What is Addiction ?
Addiction is a powerful Psychoactive Chemical I.e. Ethanol that can have a wide range of adverse effects on almost every aspect of your life, including health, Finances, family & children.
Addiction Dependence
If someone loses control over drinking & has excessive desire to drink its known as dependent drinking i.e. addiction. Dependent drinking usually affects person’s quality of life & relationships, but they may not always find it easy to see or accept this. Following are the criterias
Tolerance : Severely dependent drinkers are often able to tolerate high level of Addiction in amount that would dangerously affect or even kill some people
Withdrawal symptoms : A dependent drinker usually experiences physical & psychological withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly cut down or stop drinking
- Hand tremors, 6hrs
- Sweating, 6 to 12 hrs
- Hallucinations, seeing things & images that are unreal, 24-48 hrs
- Anxiety, Insomnia, sleeplessness
- Convulsions 72hrs
- Relief drinking: to avoid withdrawal people drink
- Time: - More time spent on Addiction use & its effects.
- Desire: - If there is persistent desire or unsuccessful attempts to cut down the Addiction.
- Alternative enjoyment is lost.
Am I drinking too Much Addiction?
CAGE Criteria : Even if one criteria present, you have to stop Addiction use
- If you feel to Cut down the Addiction use
- If Other people (Annoyed by) criticizing your drinking
- If you feel Guilty or bad about your drinking
- If you require Early morning drink to steady your nerves or get rid of hangover
Risks of Addiction use
All dimensions of the life of an Addiction user & his family gets disturbed.- Physical dimension
- Familial Dimensions
- Psychological Dimension
- Financial Dimension
- Social Dimensions
Short Term effects
- Accidents, Injuries, Trivial falls may cause head injuries, fractures & sudden deaths.
- Addiction Poisoning may lead to vomiting, seizures, falling unconscious & death.
- Violent behaviour & being victim of violence.
- Binge drinks: - heavy drink over short period of time is more likely to behave recklessly & are at greater risk of being in an accident
Long Term effects
- Heart disease: Heavy drinking over a long period cause increased blood pressure, high cholesterol level which may cause heart attacks & stroke.
- Long term Addiction misuse can weaken immune system, making u vulnerable to infections.
- It can also weaken your bones placing u at greater risk of fracturing or breaking them.
- Stroke & Paralysis.
- Liver Dysfunction, Jaundice, Ascites & Liver failure.
- Mouth, Liver & Bowel cancer.
- Pancreatitis & Diabetes due to recurrent Pancreatitis.
- Sexual problems like impotence, premature ejaculation, infertility.
- "Children of addicts are the people who have been robbed of their childhood."
- From the unborn child to the aged in the family, everyone is affected by addict person.
- They Ignore children, whose development is disturbed. Children may face symptoms as low self-esteem, loneliness, guilt, hopelessness, fears of abandonment & depression.
- They also can have high levels of stress & anxiety, Frequent nightmares, bedwetting, poor schooling, school drop-out also, may develop symptoms like lying, stealing, truancy, fighting.
- Spouse have negative effects like feeling of hatred, self-pity, avoidance of social contacts, may suffer exhaustion & become physically & mentally ill.
- There may be premature widowhood.
- Domestic abuse & Frequent fights can result in Family break up & divorce.
- Addiction can disrupt family life & its harmful effects can last a lifetime.
- Psychosis, delusion of infidelity, suspecting spouse that she has an affair.
- Depression, worrying thoughts, Fear of illnesses, anxiety
- Addiction induced panic disorder.
- Addiction induced Dementia & Wernicke’s encephalopathy
- Besides money spent on Addiction, spending on Addiction related health problems.
- Poor become poorer due to Addiction use.
- Work impairment, loss of job, Absenteeism, unemployment.
- Loss of judgement in financial dealings, loans & misadventure.
- Loss of personal possessions like wallets, keys & Mobile phones
- Reduce the productivity. 40% of accidents at workplace are related to Addiction.
- There may be unemployment, & homelessness.
- Sexual advances & inappropriate behaviour.
- The persons who start drinking early during or before graduation loose education ultimately.
- There may be loss of respect in the society.
Addiction Misuse means drinking excessively--- More than lower risk limits of
Addiction CONSUPTION
Lower risk limits : - 1 Unit of Addiction is 10 ml of Pure Addiction
Which means half pint of beer or A peg of 30ml of whisky or similar drinks
To keep your risk of Addiction harm low We advice Less than14 units of Addiction a
week i.e. 14 small pegs of 30 ml If you want to drink 14 units, its best to spread
evenly over the week over three or more day a week
If you want to reduce the amount of Addiction you drink, it’s good to have several
Addiction-free days each week.
Regular drinking means drinking almost every day each week The risk to your health
is increased by drinking any amount of Addiction on a regular basis
If you have a normal tolerance for Addiction & not dependent following are the
effects of Addiction on body
1-2 units :
After drinking 1-2 units of Addiction, your heart rate speeds up & your blood
vessels expand, giving you the warm, sociable & talkative feeling associated with
moderate drinking.
4-6 units :
After drinking for to 6 units of Addiction, it begins to affect the part of your
brain & nervous system, associated with your judgement & decision-making causing u
to be more reckless & uninhibited.The Addiction also impairs the cells in the
nervous system, making you feel light headed & adversely affecting your reaction
time & co ordination
8-9 units :
After drinking 8-9 units of Addiction, your reaction time will be much slower, your
speech will begin to slur & alter vision, that will lose focus.
Your liver which filters Addiction out of your body will be unable to remove all of
the Addiction overnight, so it’s likely, u will wake up with a hangover.
10-12 units :
After drinking 10-12 units of Addiction, your co-ordination will be highly impaired,
placing u at serious risk of having an accident.
The high level of Addiction has a depressant effect on both mind & body, which makes
u drowsy.
This amount of Addiction will begin to reach toxic levels, your body attempts to
quickly pass out the Addiction in your urine, this will cause dehydration in morning
which may cause severe headache. The excess amount of Addiction in your system can
also upset your digestion leading to symptoms of nausea vomiting, diarrhoea &
indigestion
More than 12 Units :
If you drink more than 12 units of Addiction, you are at considerable risk of
developing Addiction poisoning, particularly if you are drinking may units over
short period of time.
It usually takes the liver about an hour to remove one unit of Addiction from the
body.
Addiction poisoning occurs when excessive amount of Addiction starts to interfere
with body’s automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, gag reflex which
prevents u choking. Addiction poisoning can cause a person to fall into coma & could
lead to their death
Kindling is a problem that can occur following a number of episodes of withdrawal of Addiction. The severity of a person’s withdrawal symptoms may get worse each time they stop drinking & cause symptoms such as tremors, agitation, & convulsions. Addiction has a supressing effect on brain & nervous system. Research has shown that when Addiction has removed from body it activates brain & nervous system, resulting in excessive excitability, this can lead to behavioural symptoms such as seizures. With each Addiction withdrawal episode, the brain & nervous system becomes more sensitized & the resulting side effects become more pronounced.
Vyasan Mukti Kendra/ De-addiction Center
We provide intensive rehabilitation & recovery support
Intensive rehabilitation
We provide intensive rehabilitation & recovery supportWe provide Some people intensive rehabilitation & recovery support for a period after they stop drinking completely. We have 24/7 residential programme for these patients.This type of intensive treatment is usually reserved for people with medium or high levels of Addiction dependence, and particularly those who have received other forms of help previously that have not been successful.We have one of the best psycho-social-rehabilitation model for these patients. How Addiction misuse is treated depends on how much Addiction a person is drinking. We divide this in two parts
Detox
Treatment of withdrawal once patient is admitted for Addiction deaddiction. Our strategy is to stop Addiction use completely & immediately & deal with withdrawal. We have all hospital facilities in house so we don’t need to send the patient to hospital for treating withdrawal as most deaddiction centres do. We have 24 hrs doctors & nurses in case of any emergency.
Withdrawal symptoms start with tremors, palpitations, restlessness, disturbed sleep then hallucinations or seeing images, confusion, delirium & convulsions if not treated properly. During detox you will be given plenty of fluids, IV or orally & replacement medicines like chlordiazepoxide, Lorazepam etc.
Rehab
- Brief Intervention
- Complete Abstinence
- 12 Step facilitation therapy
- CBT
- Family Therapy
- Group therapy
- Self-help group
- A brief intervention lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. Advice to Keep a drinking diary, to record the units of Addiction you drink a week. Tips of social drinking such as alternating soft drinks with addict drinks when you are out with friends
- Cutting Addiction completely will have greater health benefits
- However, moderation is often more realistic goal, or at least a first step on the way to abstinence
- If you have Liver Cirrhosis.
- If you have medical problems like heart disease.
- If you previously been unsuccessful with moderation.
- If you severe work impairment.
Counselling : we believe on motivational theory rather than engaging them in busy counselling programmes. We try to counsel the effects of Addiction on the client’s life & health. Addiction is a disease & we have to treat it as a disease. It covers risk associated with client’s pattern of drinking, advice about reducing the amount you drink or complete abstinence.
Is based on the programme devised by AA. The difference is you work through the stages on a one to one basis with a counsellor, rather than in a group. The therapy may be your preferred treatment option if you feel uneasy or unwilling to discuss your problem in group setting
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
It is a talking therapy that uses a problem-solving approach to Addiction dependence. The therapy involves identifying unhelpful, unrealistic thoughts & belief that may be contributing towards your Addiction dependence, such as
- I can’t relax without Addiction
- My friends would find me boring if I was sober
- Just drinking one pint can’t hurt
Once these thoughts & beliefs are identified you will be encouraged to change your behaviour on more realistic & helpful thoughts such as
- Lots of people have a good time without Addiction & I can be one of them
- My friends like me for my personality, not for my drinking
- I know I can’t stop drinking once I start
CBT also helps you identify triggers & Prevent Relapse that can cause you to drink such as Stress, social anxiety, being in high risk environments such as pubs, clubs and restaurant.You will learn how to avoid certain triggers & cope effectively with those that are unavoidable
Addiction dependence doesn’t just impact on an individual, it can also affect a whole family. Family therapy provides family members with the opportunity to learn about the nature of Addiction dependence & how to Support the member of the family who is trying to abstain from Addiction. Living with someone who misuses Addiction can be very stressful, so receiving support can be very helpful.
Yoga & meditation, Lectures, sharing & meetings.
Many people who have Addiction dependency problems find it useful to attend self-help groups such as Addiction Anonymous(AA). One of the main belief behind AA is Addiction dependence is a long term, progressive illness & total abstinence is the only solution. It’s a 12-step programme designed to help you overcome your addiction.
Medication
The Anti craving agents
- Acamprosate: - It is used to prevent relapse in recently abstinent patient. Acamprosate works by affecting GABA neurotransmitter which is responsible for craving
- Naltrexone can be used to prevent a relapse or limit the amount of Addiction someone drinks. It works by blocking opioid receptors in the body, stopping the effects of Addiction
- Baclofen
- Topiramate
Antabuse treatment
Antabuse treatment : We also use Tb Disulfiram in willing patients who want to quit Addiction but unable to quit. Disulfiram can be used if you are trying to achieve abstinence but concerned with relapse, or if you have had relapses. Disulfiram works by deterring you from drinking by causing unpleasant physical reaction if you drink Addiction like Nausea, vomiting, Chest pain, dizziness sometimes low BP etc.
Supportive medications
We have to find out underlying psychological problem like bipolarity or personality & treat it accordingly which produces great effects on addict's life.
Usually treatment is advised with counselling for 6 months to 1 year after discharge from the centre.
Drinking Diary
If you are aiming to moderate your drinking it’s a good idea to keep a drinking diary On daily basis, make a note of all the addict drinks you’ve had.
- What time you had them.
- Where you were.
- How many units you drank.
This will give you a good idea of how much Addiction you’re drinking, the situations in which you drink, & how you could start to cut down