Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, periodically escalating disease characterized by:

  1. Increased tolerance of alcoholic beverages – over time, more and more doses of alcohol are required to achieve intoxication.
  2. Development of a hangover syndrome. This condition develops after a person abruptly stops or significantly decreases the amount of alcohol consumed. Hangover can manifest as insomnia, anxiety, depressed mood, restlessness, sweating, tremors, headache, sensitivity to light, sound, and smell; in severe cases, it may lead to a psychosis with hallucinations, delusions, and disorientation. All of the above symptoms disappear after taking another dose of alcohol, thus forming a vicious circle.
  3. Loss of control over the amount or frequency of drinking.
  4. Multiple unsuccessful attempts to limit alcohol consumption.
  5. A considerable amount of time is spent on purchasing, actually using, and recovering after use.
  6. The emergence of problems with the law, in personal life, and professional activity due to drunkenness.
  7. Continuing to drink despite full understanding of the negative consequences of alcoholism.
  8. Feelings of guilt and regret caused by alcohol consumption.
  9. Irritation caused by condemnation of alcohol consumption by others.

Alcohol consumption causes a significant, all-round deterioration of physical and mental health.

Alcohol abusers are significantly more likely than non-drinkers to behave in a hostile manner, and also suffer from depressed mood, anxiety, intellectual degradation, and loss of motivation. In addition, binge drinking increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, increases blood pressure, negatively affects cholesterol levels, increases blood sugar, lowers libido and fertility, weakens the immune system, thus increasing the likelihood of developing infectious diseases, and is especially harmful to liver and pancreas; finally, it contributes to the development of many types of cancer. 

Our clinic provides modern, effective, internationally recognized methods of alcohol addiction treatment. Treatment is carried out in two stages: first, detoxification is carried out in hospital settings, followed by an outpatient consultation of the patient.

Most people with alcoholism are unable to stop drinking on their own. Having entered our hospital, the patient undergoes combined drug detoxification, the purpose of which is to extinguish all the above manifestations of the hangover syndrome. This allows a person to stop drinking alcohol without experiencing any disturbing sensations. The duration of detoxification usually varies from one to three days; the duration of inpatient treatment depends on many individual factors, among which is the duration of alcohol consumption before admission, as well as the daily amount of alcohol consumed: the more and longer the patient drank, the longer the detoxification course will be.

Upon completion of the inpatient stage of treatment, the patient is discharged from the hospital with a referral to an outpatient consultation, which also takes place in our clinic. The purpose of the consultation is to develop an individualized treatment plan aimed at correcting the nature of alcohol consumption; in some cases, this implies a significant reduction in the volume of alcohol consumed, in others – complete abstinence.