Alcoholism: Control and Treatment

A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of alcoholism appears to be most effective because alcoholism is a highly complex disorder. Formally it was considered as essential that the treatment of an alcoholic should take place in an institutional setting, however increasing number of alcoholics are treated in community clinics.

Treatment of Alcoholism: Biological Measures

Included here are a variety of treatment measures ranging from detoxification, procedures to aversion therapy and brain surgery.

In acute intoxication, the initial focus is on detoxification or elimination of harmful alcoholic substances from the individual’s body, on the Alcoholism treatment of withdrawal symptoms, and on a medical regimen for physical rehabilitation. There can best be handled in a hospoxide or clinical setting where drugs such as chlordiazepoxide have largely revolutionized.

Treatment of Alcoholism: Aversion Therapy

It is often used for the treatment of alcohol addiction. This therapy uses unpleasant or painful stimulus in controlled fashion for the purpose of altering the behavioral pattern in the way.

Brain Surgery

It is a controversial matter because we do not have any authentic knowledge of the brain areas that may include alcoholism.

Treatment of Alcoholism: Psycho-Social Measures

1. Group Therapy

In this the first step is to make alcoholic to concede that he has a drinking problem that these are resources available for helping him to deal with it. He is then forced to face his problem, recognize its disastrous consequences and taught effective methods of coping with it. In some cases, his spouse and children are invited to join group therapy meetings.

2. Socio -therapy

By helping the alcoholic to learn more effective coping techniques is of no use if the social environment around him remains hostile to him, therefore an effort should be made towards improving the social environment climate so that alcoholic who is making a comeback to the normal life pattern get all encouragement and support.

Socio Therapy Aims at this only. Therefore counseling the family members of the alcoholic and educating the public of the difficulties of an alcoholic trying to leave alcohol, they try to generate a climate in which an alcoholic of past is gracefully accepted.

Also Read: Alcoholism

Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) Organization

This organization was started by Dr. Bob & Bill in Ohio. AA operates primarily as a psychotherapeutic program in which both person to person and group to group relationships are emphasized. The meetings are devoted partly to the social activities but consist mainly of discussion of participants problem with alcohol, often with testimonials is charged, in order to maintain anonymity first names are asked.

An affiliated movement AL-ANON which is established for spouses and relatives of alcoholics so that they can understand and help their alcoholic mates or relatives.

Another movement is AL-TEEN designed to help teenagers understand the drinking problems of their parents and find support in a group setting.

Treatment of Alcoholism: Other Measures

1. Strict Law enforcement and moral sanctions.
2. Institutional and Reorganizational approach – poverty elevation improvement of social economic conditions of people, finishing the slums and creating more employment the measures included under this.