Treatment of alcoholic disorder

When a person continues to consume alcohol in abnormally large quantities over a number of years, his personality becomes disintegrated. About 25% of the alcoholics are suffering from alcoholic deterioration.

The symptoms of alcoholic deterioration are irritability, cruelty, loss of memory, suspicious nature, deficiency of ambition and volition and indifference or hatred towards the family, indifference to personal appearance and apparel. This mental disease also causes the following physical symptoms such as reddening of throat and nose, swelling of the face, nervous tension and deficiency of physical energy, heart disease and lack of resistance to disease.

Treatment of alcoholic disorder.

The chief cure consists in avoiding alcohol enhanced by the counselling of the patient and family members by the nurse. Treatment can be effected in hospitalisation and as well as in the home. The decision concerning this can be left to the discretion of the doctor who takes into consideration the patients circumstances.

Main methods of cure are

Complete abstinence from alcohol Punishment such as heavy fine, imprisonment Using medicines

Destroying the craving for use of stimulating drugs/alcohol Meeting of alcoholic anonym

Psychotherapy - includes Suggestion

Moral encouragement Advice

Hypnotism etc

In psychotherapy, the main stress is on removing the fundamental causes that encourage it. The object of curing a person of alcoholism is to make his personality so strong by manifesting the concealed conflicts and putting an end to these actual causes that he can solve his own problems more rationally and permanently. With this end in view the alcoholic is encouraged to understand his problems and at the same time he is induced to take the necessary steps that will help him to get rid of this toxin latent.