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Drug
Addiction and Alcoholism
For many people, the facts about
alcoholism are not clear. What is
alcoholism, exactly? How does it differ
from alcohol abuse? When should a person
seek help for a problem related to his
or her drinking? The following
information explains both alcoholism and
alcohol abuse, the symptoms of each,
when and where to seek help, treatment
choices, and additional helpful
resources.
What Is Alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also
known as “alcohol dependence,” is a
disease that includes four symptoms:
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Craving: A strong need, or
compulsion, to drink.
-
Loss of control: The inability to
limit one’s drinking on any given
occasion.
-
Physical dependence: Withdrawal
symptoms, such as nausea, sweating,
shakiness, and anxiety, occur when
alcohol use is stopped after a
period of heavy drinking.
-
Tolerance: The need to drink greater
amounts of alcohol in order to “get
high.”
People who are
not alcoholic sometimes do not
understand why an alcoholic can’t just
“use a little willpower” to stop
drinking. However, alcoholism has little
to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in
the grip of a powerful “craving,” or
uncontrollable need, for alcohol that
overrides their ability to stop
drinking. This need can be as strong as
the need for food or water.
Although some
people are able to recover from
alcoholism without help, the majority of
alcoholics need assistance. With
treatment and support, many individuals
are able to stop drinking and rebuild
their lives.
Many people
wonder why some individuals can use
alcohol without problems but others
cannot. One important reason has to do
with genetics. Scientists have found
that having an alcoholic family member
makes it more likely that if you choose
to drink you too may develop alcoholism.
Genes, however, are not the whole story.
In fact, scientists now believe that
certain factors in a person’s
environment influence whether a person
with a genetic risk for alcoholism ever
develops the disease. A person’s risk
for developing alcoholism can increase
based on the person’s environment,
including where and how he or she lives;
family, friends, and culture; peer
pressure; and even how easy it is to get
alcohol.
What Is Alcohol Abuse?
Alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism in
that it does not include an extremely
strong craving for alcohol, loss of
control over drinking, or physical
dependence. Alcohol abuse is defined as
a pattern of drinking that results in
one or more of the following situations
within a 12-month period:
-
Failure to fulfill major work,
school, or home responsibilities;
-
Drinking in situations that are
physically dangerous, such as while
driving a car or operating
machinery;
-
Having recurring alcohol-related
legal problems, such as being
arrested for driving under the
influence of alcohol or for
physically hurting someone while
drunk; and
-
Continued drinking despite having
ongoing relationship problems that
are caused or worsened by the
drinking.
Although alcohol
abuse is basically different from
alcoholism, many effects of alcohol
abuse are also experienced by
alcoholics.
Alcoholism Treatment
The type of
treatment you receive depends on the
severity of your alcoholism and the
resources that are available in your
community. Treatment may include
detoxification (the process of safely
getting alcohol out of your system);
taking doctor-prescribed medications,
such as disulfiram (Antabuse®) or
naltrexone (ReVia™), to help prevent a
return (or relapse) to drinking once
drinking has stopped; and individual
and/or group counseling. There are
promising types of counseling that teach
alcoholics to identify situations and
feelings that trigger the urge to drink
and to find new ways to cope that do not
include alcohol use. These treatments
are often provided on an outpatient
basis.
What is drug addiction
treatment?
There are many addictive
drugs, and treatments for
specific drugs can differ.
Treatment also varies
depending on the
characteristics of the
patient.
Problems associated with
an individual's drug
addiction can vary
significantly. People who
are addicted to drugs come
from all walks of life. Many
suffer from mental health,
occupational, health, or
social problems that make
their addictive disorders
much more difficult to
treat. Even if there are few
associated problems, the
severity of addiction itself
ranges widely among people.
A variety of
scientifically based
approaches to drug addiction
treatment exists. Drug
addiction treatment can
include behavioral therapy
(such as counseling,
cognitive therapy, or
psychotherapy), medications,
or their combination.
Behavioral therapies offer
people strategies for coping
with their drug cravings,
teach them ways to avoid
drugs and prevent relapse,
and help them deal with
relapse if it occurs. When a
person's drug-related
behavior places him or her
at higher risk for AIDS or
other infectious diseases,
behavioral therapies can
help to reduce the risk of
disease transmission. Case
management and referral to
other medical,
psychological, and social
services are crucial
components of treatment for
many patients.
(See Treatment Section
for more detail on types of
treatment and treatment
components.) The
best programs provide a
combination of therapies and
other services to meet the
needs of the individual
patient, which are shaped by
such issues as age, race,
culture, sexual orientation,
gender, pregnancy,
parenting, housing, and
employment, as well as
physical and sexual abuse.
Treatment medications,
such as methadone, LAAM, and
naltrexone, are available
for individuals addicted to
opiates. Nicotine
preparations (patches, gum,
nasal spray) and bupropion
are available for
individuals addicted to
nicotine.
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