What is alcohol withdrawal? Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a set of symptoms that people have when they suddenly stop drinking after using alcohol for a long period of time. Some people have mild shakiness and sweats. The worst form of withdrawal is called “DTs” (delirium tremens). People with DTs may experience confusion, anxiety and even hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that aren’t really there). DTs can be very serious if not treated by a doctor.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms rarely occur in people who only drink once in a while. Symptoms usually occur in people who have been drinking heavily for weeks or months and then suddenly stop drinking. People who have gone through withdrawal before are more likely to have withdrawal symptoms each time they quit drinking.
Do people going through alcohol withdrawal need an alcohol rehab?
Yes. An alcohol rehab has the ability to help you through alcohol withdrawal by admitting you to their alcohol detox unit. If you go through withdrawal a number of times without getting the right alcohol rehab treatment, your symptoms may get worse each time. So even if your alcohol withdrawal symptoms don’t seem that bad, it’s important to seek an evaluation at an alcohol rehab. This is especially true for people who have had a bad alcohol withdrawal before and people who have other health problems, such as infections, heart disease, lung disease or a history of seizures.
Is alcohol withdrawal and alcohol detox painful?
Without the help of an alcohol detox program, alcohol withdrawal can and is painful. By choosing an effective and quality alcohol detox program, they can greatly minimize any discomfort you may have due to alcohol withdrawal. An alcohol detox program will dispense medications that are capable of greatly reducing and sometimes eliminating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Always seek an evaluation at an alcohol rehab program or alcohol detox program if you feel you may be experiencing alcohol withdrawal.
For further information on alcohol withdrawal go to www.recoveryconnection.org or call the national alcoholism helpline at 1-800-511-9225. If you are looking for an effective alcohol detox program go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.
Jonathan Huttner is a partner in an alcohol rehab program called Lakeview which specializes in dual diagnosis. Lakeview also operates a gay friendly drug rehab called Freedom Rings which caters to the needs of the GLBT population.
Alcohol Abuse Image by dmuth
We had an accident when getting alcohol. A plastic bag ripped open and a bottle of Smirnoff Orange fell through. At least alcohol abuse never smelled so good!
One of the biggest problems faced by most western societies is increasing teenage alcohol abuse. Teenage alcoholism has its roots in increased stress, peer group pressure, family stress and overall teenage depression. Most teenagers feel that by drinking they can show that they have grown-up and slowly one to two drinks turn into several drinks and before you know your teenager is facing alcohol problem. Below are some of the key symptoms that can help you ascertain if your teenager is suffering from alcoholism:
Lower Personal Effectiveness: The first signs of teenage alcohol abuse can be seen in decline in effectiveness at school and home. You will start seeing your teenager dropping grades or you might get complaints of absenteeism from school. Teenage alcoholism also results in them breaking all the house rules. When you see these changes more often than you expect (at least one to two times a month) you need to understand that your teenager is suffering from alcoholism.
Health Issues: Teenage alcoholism when it takes serious proportions can lead to your child having headaches, memory lapses, blackouts, dizziness, nausea, paranoia or other physical problems. These problems come at a very late stage of alcoholism. However, most parents miss these signs as most teenagers try and hide these symptoms and avoid too much communication with parents. They also try and avoid family get together as they don’t want to be caught. Teenage alcohol abuse can have serious health problems if not spotted at the right time.
Risk Taking: Teenage alcoholism can also lead teenagers to taking more risks to fuel their addiction. Alcohol problem can cause teenagers to risk drinking and driving or get involved in disruptive behaviour like street fights, eves teasing etc. Teenage alcohol abuse might also result in you getting police complaints or having to visit the police station. If you notice any of the above signs you need to be take external help to ensure that your teenager gets rid of their addiction.
Increased Alcohol Tolerance: Early signs of teenage alcoholism could be displayed through an increased tolerance of alcohol. During social events and family get-togethers, if you find your kid having exceptional capacity to drink and remain sober, it is first warning of expected alcoholism. If your teenager suddenly disappears from the social get-together and is found in the corner or bar table drinking alone, then it implies alcohol problem.
In the book “Solving Teenage Problems” several other symptoms of alcohol problem have been discussed along with certain effective tips that can help you support your teenager to get over the problem. However under extreme cases it is always important to get professional help rather than trying to fight it out alone. Various specific instances when you should get external help have also been described in the book. Teenage alcohol abuse is one of the burning issues of today’s society and parents have to take every step to curb teenage alcoholism.
The author is a successful marketing executive in a large consumer goods company and a mother of two boys. She has had a rough ride in the past two years and has successfully saved her family from the brink of disaster by working on her parenting techniques. She specialises in parenting tips. You can access her free report “New Parenting Style” or buy her book “Solving Teenage Problems” on http://www.teenageproblems.newparentingstyle.com or check your “Parent Stress Intensity Quotient” on http://www.stressmanagement.newparentingstyle.com.
According to a news release that was dated May 9, 2006, the “Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science and Technology” in Canada recommended the creation of a Canadian Mental Health Commission that will be responsible for significantly upgrading the Canadian mental health system. As stated by Senator Michael Kirby, the Chair of the Committee, “The Senate Committee is committed to improving the range, quality and organization of health and support services that are required by the tens of thousands of Canadians who are living with mental illnesses and addictions.”
Funding The Proposed Change
Based on an extensive three-year study on mental health and addiction, the Committee determined that it will cost $ 5.36 billion over a 10-year period for this mental health system upgrade. Where will these funds come from? According to the Committee, the revenue will come from raising the excise tax on alcoholic drinks by 5 cents per drink.
Part of the rationale for the 5-cent increase per drink was obviously the goal of raising the needed funds for the proposed changes in the mental health system. Another justifying factor for the price increase, however, was the fact that since each alcoholic drink will cost more, Canadians will be more inclined to drink lower-alcohol products such as beer and wine instead of liquor.
Let’s Do the Math
At first glance, this proposal seems to make sense. Why shouldn’t those who drink help finance a program that will provide them with a better mental health system? Why not let those who are part of the “problem” become part of the “solution”? This logic seems sound until you do the math. If $ 5.36 billion is needed to help finance the upgraded mental health system, then how many drinks will have to be consumed in a ten-year period to reach $ 5.36 billion dollars? The answer: 107,200,000,000 drinks. That’s 107 billion, 200 million drinks.
To arrive at how many drinks this is per year, all we have to do is divide this number by 10 (for the ten-year program) and the result is 10,720,000,000. This is still a huge number that fortunately can be “massaged” even more. According to The World Factbook website, the population of Canada was estimated to be 33 million people in 2006. Dividing 10,720,000,000 by 33,000,000 equals 325. Putting this in terms that the average person can understand, every man, woman, and child in Canada will have to consume 325 alcoholic drinks per year for the next ten years to finance the new mental health system! Simply put, these numbers are not realistic.
More Flaws
The “logic” of this proposed mental health program also breaks down when it is examined more deeply. For instance, why would people drink lower-alcohol products such as beer if the increased excise tax applies to all alcoholic drinks? To help understand this better, let’s use an example. Let’s say that the average shot in Canada currently costs $ 3.00 and the average beer costs $ 1.00. Based on the proposed price increase, if Joe drinks an average of 5 shots per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $ 15.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 1.7% more than Joe would have spent before the proposed tax increase. Let’s do a similar exercise with beer. Based on the projected price increase, if Pete drinks an average of 5 beers per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $ 5.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 5% more than Pete would have spent before the proposed tax increase. The point: since the proposed price increase affects higher-alcohol products (such as shots) proportionately less than their lower-alcohol counterparts (such as beer), why would Canadians switch to lower-alcohol products?
Alcohol and Mental Health
Another question. What if tens of thousands of Canadians, realizing that drinking alcohol is not good for their “mental health,” significantly reduce their alcohol intake or quit drinking alcoholic beverages altogether? Where will the money come from to offset this lack of revenue? In a similar manner, what if thousands upon thousands of Canadians who drink alcoholic beverages decide that they don’t want to pay the extra excise tax and, as a result, stop drinking alcoholic beverages? If this happens, where will the government get the money needed to transform the mental health system? In other words, does the Canadian government have a realistic “plan B” for this major transformation?
A Logical Contradiction
From a different perspective, isn’t it rather ironic that those who drink alcoholic beverages will pay for the revamped mental health system? Isn’t there a contradiction in logic somewhere in this proposal? Stated differently, if tens of thousands of Canadians have mental illnesses or are addicted to alcohol or drugs, wouldn’t the government want Canadians to drink LESS alcohol in order to reduce the existing alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol-related mental health problems? Yet according to the current mental health proposal, from strictly a financial standpoint, it would appear that the Canadian government is banking the entire mental health system upgrade on historical data that strongly suggests that Canadians will continue to drink at their current or even higher levels of consumption.
Budgetary Miscalculations
What happens, for instance, if there are cost overruns in the proposed mental health system? There are, of course, two “easy” solutions to this problem: increase the excise tax on each drink or motivate Canadians to drink even more alcoholic beverages. Either “solution,” however, is predicated on the fact that in order to “work,” the upgraded mental health system needs to be funded by Canadians who continue to drink alcoholic beverages.
Conclusion
It appears logical to conclude that the Canadian mental health system is in need of a major overhaul. As with most comprehensive government programs, however, the issue of funding becomes a major obstacle to overcome. The proposed Canadian mental health system upgrade is no exception. Based on the reasons given above, it seems obvious that the Canadian government needs to come up with alternate sources of revenue generation for this worthwhile project. Indeed, to point out one of the major “flaws” in the current proposal, consider the following question: When is more drinking a “good thing?” Answer: when it finances a nationwide mental health system upgrade. Something tells me that Andy Rooney from “60 Minutes” would have a lot of fun with this.
Copyright 2007 – Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.
Knowing the signs of addiction can make it possible for parents to get their children into addiction treatment, like drug rehab. mental.healthguru.com Video Rating: 4 / 5
Some Interestingsigns of alcohol dependence images:
Only Serious Treatment Image by Timm Suess
Alcoholism prevention poster in the fire station of Pripat near Chernobyl.
The text translates roughly to:
"If someone is unable to rid himself of alcohol dependence, a doctor can help. Only serious treatment. It’s possible to that a patient returns to a normal life".
For the story behind the pictures, read the Chernobyl Journal on timmsuess.com
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Dr. Akikur Mohammad, Founder of Malibu Horizon, recognized by many as one of the top addiction treatment centers in California, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California, announced today that he and his team at Malibu Horizon were among the first local professionals to implement TMS Therapy into their day-to-day practice. Recent scientific research suggests that once again, Dr. Mohammad and his team are innovators in the science of addiction medicine by initiating the use of TMS for alcohol rehab treatment and the disease of addiction.
TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) Therapy is a relatively new treatment for patients suffering from depression, who have not achieved satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant treatment. Dr. Mohammad recognized very early on that the revolutionary treatment was having a profound impact on his patients struggling with depression and alcohol dependence. Since early 2009 Dr. Mohammad has been deeply changing the lives of patients struggling with alcohol dependence issues by treating them with TMS subsequently relieving them of their severe alcohol and narcotic cravings.
In a recent study published by PubMed, Dr. Mohammads findings were validated on a large scale, proving once again that he and his Malibu Horizon team are not only on the forefront of addiction science, but are also forerunners in the industry.
Dr. Mohammad said, We identified very early on that our patients suffering from severe cravings brought on by alcohol dependence were getting a reprieve very early on in the TMS therapy. Nobody in the field made this connection but our findings were undeniable and our patients lives were changing. As a result, we continued treating with TMS and built what has become one of the countrys leading treatment protocols for patients struggling with alcohol dependence. Mohammad added, TMS treats many neurological and psychiatric illnesses but our main focus is the undeniable impact the treatment has on alcoholism and addiction. TMS is a breakthrough biological treatment method available for patients to treat medical illnesses like addiction and alcoholism. For neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, treatment with medication, deep brain stimulation and surgery has been available and now, along with FDA approved medications, off label use of proven alternative medications and TMS, advanced biological and medical treatment is finally available for chronic medical illnesses like addiction. More research is ongoing and while more advanced biological treatment will be available in the future, current research surrounding TMS is indicative of how medical and biological advancements are the future of effective addiction treatment.
For more information about Dr. Akikur Mohammad, alcoholism treatment and Malibu Horizon, visit http://www.malibuhorizon.com.
Dr. Akikur Mohammad, Founder of Inspire Malibu, recognized by many as the top addiction treatment center in Malibu, California and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California (http://www.USC.edu), announced today that his team at Inspire Malibu were among the first local professionals to implement TMS Therapy into their day-to-day practice and recent scientific research suggests that once again, Dr. Mohammad and his team are innovators in the science of addiction medicine by initiating the use of TMS for the treatment of alcohol dependence and the disease of addiction.
TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) Therapy is a relatively new treatment for patients suffering from depression, who have not achieved satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant treatment. Dr. Mohammad recognized very early on that the revolutionary treatment was having a profound impact on his patients struggling with depression and alcohol dependence. Since early 2009, Dr. Mohammad has been profoundly changing the lives of patients struggling with alcohol dependence issues by treating them with TMS, subsequently relieving them of their severe alcohol and narcotic cravings.
In a recent study published by PubMed, Dr. Mohammads findings were validated on a large scale, proving once again that he and his Inspire Malibu team are not only on the forefront of addiction science, but are also pioneers in the industry.
Dr. Mohammad said, TMS Therapy is non-invasive, meaning that it does not involve surgery. It does not require any anesthesia or sedation, as the patient remains awake and alert during the treatment. We identified very early on that our patients suffering from severe cravings brought on by alcohol dependence were getting a reprieve from cravings very early on in the TMS therapy. Nobody in the field made this connection but our findings were undeniable and our patients lives were changing. As a result, we continued treating with TMS and built what has become one of the countrys leading treatment protocols for patients struggling with alcohol dependence. Mohammad added, Through a treatment coil, the TMS Therapy system generates highly concentrated, magnetic fields which turn on and off rapidly. These magnetic fields are the same type and strength as those produced by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. The treatment coil is applied to the head above the left prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is involved with mood regulation, and therefore is the location where the magnetic fields are focused. These magnetic fields do not directly affect the whole brain; they only reach about 2-3 centimeters into the brain directly beneath the treatment coil. As these magnetic fields move into the brain, they produce very small electrical currents. These electrical currents activate cells within the brain, which are thought to release neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine). The result is an undeniable improvement in brain function, which has dramatically improved the quality of life for patients struggling with depression, alcohol dependence and a host of other issues. TMS treats many neurological and psychiatric illnesses but our main focus is the undeniable impact the treatment has on alcoholism and addiction. TMS is a breakthrough biological treatment method available for patients to treat medical illnesses like addiction and alcoholism. For neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, treatment with medication, deep brain stimulation and surgery has been available and now, along with FDA approved medications, off label use of proven alternative medications and TMS, advanced biological and medical treatment is finally available for chronic medical illnesses like addiction. More research is ongoing and while more advanced biological treatment will be available in the future, current research surrounding TMS is indicative of how medical and biological advancements are the future of effective addiction treatment.
For more information about Dr. Akikur Mohammad, addiction treatment and Inspire Malibu, visit http://www.inspiremalibu.com.
