Alcohol Addiction Treatment

In the UK, there are an estimated 568,780 dependent drinkers with only approximately 18% of those receiving any kind of support or treatment. What has been termed as alcoholism within the wider mainstream has simply been referred to as “severe alcohol abuse disorder’ by the DSM-5. To be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder (AUD), individuals must experience two of the following eleven criteria during the same 12 month period, according to the DSM-5:

• Drinking more than intended
• Trying to quit without success
• Increased alcohol-seeking behaviour
• Missing work or school due to drinking
• Interference with important activities
• Craving for alcohol
• Drinking despite experiencing social or personal problems
• Continued use despite health problems
• Drinking in hazardous situations
• Build up of tolerance
• Withdrawals when trying to quit

However, what it means to resort to chronic alcohol abuse is very much misunderstood. People who are mentally well-adjusted can fall into the binge drinking category and switch the behavioural mechanism on and off seemingly at will. Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol (typically twice the daily recommended allowance) in a short period of time. Those who indulge in this behaviour do so in order to get drunk. They don’t need to drink; they simply enjoy – to excess. The dependent drinker on the other hand, often does so in response to some form of trauma, self-identified deficiency in character or perhaps another issue relating to self-esteem.

Alcohol use disorder is also divided into sub-classifications the are mild, moderate and severe:

Mild: If you’re only presenting with two to three of the eleven symptoms, you would be classed as having a mild disorder.

Moderate: If you have four to five symptoms, you would likely be classed as having a moderate case of alcohol use disorder

Severe: If you have six or more of the symptoms, you have a severe case of alcohol abuse disorder

There are 11 associated symptoms that indicate a case of alcoholism. The more of the symptoms you identify with, the more severe and urgent is your need to seek help.

• Alcohol is often ingested in larger amounts than was originally intended
• There a continued effort required and attempted cut back to maintain a functioning lifestyle, which often results in failure
• A disproportionate amount of times spent on activities relating to alcohol – to obtain it, to use it, and recover from its effects
• There is a carving or strong desire/urge to use alcohol
• The use of alcohol results in the failure to fulfil important obligations at work, home or school
• There is continued alcohol use despite it causing recurrent and/or persistent social and interpersonal problems that are caused by or exacerbated by the effects of alcohol
• Important and once meaningful social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced due to the use of alcohol
• There is recurrent alcohol use in situations that would be described as hazardous
• Alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of it having a persistent or recurrent physical and/or psychological problem which is increased by the intake of more alcohol
• There is increased tolerance which is marked by both a decreased effect of what is currently being ingested and the need to ingest larger quantities to achieve the same effect as before
• There are withdrawal symptoms when a detox is attempted only for there to be a rebound effect.

The treatment of alcoholism requires a multi-faceted approach. It can be very difficult for those who are physically addicted to alcohol to eliminate it from their system, and the painful withdrawal symptoms experienced by alcoholics who suddenly stop drinking can be very difficult to manage. Fortunately, there are medications that can minimise these symptoms, and help the patient through the very difficult early days of treatment.

Here are some of the main options:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): The aim of CBT is to help you recognise and avoid the situations that are serving as your main triggers and are causing you to choose alcohol instead of sobriety.
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy: This form of therapy aims to help you improve your motivation and stop drinking.
• Family Therapy: This aims to help the affected family of the individual in the midst of alcohol abuse get touch with their own needs, and can often help prevent substance abuse from being passed down from one generation to the next.
• Interventions: This aims to get the individual to question their own behaviour by having people they know and care about relate to them what they’re doing to themselves and what they’re putting at stake by continuing down the path they’re going.

Once the initial withdrawal from alcohol is underway, patients are advised to enter treatment with a suitably qualified psychologist. Engaging with cognitive behavioural therapy will help them to learn techniques to manage their behaviour when they are tempted to turn to alcohol, and to recognise the triggers in their lives that often precipitate alcohol consumption.

When, as is often the case, the patient also has problems with depression, anxiety, or another psychological disorder, it is also essential to deal with this, again using cognitive behavioural or another suitable form of therapy. When an underlying psychological condition is under control, they are much less likely to feel the need to self-medicate.

It may also be useful for the patient to undergo an exploratory form of psychotherapy that helps them to understand the aetiology of their addiction, and for them to explore the impact of addiction not just on them but on their family or social unit, as addictive behaviours often occur in the context of a wider family dysfunction that may be receptive to therapy.

It is often also useful for therapy to occur alongside a program such as the well-known “twelve steps” program offered by organisations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which can offer support and advice when psychological treatment has helped the patient to return to a place of stability.

In addition to seeking the appropriate treatment to help you make a full recovery, there of course needs to be an element of managing your dependency in between therapy sessions and any other form of face-to-face support you may receive. There has to be an element of personal accountability and self-regulation. And that comes from knowing your triggers and taking the appropriate steps to avoid them.

Some common triggers include:

• Stress
• Emotional Distress
• Environmental cues that cause cravings
• Seeing people who are using drink and drugs
• Relationship turmoil
• Job issues or financial stress

If you are seeking help for alcohol related issues, either online or in London, please get in touch with the Private Therapy Clinic on Whatsapp message at: +447511116565 email, chat bot or book online to arrange an appointment.