| Medications | | | | popular. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best-known |
| The classical use of medications for alcoholism is to | | | | example of this movement. Various branches are |
| encourage abstinence. Antabuse (also known as | | | | available for family members of the alcoholic or |
| disulfiram), for instance, prevents the elimination of | | | | commonly referred to as the co-dependents. Other |
| chemicals which cause severe discomfort when | | | | groups include LifeRing Secular Recovery and |
| alcohol is ingested, effectively preventing the alcoholic | | | | SMART Recovery. |
| from drinking in significant amounts while they take the | | | | Prevention |
| medicine. Heavy drinking while on antabuse can result | | | | Some programs attempt to help problem drinkers |
| in severe illness and death. | | | | before they become dependents. These programs |
| Naltrexone has also been used because it helps curb | | | | focus on harm-reduction and reducing alcohol intake as |
| cravings for alcohol while the person is on it. Both of | | | | opposed to cold-turkey approaches. One such |
| these, however, have been demonstrated to cause a | | | | program is called Moderation Management. |
| rebound effect when the user stops taking them. | | | | Nutritional therapy |
| These do allow a person to overcome psychological | | | | Another treatment program is based on nutritional |
| addictions to alcohol, but they do not treat the | | | | therapy. Many alcohol dependents have insulin |
| neurochemical addiction. | | | | resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder where the |
| In more recent studies it has been demonstrated that | | | | body's difficulty in processing sugars causes an |
| the use of naltrexone while the alcoholic continues to | | | | unsteady supply to the blood stream. While the |
| drink can result in extinction of the neurochemical | | | | disorder can be treated by a hypoglycemic diet, this |
| addiction. Referred to as the "Sinclair Method", this | | | | can affect behavior and emotions, side-effects often |
| technique is used with good results some US states | | | | seen among alcohol dependents in treatment. The |
| and in Finland but has failed to penetrate much of the | | | | metabolic aspects of such dependence are often |
| world because of the long-standing bias against any | | | | overlooked, resulting in poor results. |
| treatment that doesn't involve detoxification and | | | | Return to normal drinking |
| abstinence. | | | | Although it has long been argued that alcoholic |
| Rationing | | | | dependents cannot learn to drink in moderation, |
| Rationing or other attempts to control use are | | | | research by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol |
| increasingly ineffective as pathological attachment to | | | | Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates a small |
| the drug develops. Use often continues despite serious | | | | percentage of individuals in the US whose dependence |
| adverse health, personal, legal, work-related, and | | | | began more than one year earlier are now drinking in |
| financial consequences. | | | | moderation. In contrast, a high percentage who |
| Detoxification | | | | undergo naltrexone use-reduction therapy are capable |
| Detoxification programs run by medical institutions | | | | of normal drinking habits. Use of Naltrexone involves |
| often involve stays for a number of weeks in | | | | taking the medication an hour before any drinking |
| specialized hospital wards, where drugs may be used | | | | occurs in order to maintain this. |
| to avoid withdrawal symptoms. In severe cases, | | | | Societal Impact |
| detoxification may lead to death. To that point, even a | | | | Today, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are |
| simple "de-tox" can involve seizures, if not properly | | | | major public health problems in North America, costing |
| monitored. | | | | the region's inhabitants, by some estimates, as much |
| Post Detox Therapy | | | | as US$170 billion annually. Alcohol abuse and alcohol |
| After detoxification, various forms of group therapy or | | | | dependence sometimes cause death, particularly |
| psychotherapy are recommended to deal with | | | | through liver, pancreatic, or kidney disease, internal |
| underlying psychological issues leading to alcohol | | | | bleeding, brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, and |
| dependence. It is also used to provide the recovering | | | | suicide. Heavy alcohol consumption by a pregnant |
| addict with relapse prevention skills. | | | | mother can also lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, an |
| Aversion therapies may be supported by drugs like | | | | incurable and damaging condition. |
| Disulfiram, which causes a strong and prompt | | | | Additionally, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are |
| sensitivity reaction whenever alcohol is consumed. | | | | major contributing factors for head injuries, motor |
| Naltrexone or Acamprosate may improve compliance | | | | vehicle accidents, violence and assaults, neurological, |
| with abstinence planning by treating the physical | | | | and other medical problems. |
| aspects of cravings to drink. The standard | | | | Alcohol addiction is a treatable disease. If you are an |
| pharmocopoeia of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and | | | | alcoholic or are a family member of an alcoholic, |
| other psychotropic drugs treat underlying mood | | | | contact your physician for the most current treatments |
| disorders, neuroses, and psychoses associated with | | | | available. |
| alcoholic symptoms. | | | | This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. |
| Group Counseling | | | | Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as |
| In the mid-1930s, the mutual-help group-counseling | | | | no changes are made, and the entire resource box is |
| approach to treatment began and has become very | | | | included. |