How Does Alcohol Addiction Affect Mental Health?

Drinks containing alcohol are called alcoholic beverages. Depending on their strength and the frequency of drinking, they have different effects on people. Excessive and regular use of alcohol is called alcoholism. It is a disease that negatively affects the state of internal organs and mental health of the alcoholic.

Why and how does alcohol affect the psyche?

Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. And the first thing it affects is the brain. Alcohol increases the action of the neurotransmitter GABA, which inhibits the psyche. Conversely, it weakens the action of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which stimulates increased brain activity.

The main reasons why alcohol addiction affects the psyche:

• Alcohol literally controls the brain. It can cause depression, panic attacks, unpredictable behavior.
• Hangover syndrome. Hangovers are the little brother of withdrawal syndrome, making you feel bad, nervous and anxious.
• Deterioration of quality of life. Alcoholism can lead to disruption of social relationships, loss of jobs, friends and family.

The nature of the effects of alcohol depends on the dose and frequency of its use:

• Drinking large amounts of alcohol daily over time leads to mood changes and causes mental illness.
• If mental illness is present, alcohol use worsens the course of mental illness and increases the risk of suicide. Alcohol may be used to combat the symptoms of mental disorders, but it actually makes things worse.

Abstinence syndrome

The difficulty in fighting alcohol addiction is caused by the development of withdrawal syndrome. It appears after a sharp refusal of alcohol, lasts from 3 to 5 days and is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• insomnia
• tremors
• convulsions
• nausea
• arrhythmia
• fear
• agitation
• depression
• hallucinations

With long-term alcoholism, withdrawal can manifest itself with even more serious mental illnesses.

Delirium and hallucinosis

Alcoholic delirium is very dangerous and with untimely assistance of doctors can lead to the death of the patient. It is manifested by disorientation of the person in space and time, hallucinations, fear and inadequate behavior.

For symptomatic treatment of alcoholic delirium, hospitalization with subsequent medication is indicated.

Alcoholic hallucinosis is manifested by visual or auditory deception of perception of reality. Unlike delirium, this condition can manifest itself chronically for several years after complete withdrawal from alcohol and rehabilitation.

Dementia

Changes in personality and thinking, memory loss and other problems associated with damage to brain cells and caused by alcoholism are called alcoholic dementia. It manifests symptomatically in the same way as normal dementia in the elderly. The disease is progressive in nature, but reversal can occur with alcohol withdrawal.

Treatment of alcohol dependence

Fighting alcoholism is a complex multi-step process that requires a lot of effort from doctors and the patient. That is why alcohol addiction treatment is better in an inpatient setting under the continuous supervision of specialists.

Detoxification and drug treatment

Abruptly quitting drinking is very dangerous. It can lead to severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, epileptic seizures and other severe consequences. It is important to do it slowly, gradually reducing the concentration of alcohol in the blood and getting rid of the breakdown products of ethyl alcohol.

A detoxification program allows for a gentle withdrawal from a binge, reducing the impact of withdrawal symptoms. Along with this, the use of pharmacological drugs that prevent relapse may be indicated: acamprosate, naltrexone, disulfiram.

Psychological therapies

The dual diagnosis caused by mental illness and alcohol dependence requires a special approach to treatment. The specialist together with the patient should find out the main cause of the development of the disease, work through it. For this purpose, cognitive-behavioral, social, network and other types of therapy are used.

Complex therapy

But most often, in order to achieve the maximum effect from the treatment of addiction, the whole complex of measures is used, selected individually for each patient. At the end of the rehabilitation program, it is important for the patient to continue working on himself. For example, this goal can be achieved by permanent membership in the Alcoholics Anonymous club.