Geoff Hugh

What is alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls your feelings, the way you make decisions, and the way you act. People with alcoholism cannot control how much they drink. What causes alcoholism?

Nobody knows what causes alcoholism. People with parents who have alcoholism have a greater chance of getting the disease. Alcoholism may be related to the things we learn when we are growing up. Alcoholism is not caused by a lack of will power or moral values.

How can I tell if I have alcoholism?

It is not easy to tell if you have alcoholism. You might drink socially at first, but over time the drinking can get out of control. Your family, friends, or doctor might notice it before you do. You might drink to help yourself go to sleep or deal with stress and anxiety. Over time, you need to drink more to feel the same way. As the drinking gets worse, you may have some of the following:

* Stomach ulcers

* Liver disease

* Mood problems, such as depression and irritability

* Trouble sleeping

* Problems with family and friends

* Problems at work.

You might have alcoholism if you have tried to quit drinking but were not able to stop. Alcoholism can make you do things you wouldn't do if you were sober. Some of these things can hurt other people, even the people you love.

Where can I get help for alcoholism?

Your doctor can help you find the right treatment program. You also can check with your health insurance company. Some insurance plans cover alcohol treatment only at certain places.

If you have been a heavy drinker for a long time, do not stop drinking suddenly. This can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms. What is withdrawal?

When you stop drinking, your body might find it hard with no alcohol. You might have some uncomfortable feelings. That is called withdrawal. You might feel anxious and confused or have trouble sleeping. If you get "the shakes" when you don't drink, or if you feel like you need to have a drink early in the day, you might need to take medicine when you stop drinking to help with the withdrawal. This is called detoxification (say:dee-tox-uh-fuh-kay-shun, or "detox," for short).

How can my doctor tell if I need detoxification?

Your doctor will ask you questions to see if you need to take medicine to stop drinking. It is important to be honest with your doctor about how much you drink and the kinds of drugs you take.

Can detoxification be done at home?

Yes, but only with close supervision from your doctor. You will need to have another person at home to help you take your medicine. If you have serious withdrawal symptoms or other medical problems, you might have to go to a hospital for detoxification. Tell your doctor if you had a seizure or got delirious when you tried to stop drinking before.

What happens after detoxification?

Detoxification is not enough to treat alcoholism. You should have counseling before and after detoxification. Counseling will help keep you from drinking again.

What about Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous, or "A.A.," is a free support group for people with alcoholism. The people in A.A. help each other stay sober. Most communities have A.A. meetings, and most alcohol treatment programs tell their patients to go to these meetings.

Where can I get more information?

Your doctor

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

About the author:

Geoff Hugh http://www.qualitymanual.net

Michael Rad

The twelve-step program is the term used for the procedure of the patients` recovering from various addictions and compulsions, such as alcohol and drug dependency. The main base for this recovery system and strategy is sharing the experience with the other patients and acknowledging their condition, in order to make the actual therapy possible. The first step of the program refers to the addition of the alcohol dependency and acceptance of the fact that the patient is powerless to alcohol, which leads to significant and unwanted life changes. After admitting the problem, the patients deal with admitting that they can recover from the unwanted condition and leave healthy lives again, due to a power "greater than themselves". The third step of the program concentrates upon this "greater power", which is associated with God; the patients accept that God can lead their lives and behavior, by guiding their wills in the right direction. After the first steps that admit the problem and the power to change it, the patients are asked to make a morel introspection of themselves, in order to discover their needs and expectations regarding their problem. Admitting their mistakes to themselves, to God, to their family and friends represents the step that follows and which is the base of a process that accepts that patients are capable, as humans, to commit wrongs. This process, which is expressed in the steps from 5 to 9, includes asking for help from the "greater power" in order to remove the shortcomings, but also, it implies listing the persons that were affected in the past by the patient's wrong means and asking them for understanding and forgiveness. Making direct amends to relatives and acquaintances is represented in step number 9 and it is the base for the further conduct, as patients are thought to continue observing their inner self and promptly admit their mistakes. The last 2 steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous program refer to improving the contact that the patients established with God and constantly praying and asking for knowledge to entirely overcome their condition. Step 12 basically refers to the accomplishment of a spiritual awakening, as a result of the recovery steps and accepting and willing to teach other alcoholic patients to discover and overcome their problem. The ending result of the twelve-step program in alcohol rehab is sharing the experience, believes and behavior means with the others, in order to prevent further collapses and live a healthy life. Full body detox treatments are the most sought after toxin removing remedies that help people rebalance their bodies, achieving a very good health condition. Lots of doctors are recommending to their patients to follow a full body detox treatment in order to get healthier and of course, to ease the healing treatments they must take for recovering from different diseases. A general cleansing diet is recommended to be done from time to time even for people who don't seem to suffer from any chronic or profound maladies because the effect of a full body detox may prevent the development of many diseases and also it increases the body's immune system.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR You can get more free articles and updated information on alcohol detox symptoms and gather more facts about detoxification kits on www.detoxhub.com. Free Articles Home | Register | Submit an Article | Links | Contact | Archive | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy NAVIGATION

Alcohol detox is a process by which the addictive substances in the body of an alcoholic are purged for a certain period of time. This period is extremely difficult for some patients since they are made to do a "cold turkey" and go without the alcoholic drink that they have been used to for a long period of time. As a result of this, alcoholic patients experience withdrawal symptoms, which can cause complications and can even become fatal, which is why alcohol detox should only be done under medical supervision. These symptoms add to the difficulty of alcohol detox since some of them can be debilitating. However, patients can expect to take medication and undergo certain medical procedures, by which they can overcome these symptoms.

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