Alcohol
The use of alcohol is generally accepted in our society. It is hard to imagine our modern way of life without alcohol playing a part in it. In general, drinking alcohol can make us feel great and we often associate it with being social. From a very young age, that is how we are trained to perceive alcohol. This positive image becomes even stronger during our teenage years. Unpleasant situations, thoughts and feelings can be washed away with alcohol. It is easy to grab a quick drink when we feel stressed or when we cannot get to sleep. Alcohol is readily available everywhere.
Many people drink dangerous amounts of alcohol each year but know when to stop when needed. There is a blurred line between social drinking and problematic drinking. However, the more you drink, the less you will be capable of functioning normally. If you drink too much, you start doing things you would never do in a sober state.
Problematic drinking
Almost unnoticed, problematic drinking canshift towards alcohol abuse or alcoholism. The craving for a drink is so strong that it has an adverse impact on your health, family, work or social life. You always find a reason for drinking and you are unable to stop after just a couple of glasses. Functioning normally is hardly possible or totally impossible at that stage. Relationship problems emerge, agreements are broken, and then there is illness-related absenteeism, social isolation, confusion, shame, memory loss, depression and other physical complaints. You may want to quit, but you can’t. However, you deny this when confronted by the outside world, including those you love the most. You keep trying to convince them that everything is under control.
Alcohol addiction
Alcohol
addiction is often a hereditary
condition.
It has also been demonstrated that alcohol addiction is quite common
among younger people whose parents or guardians have a more tolerant
approach towards the use of alcohol. Recent scientific research has
shown that young people with addicted parents are 40% more likely to
develop an alcohol addiction.
Alcoholism is a chronic brain
disease and therefore an illness. Alcohol use and everything in
relation thereto, such as certain smells, locations or images become
imprinted in the brain. If certain images, smells, thoughts or
feelings remind you of alcohol, you may automatically develop the
urge to drink alcohol, even subconsciously.
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse destroys the body and is the most dangerous silent assassin. Drinking a lot of alcohol wreaks havoc on the pancreas, liver, heart (heart attack, cardiac arrest, heart disorders) and brain (Korsakov, memory loss, dementia, heart attack). In addition, it may lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatitis B. Alcoholism will lead to death if no professional treatment is sought.
Problematic alcohol use
Problematic alcohol useoccurs when you drink 20 glasses of alcoholic beverages (15 glasses for women) or more per week. In the U.S., the guideline number for problematic alcohol use is 10 glasses per week, based on the idea that alcoholism is one of the last stages of the disease. This stage is reached and built up over many years. Therefore, drinking 10 glasses of alcoholic beverages per week is considered high-risk. Furthermore, body weight, gender and diet also affect the impact of alcohol on your body.
After the effect of alcohol has subsided, you experience excessive shaking and perspiration. You feel nauseous and may have difficulty sleeping. The urge to get rid of these unpleasant symptoms by consuming more alcohol is very strong and often emerges subconsciously, as a form of habit.
Treatment
Fortunately,
alcohol addiction can be treated successfully. From a scientific
point of view, brain repair commences after the addiction has been
treated for approximately one year. At RoderSana, we use a highly
dedicated individual approach towards alcohol problems. There are
different underlying causes for alcohol addiction and each case
requires a different solution. RoderSana works with a broad range of
highly-trained and experienced professionals specialised in this
field. We always assume that everyone will go through some difficult
moments throughout the course of the treatment. Anyone could
experience a relapse, in which case they can rely on RoderSana for
more help. This prevents a complete relapse into alcohol abuse and
the serious consequences this would bring. In addition to our team of
highly-trained and experienced treating physicians, RoderSana relies
on a team of expert professionals to guide you through the entire
process. Given the high risk of relapse, one of our main focal points
during the treatment programme is aftercare. Among other things,
RoderSana has implemented the buddy system. Also
see RoderSana Community.
RoderSana’s
comprehensive, individual approach will help you gain control over
your alcohol problem in a structural manner.
