Summary of the Symptoms of Alcoholism The symptoms of alcoholism vary but they can include:

Drinking Behaviour

• Hiding liquor bottles and glasses to conceal drinking from others
• Hostility when confronted about drinking
• Inability to discontinue or reduce alcohol intake
• Inability to function without alcohol
• Lack of control over drinking
• Making excuses to drink
• Need for daily or frequent use of alcohol
• Needing a morning drink to steady the nerves and / or to stop shaking.
• Switching to spirits from beer or wine

Other Behavioural Changes

• Driving drunk
• Episodes of violence associated with drinking
• Frequent accidental injuries, especially falls
• Mood or personality changes
• Neglect of food intake
• Neglect of physical appearance
• Problems with work / school, finances and relationships

Mental Symptoms

• Confusion
• Depression
• Difficulty in concentration
• Impaired ability to perform complex tasks (such as driving)
• Impaired short-term memory
• Reduction of inhibitions
• Slow thinking

Physical Symptoms

• Abdominal pain
• Flushed face and palms
• Blackouts
• Nausea and vomiting
• Numbness and tingling
• Shaking in the morning

One Drink

One drink is defined as:
A half a pint
A regular size glass of wine
A single shot of liquor

What Is Alcoholism?

An alcoholic is a person whose life is adversely affected by drinking, if you think you are an alcoholic, you probably are. If you are missing school or work, having problems with the law or your relationships, or regularly feel ill because of your drinking, you should see your Doctor or at least attend an AA meeting (contact address and telephone number below), to see any of the problems mentioned by the speakers relate to you.

Alcoholism is a chronic disorder and it inevitably gets worse without treatment. Drinking too much will lead to permanent ill health and may eventually kill you. Alcoholics find that drinking is essential to their lives: they need it to cope with school/work, their emotions and their relationships – everything, in fact.

Usually, alcoholics can’t cut down or stop drinking.  They need more and more alcohol to get the desired effect and have withdrawal symptoms. However, there is no such thing as a typical person, let alone a typical alcoholic and there is no clear line between heavy social drinking and alcoholism; if you or your friends are worried about your drinking, seek help. Do not try to shrug off comments or get angry, if you believe you can stop any time, stop now and prove it to yourself.

What Causes Alcoholism?

Alcoholism does not have a single cause; cultural, psychological and genetic factors are all factors. It is frequently associated with other problems such as depression or stress. For example, people who have suffered bereavement may become borderline alcoholics, either eventually pulling back or progressing to alcoholism.

In the past, alcoholism mainly affected men but now women are commonly affected and even children are drinking too much.
If you have a family history of alcoholism, you have a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic yourself, especially if you never had counselling for dealing with the family problem.

How Is Alcoholism Diagnosed?

If your friends or relatives say you are drinking too much, or if you have ailments such as joint pain, intestinal problems or general weakness, see your Doctor. He or she will ask some questions regarding your medical and family history. Your Doctor may also ask you to complete a test, which will help to identify whether or not you have a drink problem. You have nothing to lose, after all, you do not have to follow his or her advice, but it may wake you up!
Common tests your Doctor may use are:

• CAGE Test, which stands for:
   - Attempts to Cut down on drinking
   - Annoyance with criticisms about drinking
   - Guilt about drinking
   - Use of alcohol as an Eye-opener in the morning
• SAAST: Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test
• AUDIT: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, which consists of three questions about amount and frequency of drinking, three questions about alcohol dependence and four questions about problems related to drinking
• MAST: Michigan Alcohol Screening Test

Your Doctor may also give you a physical examination (to check for signs such as poor nutrition, liver damage and nerve damage) and recommend a blood test to check for symptoms of alcohol-related problems.

What Will a Blood Test Show?

The amount of alcohol in the blood is generally not regarded as a reliable test as this only shows drink taken today. More significant tests are:

• Full blood count (FBC), including mean corpuscular volume (MCV); this measures the size of red blood cells, which swell up when alcohol is taken over a period of time
• Test for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (a protein that carries iron), which can indicate heavy drinking
• Liver function tests, these are used to check damage to the liver, which is usually affected by drinking
• Tests for abnormality in other components of the blood, such as serum magnesium, uric acid, total protein and folic acid (a B vitamin).

How Is Alcoholism Treated?

The first step is with you; if you can honestly say to yourself “I am an alcoholic”, you have taken the first step towards recovery. Now all you need is help. Your Doctor will recommend a treatment programme based on your personality and the severity of your problem. If you have already been treated and it didn’t work, go back to your Doctor; another treatment may suit you better. Most people make several attempts before they recover.

All treatments suggested will include detoxification, counselling and rehabilitation. Detoxification is essential to prevent withdrawal symptoms, which can prove fatal. This will be carried out in a hospital or outpatient clinic, depending on your symptoms and whether you have medical problems, such as hepatitis.

Detoxification usually takes from four to seven days and you will generally be prescribed medication, such as Librium or Xanax, to help you through it. Nursing and medical care are a part of the detoxification process – your diet, and physical and mental condition will all be examined and treatment will be recommended, if necessary.

After detoxification, you will need to attend counselling sessions. These can be inpatient or outpatient, one-to-one or group therapy, once again, this depends on what is likely to offer the best chance of recovery. Very rarely, treatment in a psychiatric hospital is needed. At this stage, it is important to involve your friends and family.

They will all have been affected and will need to know about your problem in order to help both you and themselves. When your regular counselling sessions are complete, you will be directed towards long-term support groups, such as AA. The aim is complete abstinence – if you can manage without a drink today, maybe you can manage tomorrow and the day after and so on.

Can Alcoholism Be Treated with Medication?

The short answer is “No”. In order to recover and stay that way, an alcoholic needs a lot of psychological help. However, very occasionally, medication may be used to help prevent relapses. Medications include:

Disulfiram

This drug causes distressing symptoms lasting from half an hour to two hours, if it is taken with any alcohol. Symptoms include flushing, headache, nausea and vomiting. One dose of Antabuse is usually effective for one to two weeks.

Naltrexone

This is thought to block the pleasurable effects of alcohol and reduce cravings. When used with counselling or support groups, studies indicate that it may be very effective for people with low- to medium-risk for alcohol dependency. The drug should not be administered to anyone who has used narcotics within a week to 10 days.

Acamprosate

This drug reduces cravings by inhibiting the transmission of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). Acamprosate is fully effective after about a week of treatment. It should be used along with counselling. Combination therapy with naltrexone or disulfiram is possible.
None of the above can be prescribed to pregnant women.

What Are My Chances of Recovery?

If you become one of the 15% of people who seek treatment, your chances of recovery are good. However, as different treatment programmes are more successful with some people than others, you may need to try more than one programme before you find the one best suited to you. It may even be that a programme that did not offer you recovery the first time, will work for you the second time.

Do not try to manage by yourself only about 20% of alcoholics are able to permanently abstain from alcohol without help. Conversely, if you do not stop drinking, your chances of doing yourself permanent damage are very high indeed