For a long time have been taken as irrefutable truths myths associated with alcohol consumption. Many people have believed and still believe, that alcohol is a stimulant, but it is not. Alcohol, by contrast, is a depressant. While initially people may notice an improvement in their mood, the reality is that their use inevitably leads to depression.

The other big myth is that “alcohol enhances sexual activity.” Here something similar happens in the previous misconception. Although you may feel a greater sexual arousal, the truth is that the indiscriminate consumption of alcoholic drinks ends up causing problems with impotence and even lack of orgasms.

Treatments available for those addicted to alcohol

Certainly, the vast majority of alcohol addicts do not recognize to be, nor do they seek professional help. However, those who receive medical care fail to control the disease greatly. The key is intervention (medical and family support), detoxification (withdrawal monitored and supervised by specialists) and rehabilitation (education about alcohol and its effects to prevent relapse).

In the interest of avoiding such a decline, sometimes prescribed medications such as Acamprosate, which decreases relapse rates, the Antabuse, which produces unpleasant side effects if the person returns to drinking and naltrexone, which reduces the uncontrollable desire for alcohol.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcoholism is the fifth most important risk factor for premature death and disability:
* Reduces life expectancy by 12 years.
* It is responsible for at least 200,000 deaths annually.
* Is involved in half of all deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
* It is the fourth leading cause of suicides.
* It is related to more than 65% of the murders.
Y * is considered the main health problem in developed countries.

Diseases associated with alcohol addiction
The cerebrum and cerebellum are the primary organs affected by alcohol. The first damage usually cause hallucinations, dementia and delirium tremens, which can be fatal. The damage in the second, meanwhile, tend to cause loss of coordination, vertical and memory.

The liver, for its part, is the organ most affected is responsible for metabolizing the alcohol in 90%. Fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, are among the ailments caused by harmful habit.

But not just the brain and liver are affected by alcoholism: the stomach, pancreas, kidneys, heart, and to the testes and ovaries, may also be harmed.
Why drink alcohol?
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the use of substances by family members or friends, sexual abuse, drug use at early ages, as well as violence at home or school, are some of the causes that could lead a person alcoholism.

Psychological and social factors implicated in the causes of this addiction. Among the former are: the need to relieve anxiety, conflict in interpersonal relationships, depression and low self-esteem. Among the latter: the easy availability of alcohol, peer pressure, social acceptance and stressful lifestyle.

The very source adds that are at risk for alcoholism, men who eat 15 or more drinks a week, women who consumed 12 or more drinks on the same period and anyone who drinks five or more drinks per occasion at least Once in the proper period. (A drink is defined as a bottle of 12-ounce beer, a glass of wine or 5-ounce shot of liquor 1 1 / 2 ounces).

As binge drinking poses serious health risks
Alcohol dependence reduces life expectancy, is linked to half of all deaths in traffic accidents and is one of the causes of suicide.

Miguel is an inveterate alcoholic. At 60 years, has nothing good to tell of his life because of his addiction to alcohol lost family, jobs and prestige. Their only child abandonment can not forgive. Her relatives do to one side. His friends … Miguel has no friends, except for loneliness. Never sought help from a doctor. Never felt sick. But, suffering from alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease
More than just a vice, alcoholism is a chronic progressive disease caused by intoxication with ethyl alcohol on a regular and prolonged. Such wasteful consumption often interferes with physical and mental health of those affected and their family responsibilities, work or social.

While noting primarily male, an increasing prevalence in females and between young people in general, reporting a high incidence worldwide.

Role of genetics in children of alcoholics
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, United States, studies have shown that genetic factors are closely linked to the likelihood of alcoholism. In fact, today it is known that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop this disease than the rest of the population.

However, this genetic predisposition is not the only factor. Own investigations have found that more than half of these descendants do not become alcoholics ever.

This is the case of the son of Miguel, who is not only alcohol, but almost completely abstinent. Knowing firsthand the effects of the disease, does not want for him or his family anything that has to do with the disastrous attacks of evil. In a drink on special occasions to do so without measure every day, there is a long way that he is not ready to go.

Alcohol can be one source of pleasure, but consumed in excess have devastating effects.

Drinking alcohol in moderate amounts can promote relaxation, reduce anxiety and inhibitions, and even increase confidence in ourselves. That is, its effects seem to us to overcome many problems. Therefore, is very present at the time of social relations.

But if alcohol consumption is excessive, also paid an important bill: the hangover is the result of an agency that has been seriously damaged and, if repeated often, the damage will be irreversible. For example, in sexual terms, although the alcohol increases the desire, is an inhibitor of sexual response, altering their normal functioning.

How excess alcohol affects men
Alcohol tends to inhibit erections. Many young people have their first sexual intercourse after drinking a large amount of alcohol, which normally produce them with erection problems and they create enormous suffering, to attribute failure to their own personal characteristics rather than the effects of drink. The result is often a psychological erectile dysfunction by the fear of further failures.

According Walji and Kingston, has shown that even not too high quantities of alcohol, but continuously ingested, can affect the reproductive system, as the male hormone testosterone is eliminated more rapidly and occurs in smaller quantities, so the drinker will therefore diminished sex drive as the production of sperm.

Hypogonadism and feminization
For his part, Dr. David Van Thiel, demonstrated more than thirty years ago, in those alcoholics who have a significant liver damage arises a process of feminization that is manifested in the reduction of body hair, as well as development own bodily habits of women, because, in these cases, call hypertension portal vein becomes estrogens (female hormones), many of steroids absorbed by the liver.

And, secondly, Dr. Van Thiel experimentally found that excessive alcohol also produces a deterioration of the gonads known as hypogonadism, which is testicular atrophy, decreased level of testosterone, infertility and impotence.

How excess alcohol affects women
Women who drink too much alcohol may be suffering irregularities in their menstrual cycles, breast reduction and a propensity to develop cancer.

Furthermore, in our society have always seen worse abuse of the drink by the woman by man. And this is not a mere prejudice, but it has a reason: women have a smaller liver, which means we can absorb less alcohol, so that any woman should try to match or beat a man in the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Nor should we forget the serious dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy represents, since the alcohol passes to the fetus through the umbilical cord, causing mental and physical damage in newborns.

• Delayed frequent arrival to work.
• Frequent absence day after party or at least slow, slurred and irregular work. • frequent disappearances post without prior justification.
• Small absences for minor illnesses: Colds, flu, or minor accidents occurred with regularity at work, outside, on the road.
• Progressive change in attitude of the subject hitherto regarded as a good worker, discussions, reviews, small mistakes which seeks to justify, small accidents which offers or other material liable.
• Marked variations in mood, anger, loss of interest in the job.

Quite often the alcoholic becomes self-harm in order to enjoy free time on the floor of an accident. Alcoholism causes havoc in the industry very difficult to establish in statistics, even if the problem is known. Here are some of the problems:

• Low productivity
• Shredding or misuse of the material
• Deterioration of quality of manufactured product
• Reduce the rate of production where it is placed
• Large number of absences or tardiness

These costs increase with the degree of competence or authority of the employee.

The Three Stages Of Alcoholism

Every alcoholic drink in their own way, but all people with an alcohol problem have something in common:

• They can not control your drinking.
• At first, develop tolerance to alcohol. So, when taking endure much, compared with the other people who drink.
• Consequently, increasingly need to take to achieve the same effects as before.
• But this is temporary, it lasts forever.

Later, the opposite happens: the drinker needs very little alcohol, sometimes a single drink to get drunk. It becomes then, of those who can not tolerate anything. Although each alcoholic follows its own path toward the disease, one can say generally that all alcoholic goes through three stages.

First Stage

It usually takes about 10 years, but we must not take this as if it were a rule.

This stage covers the following:

• repeated promises to leave the alcohol that lead to failure, anxiety, guilt and consequently more drink.
• more frequent alcohol intake.
• Increased tolerance. The drinker ever take any more.
• Increased irritability, personality changes. Blackouts occur (forget what happened when you drink).

Second Stage

It creates a vicious circle: the person drinker goes from an uncontrollable desire to take the anguish and guilt for having done so and hence the isolation and frustration, which leads again into the drink and start the cycle again .

• The patient denied having a drinking problem or hide the fact, while for others it’s obvious her alcoholism.
• Take from the morning alone.
• Has permanent and visible signs of defects of alcohol, even at work.
• The drink becomes a necessity for him everyday.

Third Stage

Start utter ruin. The intoxicated person practically live and adds difficulties with family, friends and work, which leads her to suffer financial difficulties.

• You will fall in the desert. Avoid her friends and family, and these in turn try to get away from it.
• Live for drinking and hardly eats. Sometimes partial receive medical help to combat his anxiety and weakness.
• personality changes radically, their own friends and relatives do not know.
• You suffer serious disorders such as destruction, weakness and hallucinations.

When someone reaches this stage, is at a point where there are only two paths:

If you continue along the path of alcohol, expect the final collapse: disability, dying and death.

The other path is definitely quit drinking and begin a slow return to health. You can not combine the two paths. No way to keep drinking and cured to make. The only way to control alcoholism, is to achieve total abstinence.

When treating alcoholism must ask a series of goals to achieve, and the end of all therapy program seeks to motivate the patient to continue his treatment and once made, remain abstinent, if possible, throughout life.

Must be made to the patient that if you take too much alcohol, decrease this amount will improve their lives and health, and how to improve it?, For improving disturbance of the nervous system or gastrointestinal tract, caused by alcohol intake , sleeping better in both time and quality and ultimately improve your relationship with family, friends or in the
workplace.

To achieve complete recovery of the alcoholic patient will have to raise a number of objectives in the short, medium and long term and to undertake and complete up gradually, so we’ll use all available therapeutic options, both pharmacological and level psychological or psychosocial.

Have to perform two main steps:
* Stop drinking at the moment, which leads to a withdrawal syndrome in patients with alcohol dependence, which must be correctly treated. This phase is known as detoxification.
* Stop drinking for the rest of our lives, applying medication therapy or psychological support. Phase is known as detoxification.

The whole therapeutic process is based on three points:
* Drug Therapy
* Psychotherapy
* Self-Help Groups

Withdrawal symptoms after stopping smoking are mostly psychological and often express themselves in not being able to concentrate, a craving for a cigarette, sweat and nightmares. The actual withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco, only a slight feeling of discomfort and what an empty feeling hungry. These symptoms, which average two to three weeks, are reinforced by the psychological addiction. Through this mental addiction that smokers are sometimes after months of talking “withdrawal symptoms” while actually the psychological suffering of the abandonment of the cigarette. Instead of happy to be there to have people feel unhappy because they can not smoke.

Inpatient treatment versus outpatient treatment.

People with symptoms of mild to moderate lifting are usually treated as outpatients and are assigned to support groups, guidance, or both. Inpatient treatment, which could take place in a general or psychiatric hospital or in a center dedicated to alcohol and substance abuse, is recommended for patients with delirium tremens. The usual system there is made by physical examination and psychiatric, detoxification, treatment with psychotherapy or behavioral therapy and an introduction to Alcoholics Anonymous. Due to the high cost of inpatient care, people are now questioning its advantages over outpatient care. One study compared to alcoholics who were hospitalized or employees who were treated as outpatients with compulsory attendance at AA meetings or who were allowed to choose their own choice, including no treatment at all. After two years, all experienced fewer problems at work, but among those in the hospital group had significantly fewer rehospitalizations and remained abstinent over time people in the other two groups. Another study looking at treatment programs for substance and alcohol found that 75% of hospitalized patients completed therapy compared with only 18% of outpatients. Other studies, however, revealed no difference in outcomes between those programs and outpatient hospitalization. Studies have attempted to discover the features that can make people more likely to get out of hospital programs or clinics. One study found that people who leave outpatient treatment are more likely to be women, young, unskilled and be people with more than one type of addiction. Another reported that leaving treatment hospital against medical advice tend to have jobs, have a college education and have had a history of leaving treatment.

Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy.

Two different forms of psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychotherapy group interaction, have been beneficial to persons with alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded in 1935, is an excellent example of interaction in group psychotherapy and remains the most-known for helping people with alcoholism. It offers a strong support network which uses group meetings available seven days a week at locations throughout the world. A system of friends (buddy system), a group understanding of alcoholism and forgiveness of relapses are AA’s standard methods to increase self-esteem and alleviate feelings of isolation. The approximation of the AA 12 steps to recovery include a spiritual component that can deter people who lack religious convictions. Prayer and Meditation, however, have been known to be of great value in the process of healing many diseases, even in people without particular religious beliefs. Associated programs for members, Al-Anon and Alateen, offer help to family members and friends. The cognitive-behavioral therapy use a structured approach to teaching. People with alcoholism are given instructions and are assigned tasks with the intention of improving their ability to cope with basic living situations, to control behavior and to change the way they think about drinking. For example, they may ask patients to write a history of alcohol-related experiences and describe what they consider to be risky situations. Then they were assigned activities to help them cope when exposed to the “signs”-places or experiences that trigger the desire to drink. Also be assigned tasks to patients that are designed to replace the drink. An interesting example of such a program successful was one in which patients were recruited on a softball team (softball), which gave them the opportunity to practice skills to address, develop supportive relationships and engage in healthy alternative activities. A study aimed to determine whether individuals can do better in a therapy under another. Alcoholics researchers categorized as being either Type A or Type B. Type A individuals became alcoholics at a later age, had symptoms or less severe psychiatric problems and better prospects than those of Type B. People in the group of type A responded well to psychotherapy group interaction, focusing on the emotions of the individual and the relationship with the group. They did so well with behavioral therapy. Type B people became alcoholics at an early age, had a high family risk for alcoholism, more severe symptoms and worse prospects. This group was very bad interaction with group therapy, but tended to do better with behavioral therapy. This difference in response to both treatments lasted two years later still.