Stop Drinking Advice…Stop Drinking and Prevent Alcohol Abuse
July 2, 2008 – 4:29 pmBecause time and amount of drinking are uncontrollable, someone who is suffering from alcoholism addiction is likely to engage in such behavior as breaking family commitments, both major and minor; spending more money than planned; drinking while intoxicated and getting arrested; making inappropriate remarks to friends, family, and co-workers; arguing, fighting and other anti-social actions. The alcoholic would probably wouldn’t do such things, nor approve of them in others unless he was drinking.
The condition, delirium tremens (known primarily to heavy drinkers), causes hallucinations along with loss of control of muscular functioning. When this condition develops and the alcoholic slows their drinking, withdrawal syndrome can and often does occur. This may include agitation, tremors, seizures, and hallucinations. Alcoholism also cause’s damage to the brain; alcoholics may suffer from lack of concentration. The alcoholic may also experience blackouts, occasional onsets of memory lapses, and possibly complete memory loss. They may also suffer from more serious forms of brain damage.
Stopping alcohol completely is usually best if you are, or have been, alcohol dependent. Also, if you have a condition due to alcohol such as liver damage. Otherwise, reducing to a safe level of drinking is an option. (A note of caution: do not stop alcohol suddenly if you are alcohol dependent. Some withdrawal effects can be severe. It is best to cut down gradually and then stop, or see your doctor about a ‘detox’.) If you are trying to cut down, some tips which may help include the following: Consider drinking low alcohol beers, or at least do not drink ’strong’ beers or lagers. Try pacing the rate of drinking. Perhaps alternate soft drinks with alcoholic drinks. Consider cutting back on types of social activity which involve drinking. Perhaps try different social activities where drinking is not a part. Perhaps reduce the number of days in the week where you go out to drink. Resist pressure from people who encourage you to drink more than you want to.
Other medication sometimes used for alcohol problems: Vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine), are often prescribed if you are alcohol dependent. Especially during detox. This is because many people who are dependent on alcohol do not eat properly and can lack certain vitamins. A lack of vitamin B1 is the most common. A lack of this vitamin can cause serious brain conditions called Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis. Acamprosate is a medicine which can help to ease alcohol craving. This may be prescribed to some people after a successful detox to help them stay off alcohol. Disulfiram is another medicine which is sometimes used following a successful detox. When you take disulfiram you get very unpleasant symptoms if you drink any alcohol (such as flushing, vomiting, palpitations and headache). So, in effect, the medicine acts as a deterrent for when you are tempted to drink. It can help some people to stay off alcohol.
Exercise, diet, hormones, stress: keeping up with all the health issues facing women is a challenge. Alcohol is yet another health issue for women. Drinking, even in small amounts, affects women differently than men. And heavy drinking, in some ways, is much more risky for women than it is for men. With any health issue, accurate information is key. There are times and ways to drink that are safer than others. Every woman is different. No amount of drinking is 100 percent safe, 100 percent of the time, for every individual woman. With this in mind, it’s important to know how alcohol can affect health and safety.
Stress is a common theme in women’s lives. Research confirms that one of the reasons people drink is to help them cope with stress. In laboratory studies, animals consume alcohol in response to stress. However, the role of stress in causing problem drinking in people is not clear. Heavy drinking itself causes stress in a job and family. Many factors, including family history, shape how much a woman will use alcohol to cope with stress. A woman’s past and usual drinking habits are important. Different people have different expectations about the effect of alcohol on stress. How a woman handles stress, and the support she has to manage it, also may affect whether she uses alcohol in response to stress.
As women get older, fewer women drink. At the same time, research suggests that people born in recent decades are more likely to drink-throughout life-than people born in the early 1900s. Elderly patients are admitted to hospitals about as often for alcohol-related causes as for heart attacks. Older women may be especially sensitive to the stigma of being alcoholic, and therefore hesitate to report their drinking, even if they have a problem.
Tags: Health and Fitness
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