) that include hallucinations, confusion, convulsions, autonomic instability, and even death.

It is important to address withdrawal, as it can cause harm to the patient if ignored. Therefore, one can get medical assistance to keep withdrawal under control in order to help the patient complete their course of rehabilitation smoothly.

In the worst cases of withdrawal symptoms, patients are often given detoxification and are kept under close monitoring. To control the symptoms, tranquilizers are given to patients as a part of the detoxification process. Tranquilizers help lessen the shakes and other symptoms in the early phase of withdrawal.

Rehabilitation and treatment

One can easily find an alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment service nearby. There are many different types of services available for treating alcohol addiction, starting from short-term residential to in-patient hospitalization to long-term therapy. These facilities allow alcoholics to learn about being sober and control their urge to drink and rebuild their liver health.

Medical treatment

Although there is no medicine one can pop to cure alcoholism or alcohol addiction, there are FDA approved medicines that can be used to help patients remain sober. At present, there are only three medicines in the country that are approved by FDA for this purpose. They help patients by blocking the effects of alcohol in the brain and reduce the distress and discomfort due to stopping drinking and act as a deterrent against alcohol.

Support groups

One of the most common and popular ways of treating alcohol addiction is support groups, where fellow men and women who have been suffering from alcoholism come together and share their way of quitting alcohol. Participating in these support groups, along with other treatments, shows positive results and proves to be more helpful for the patient as they meet other people who are going through the same struggle as them.