How does alcoholic cirrhosis impact a person’s life. What are the challenges of living with liver disease. Can someone recover from alcohol-induced liver damage. How does the stigma of alcoholism affect patients.

Understanding Alcoholic Cirrhosis: Jim’s Personal Perspective

Alcoholic cirrhosis is a severe form of liver disease caused by long-term, excessive alcohol consumption. Jim, a 54-year-old man, shares his personal story of battling this condition, offering insights into the physical, emotional, and social challenges faced by those diagnosed with alcohol-related liver disease.

Jim’s account provides a unique perspective on alcoholism and liver disease, challenging conventional definitions and highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of these complex issues. His story serves as both a cautionary tale and a source of inspiration for others facing similar struggles.

The Road to Diagnosis

Jim’s journey to receiving a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis was long and worrying. The process of identifying the root cause of his severe illness took considerable time, leaving him anxious about the potential outcomes. When finally diagnosed, Jim experienced mixed emotions:

• Relief that it wasn’t something potentially more life-threatening
• Aggrievement at contracting an alcohol-related disease
• Initial denial of being an alcoholic

These conflicting feelings are common among those diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis, as they grapple with the reality of their condition and its implications for their life and self-image.

The Profile of an Unexpected Alcoholic

Jim’s background challenges some common stereotypes about alcoholics. His profile includes:

• A successful 30-year career in the computer software industry
• High income and high-stress job
• Living alone
• Daily social drinking, primarily beer
• Rare consumption of spirits

This profile illustrates that alcoholism and its consequences can affect individuals from all walks of life, regardless of their professional success or apparent stability.

Factors Contributing to Excessive Drinking

Jim identifies several factors that contributed to his excessive drinking:

1. High-pressure job
2. Living alone
3. Social drinking habits
4. Mental state
5. Environmental factors
6. Boredom

These factors often interplay, creating a perfect storm that can lead to alcohol abuse and, eventually, liver disease. Recognizing these risk factors is crucial for prevention and early intervention.

Confronting the Reality of Alcoholism

One of the most significant challenges Jim faced was coming to terms with his identity as an alcoholic. This realization was not immediate and involved a complex emotional journey:

• Initial denial of being an alcoholic
• Gradual acceptance of the label
• Uncertainty about whether alcoholism is a permanent condition

Jim’s experience highlights the internal struggle many face when confronted with the reality of their alcohol dependence. Can someone truly overcome alcoholism? Jim’s story suggests that while abstinence is possible, the underlying tendencies may persist, requiring ongoing vigilance and self-awareness.

The Stigma of Alcoholism

Jim touches on the stigma associated with alcoholism, expressing hope for a future where the condition is better understood and perhaps renamed to avoid embarrassment and social judgment. This stigma can be a significant barrier to seeking help and openly discussing one’s struggles with alcohol.

The Journey to Sobriety and Recovery

Jim’s path to recovery began with his diagnosis and the realization of the severe health consequences of his drinking habits. Key aspects of his recovery journey include:

• Abstaining from alcohol for over a year
• Surprising ease in stopping drinking
• Current lack of desire to drink, even if medically cleared
• Ongoing uncertainty about the permanence of recovery

This experience challenges the notion that quitting alcohol is always an insurmountable struggle for those with alcohol use disorder. However, Jim’s cautious approach to his recovery demonstrates an understanding of the potential for relapse and the need for continued vigilance.

The Role of Support Systems

Throughout his account, Jim alludes to the importance of support systems in his life:

• A loving family
• Numerous dear friends
• Respect for medical professionals

These support systems likely played a crucial role in Jim’s recovery process, providing emotional support and motivation to maintain sobriety.

Medical Perspectives on Alcoholic Cirrhosis

While Jim’s account is primarily personal, he mentions gathering medical information from reputable sources and direct consultations with doctors. This approach to understanding his condition is crucial for effective management of alcoholic cirrhosis.

Key Medical Considerations

• Importance of early diagnosis
• Potential for liver damage even from beer consumption
• Necessity of complete alcohol abstinence for recovery
• Ongoing medical monitoring and treatment

Jim’s story underscores the importance of seeking professional medical advice and adhering to treatment plans when dealing with alcoholic cirrhosis.

The Psychological Impact of Liver Disease

Jim’s narrative reveals the profound psychological impact of being diagnosed with and living with alcoholic cirrhosis:

• Initial fear and anxiety during the diagnostic process
• Relief at receiving a treatable diagnosis
• Struggle with self-identity and the label of “alcoholic”
• Positive outlook and hope for the future

These psychological aspects are integral to the overall experience of liver disease and can significantly influence the recovery process.

Coping Strategies and Positive Thinking

Jim describes himself as a positive thinker, always looking for the good in bad situations. This mindset appears to have been instrumental in his approach to recovery:

• Finding purpose in sharing his story to help others
• Maintaining hope for a fulfilling future life
• Developing a new understanding of love and responsibility

These coping strategies demonstrate the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and finding meaning in the face of serious health challenges.

Lessons Learned and Life Changes

Jim’s experience with alcoholic cirrhosis has led to significant life changes and personal growth:

• A newfound understanding of love and responsibility to others
• Freedom from the “straight road” he was on before diagnosis
• A shift in perspective on what constitutes a fulfilling life
• Increased self-awareness and recognition of past behaviors

These changes highlight the potential for personal transformation that can arise from confronting and overcoming serious health challenges.

Redefining Social Life and Habits

One significant area of change for Jim was his social life and drinking habits:

• No longer relying on pub visits for social interaction
• Finding new ways to connect with friends and family
• Developing interests and activities that don’t revolve around alcohol

This shift in lifestyle is crucial for maintaining long-term sobriety and overall health for those recovering from alcoholic cirrhosis.

The Broader Implications of Jim’s Story

Jim’s personal account of alcoholic cirrhosis has broader implications for our understanding of alcohol use disorders and liver disease:

• The need for more nuanced definitions of alcoholism
• The importance of early intervention and education about alcohol-related health risks
• The potential for recovery and positive life changes after diagnosis
• The ongoing challenges of maintaining sobriety and health

His story serves as both a warning and a source of hope for others who may be struggling with alcohol use or liver disease.

Challenging Stereotypes and Misconceptions

Jim’s experience challenges several common stereotypes and misconceptions about alcoholism and liver disease:

• Alcoholism can affect successful, high-functioning individuals
• Beer consumption alone can lead to severe liver damage
• Quitting drinking may be easier for some than commonly believed
• Recovery is possible, but requires ongoing commitment and awareness

By sharing his story, Jim contributes to a more nuanced and compassionate understanding of alcohol use disorders and their health consequences.

The Role of Spirituality and Personal Growth

While Jim states that he is not a religious person, he mentions a “Divine intervention” in his life and refers to an “Angel.” This aspect of his story highlights the potential role of spirituality or personal beliefs in the recovery process:

• Finding meaning and purpose beyond the physical aspects of recovery
• Openness to different interpretations of spiritual experiences
• The importance of personal growth and self-reflection in overcoming addiction

For many individuals facing serious health challenges or addiction, spiritual or philosophical beliefs can provide comfort, motivation, and a framework for understanding their experiences.

Personal Transformation and New Perspectives

Jim’s journey through alcoholic cirrhosis has led to significant personal transformation:

• A new understanding of love and responsibility
• Reevaluation of life priorities and values
• Increased self-awareness and emotional growth
• Development of new coping mechanisms and life skills

These changes demonstrate the potential for positive personal growth that can emerge from confronting and overcoming serious health challenges.

Advice for Others Facing Similar Challenges

Based on Jim’s experience, several pieces of advice can be extrapolated for others facing alcoholic cirrhosis or alcohol use disorders:

1. Seek medical help promptly if you suspect liver problems
2. Be honest with yourself and others about your drinking habits
3. Don’t underestimate the potential health risks of beer consumption
4. Embrace support from family, friends, and medical professionals
5. Maintain a positive outlook and look for opportunities for personal growth
6. Be prepared for ongoing challenges and the need for vigilance in recovery
7. Consider sharing your story to help others and reduce stigma

These insights can provide valuable guidance and encouragement for individuals embarking on their own recovery journeys.

The Importance of Ongoing Support and Monitoring

Jim’s story underscores the importance of ongoing support and medical monitoring in managing alcoholic cirrhosis:

• Regular medical check-ups and liver function tests
• Continued abstinence from alcohol
• Emotional support from family and friends
• Potential benefits of support groups or counseling
• Staying informed about liver health and treatment options

Long-term management of alcoholic cirrhosis requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both physical health and emotional well-being.

Future Directions: Research and Understanding

Jim’s account highlights several areas where further research and understanding could benefit those affected by alcoholic cirrhosis:

• Developing more nuanced definitions and categorizations of alcohol use disorders
• Investigating the factors that contribute to ease or difficulty in quitting alcohol
• Exploring the long-term psychological impacts of alcoholic cirrhosis diagnosis and recovery
• Developing strategies to reduce stigma and promote open discussion about alcohol-related health issues
• Investigating the role of personal beliefs and spirituality in recovery processes

Continued research and public education in these areas could lead to improved prevention, treatment, and support for individuals affected by alcohol use disorders and liver disease.

The Need for Comprehensive Alcohol Education

Jim’s experience highlights the need for more comprehensive alcohol education, particularly regarding:

• The potential health risks of regular beer consumption
• Early signs and symptoms of liver damage
• The various factors that can contribute to alcohol abuse
• The importance of moderation and self-awareness in drinking habits

Improved education could help prevent cases of alcoholic cirrhosis and promote earlier intervention for those at risk.

Jim’s story of overcoming alcoholic cirrhosis serves as a powerful testament to the human capacity for change and resilience. His journey from denial to acceptance, from illness to recovery, offers valuable insights into the complex nature of alcohol use disorders and their health consequences. By sharing his experience, Jim contributes to a more nuanced understanding of alcoholism and liver disease, challenging stereotypes and offering hope to others facing similar challenges. His story underscores the importance of early intervention, comprehensive medical care, and ongoing support in managing alcoholic cirrhosis. Moreover, it highlights the potential for personal growth and transformation that can emerge from confronting serious health issues. As research and understanding of alcohol-related liver disease continue to evolve, stories like Jim’s play a crucial role in shaping public awareness and reducing the stigma associated with these conditions.

Jim’s story – British Liver Trust

I have to say that in my opinion, any definition of alcoholism that I have come across is incorrect, and that I hope that some day this condition is categorised and perhaps, for certain types renamed to avoid the stigma, and the associated embarrassment that this label may cause.

Introduction

I have decided to write this account based on my experience of suffering from Cirrhosis of the Liver in the hope that it will help inspire fellow sufferers and perhaps help others to understand the condition and what their friends or family members are going through. A lot of what I have learnt about this condition, from a purely medical perspective, is based on what doctors have told me directly during consultations and on-line research (being careful to select only reputable websites of course), however, this account goes much further than simple medicine.

Just in case anybody interprets any part of this account as being critical of the medical profession, I would like to make it clear that I have the greatest respect for the medical profession and sympathise with them over the conditions they are currently working under, and if I were to have any criticism, it would be about those conditions. As I don’t intend this account to have a political agenda I will leave it at that.

Also, I’m writing an account referencing an Angel, I’m not a religious person, but I am an open minded person and respect all religions, so interpret my reference to an Angel as you please. For me a Divine intervention occurred in my life, whatever that means!

About me

I am a 54 year old male at the time of writing, not that I intend to change my gender, but experience dictates that my age will change over time.

Very briefly, I would describe my life as having been mostly very lucky in so much that I have a beautiful loving family; I was brought up to have respect, and have been blessed with a good helping of intelligence (I hope!!). I think this abbreviated list has also ensured that I have a large number of very dear friends.

I am a positive thinking person, always have been, and if there is some good hiding in a bad situation I am likely to find it; that’s probably why I wrote this account.

I have been single all my life, and once I left the family home I have lived alone (despite a couple of failed attempts by some lovely ladies who shall remain in my past but remembered fondly), so getting out to the local pub was an important part of my life.

I am free from the straight road I was certainly on and the horrors of the final destination, I have no reason to believe that I don’t have a fulfilling life ahead of me and I finally understand what love and responsibility to others is.

I have worked professionally in the computer software industry ever since I can remember and have been very successful over a period stretching over 30 years. For most of that time I have been in the high tax payer tax bracket, and along with that comes stress, even if you don’t realise it.

I am no stranger to drinking beer, and lots of it! Chances are that if you and I were having a night out together, I would be calling you a taxi home early as I always had a high tolerance level, so this is not about me moaning about getting cirrhosis when I didn’t deserve it. Just to put a myth to rest, I very rarely touched strong spirits, or even weaker ones, most probably less often than the vast majority of people I know, so yes, just beer for me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get liver problems.

Does my story sound a little familiar?

High pressure job (or pressure at home, some place else, etc..),
Lives alone (lives in a hostile environment, etc..),
Drinks socially daily (Drinks frequently),
Or in other words, mental state, environment, boredom….

You can add more variations to this short list, and I’m sure they will all be valid, but unfortunately they all add up to the fact that you simply drink too much. If you have cirrhosis it’s time for fact not reasons, valid or made up, and the fact is that you drank too much!!

When I first got diagnosed as having cirrhosis, which took a long worrying time, I was both relieved, as it wasn’t something worse (I was very ill indeed and had come to expect the “you have xxx months to live” speech) but also aggrieved because I had contracted an alcohol related disease, and I’m NOT an alcoholic!!!!

So where’s the Angel?

Don’t worry, here she comes…. ..

Well, first of all I AM an alcoholic. I’m tempted to say I WAS an alcoholic, or even that I was NEVER an alcoholic, I just drank a lot, as I haven’t had a drink for well over a year now and had no trouble at all stopping, and at the moment, even if the doctors magically said “You’re cured, go get yourself a pint to celebrate” that I would actually want one. But truthfully, I’m not convinced that it’s that easy.

I have to say that in my opinion, any definition of alcoholism that I have come across is incorrect, and that I hope that some day this condition is categorised and perhaps, for certain types renamed to avoid the stigma, and the associated embarrassment that this label may cause. None of which is helpful when it’s vitally important for somebody in a position similar to mine to understand and accept the cause.

So, for now, pending a better definition, and for the sake of pragmatism, I AM an alcoholic.

There, the Angel is starting to do her work, two years ago I would never have made such a statement under any circumstances, but the changes inmy life brought about by the Cirrhosis Angel now allows me to do so and accept that I had a problem, and also, allows me to better understand others in a similar position, and to look forward through different eyes.

The real kicker

Now that I have discovered the truth, suddenly with just a few twitches of the angel’s wings, I realised exactly what was going on in my life, and why now I believe that there is indeed a Cirrhosis Angel, and that contracting Cirrhosis of the Liver quite possibly saved my life!!

Yes! I said saved my life, not shortened or very nearly ended it, I said SAVED!!

Without realising it I was on a road heading towards misery and probably death; things were not too bad for me at all really, at least in comparison to an awful lot of less fortunate people, but I was actually walking a tightrope without knowing that I could stumble and fall to my death at any moment.

I understand that between 10-15% of heavy drinkers will contract liver conditions leading to cirrhosis so it’s not a certainty by any means, and you could be forgiven for thinking that you have been unlucky if, like me, you contracted it.

I have chosen to think differently and much more positively, and believe that contracting Cirrhosis of the Liver has actually saved my life, or at least improved it forever.

The forks in the road

So, the first fork you encounter is one that that you are completely unaware of.

Carry straight on. The Angel doesn’t visit you, you do not get cirrhosis, you continue drinking too much, and accelerate towards the inevitable misery that I’m sure is well documented all over the internet, E.G. become antisocial, get in debt, lose your job and/or house, lose your family and so on. Take a hard Right. The Angel visits you and you get cirrhosis, the road you are now on only goes a short way before another fork appears.

The second fork, you should be much more aware of, hopefully the Doctors and the Angel will have given you the wisdom to make the correct choice.

Carry straight on. You carry on drinking. You still are heading to the same place, only now you will reach it much quicker, and, put simply, will be dead very soon.

Take a hard Right. You are starting to use your new found wisdom and STOPPED drinking. Now there are all possibilities ahead of you that you wouldn’t believe.

Thank you My Angel

By now you will probably have found out the following…

With time there is no need to assume that having cirrhosis is going to leave you as an invalid.
You will now understand what LOVE is, you have probably been surprised at the amount of it thrown at you during this short journey.
You will understand the impact your actions have on other people.
You will be enjoying the many benefits of not drinking.
You will probably be feeling healthier even though you have a life threatening disease!!

This is why I believe that contracting cirrhosis as a result of heavy drinking is a gift from an Angel, and not a punishment from your God. If your God wanted to punish you He would have left you to continue straight on.

I am free from the straight road I was certainly on and the horrors of the final destination, I have no reason to believe that I don’t have a fulfilling life ahead of me and I finally understand what love and responsibility to others is.

I appreciate that this is a very alternate way of thinking but I believe it to be correct and hope that it will at least encourage you to look for positives during what is a terrible time.

Good luck my friends and Embrace your Angel

Please do not reproduce or republish the patient stories on this website without our express written permission. If you would like to use this content please email at us [email protected] to discuss. You can view our full websites terms and conditions here.

Patient Stories – American Liver Foundation

Patient Stories – American Liver Foundation

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Breaking free from alcoholic captivity: stories of those who could

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Steve, 55 years old

“I never feel so alone as in the midst of a drinking bout”

I have a long history with alcohol relationship history. But things got worse when I found out in 1987 that I had HIV. I then thought: I don’t care, I won’t need my liver anyway. At that time, patients with this diagnosis were given only a few years of life. However, I continued to live. Last year, when I had a liver test, the doctors found problems. Then I just got out of a heavy binge: I drank up to 20 cans of beer a day. I quit right before the examination. It was foolish of me to think that this would somehow improve the results.

I was diagnosed with cirrhosis. I then thought that I could just keep myself under control. Just sometimes skip a glass when there is a reason. But, if you face the truth, I have always had only one reason – the desire to drink. “Reason” is just an excuse. If you want to quit, do it under medical supervision. Because you will definitely be pulled back. When I stopped drinking, I realized that nowhere did I feel more alone than in the midst of a collective drinking bout. People talk about all sorts of nonsense, they can’t control themselves. You get incredibly tired of them.

I’m glad I stopped in time. The last examination showed that cirrhosis did not penetrate deeply.

Max, 42 years old

“I’ve been drinking 15-20 cans of beer a day”

Ever since I first tried alcohol at 13, I’ve been drinking almost non-stop. Twenty years later, I still didn’t think that I might have problems. I constantly found excuses for myself: I’m sad because my girlfriend left me, my favorite football team lost (or won). I drank because everyone did. I thought that if I didn’t drink, people would shun me, wouldn’t invite me to parties and parties. But alcohol interfered with my career and personal life. I couldn’t keep a job, I didn’t have relationships. Once I was thrown out of a bar and woke up right on the street. I asked people for money for beer. My daily norm was 15-20 cans. I was emotionally and physically crushed. I was close to suicide.

Then a miracle happened: a police officer detained me for asking for money in a store, I could not restrain myself and told him everything. He said he could help and introduced me to the charity. They paid for my rehab program and I spent some time in a rehab center. That was nine years ago and I haven’t had a drink since. After the treatment, I went through the program of training curators and now I help those who have gone through the same thing as me. Since I stopped drinking, I no longer felt as afraid, anxious, depressed as before. I learned to accept my emotions instead of fighting them.

After being freed from addiction, my life improved: I got married and we have three children. We have difficulties at times. But now I know that I can handle them.

Kristi, 30

“I hated that feeling of not being able to remember what happened yesterday.”

I stopped drinking in December 2015. It’s been six months since I’ve been tied up. I like alcohol, I like to talk about it with people who know a lot about it – whether it’s an original mixed cocktail or classic tequila. I work as a guide, and more than half of my friends work as bartenders or in hotel service. We often deal with alcohol. But I have a secret superpower: I hardly ever get drunk and I never get hangovers. So I never had the motivation to stop drinking.

Why did I do this? Once I was invited to a wedding. I was very tired after work, I arrived quite late, when the guests were already drunk, and I had to “catch up” with them – on an empty stomach. Everything went well. I danced till I dropped, got to know everyone and generally had a great time. It cannot be said that I went overboard or behaved inadequately. The next day I met several people whom I met the day before. They talked about what happened the day before, and I could not remember all the details. How I hated that feeling! Then I made a contract with myself: not to take alcohol in my mouth for a year. And you know, I like this feeling – to communicate with new people and remember everything that we talked about with them!

See The Guardian website for details.

Text: Anton Soldatov

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Beer alcoholism – a clinical case and a bit of history

In the 1970s and 1980s, beer became one of the most popular alcoholic beverages. The reason, of course, is that in Soviet times it was very cheap compared to strong alcohol. For only 22 kopecks, you could buy a mug of such alcohol. That is why, in those days, narcologists often diagnosed people with cirrhosis of the liver of alcoholic origin: those who regularly and constantly consumed not only beer, but also various types of “talk”, often sold from under the floor, became patients.

Clinical case and a bit of history

One patient was treated for a long time at the Mechnikov Hospital. He worked as an administrator of one of the large beer bars. Drinking beer in huge quantities, the person eventually lost control of himself and ended up in the hospital with the appropriate diagnosis: beer alcoholism, alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. He drank beer at work, after work and in his free time. As a result, his face acquired a characteristic earthy tint, and the whites of his eyes became yellow (which, of course, indicated a total damage to the liver cells and their irreversible degeneration). The hands of the patient became thin and emaciated, and the stomach looked huge, filled with liquid, with swollen veins.

The patient understood that, unfortunately, he did not have long to live, but even thoughts of imminent death could not moderate his uncontrollable desire to constantly drink beer. In the hospital, he still controlled himself, but when he left the hospital, he returned to his former way of life and soon died.

In the nineties, the situation with prices for beer and beer drinks changed dramatically. From a cheap and affordable “foamy” it turned into an expensive drink that is not accessible to everyone. At a certain period of time, people stopped consuming beer on a large scale, but a few years later, after the relative stabilization of the economic situation in the country, everything returned “to normal”, but on a much more global scale. Perestroika and the removal of all bans played a detrimental role: almost everyone began to drink beer without exception – young people, teenagers, girls and older people.

Many still remember those times when people with cans and bottles of beer and all kinds of “gin and tonics” met in public places all the time. They could be seen at train stations, at shops, at kiosks, in parks. Not surprisingly, the main consequence of the “beer boom” was the increase in patients suffering from beer alcoholism.

Essence of beer alcoholism

At first, you might think that if a person “pulls himself together” and simply stops drinking, he will quickly be able to solve this problem. In fact, the cause of beer and other types of alcoholism lies not in the lack of motivation or willpower. It also happens that, at first glance, strong and successful people become alcoholics – and it’s not about weakness of will, but about the enormous strength of the enemy called alcohol.

Experts classify alcoholism as one of the special cases of drug addiction. Of course, one should not compare the behavior of heroin addicts with the behavior of alcoholics, since the rate of development of the pathological process and its consequences are different in both cases. However, there are common features in these two serious diseases. First of all, we are talking about metabolic disorders in the body and disruptions in the activity of the central nervous system. The main pathological symptom is expressed in the patient’s constant need for the use of one or another narcotic substance, which, alas, becomes necessary for the functioning of the brain.

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The mechanism according to which the emergence of alcoholism is explained briefly looks like this. Our brain has a huge number of different systems of a functional nature. Each of them is responsible for providing one or another area of ​​the brain, including the emotional component. Everyone knows that in the human brain there is a so-called “pleasure center”. For its full-fledged work, a certain substance called a mediator is needed.

When we perform our natural and social functions (eat delicious food, meet friends), a mediator responsible for positive emotions is triggered. The brain begins to secrete natural opiates of endogenous origin, and we experience bliss and pleasure. In the future, in order to experience pleasant sensations again and again, a person has to work hard (work for his own pleasure, defeat ideological opponents, build a career, etc.).

“Substitute for natural joy”, alas, from time immemorial is alcohol. After all, it seems so easy to avoid the hassle associated with the “overwork” of gaining authority, victory, career! To obtain natural pleasure and satisfaction, you have to work hard, and ready-made chemicals are always at hand, exciting the nervous system to a certain limit. A person becomes well just from drinking an alcoholic beverage. You do not need to work in order to experience joy and satisfaction, and “false” mediators immediately begin to enter into pathological interaction with all parts of the brain.

With infrequent use of alcohol, it has a relatively “favorable” effect on us, but when people at some point cross the dangerous line, a complete restructuring of the body and all metabolic processes occurs. Natural mediators in the brain stop being produced. They are replaced by ethanol, which now “should” be regularly supplied to the body. This is how what is called alcohol addiction is formed.

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Clinical picture of alcohol dependence

Waking up after “yesterday’s libations”, the patient experiences an acute lack of positive emotions and severe physical malaise. The processes of excitation of the nervous system prevail over inhibition, and the “rest system” works very poorly. In order to cope with poor health, a person urgently needs to get drunk by taking another dose of beer. Of course, a hangover often turns into another booze followed by hard drinking, which can be very problematic to get out of. There is only one conclusion: the more the patient continues to “treat” with beer, the more he needs it over time.

If a person still manages to “tie up” on his own, he may not drink for some time, but since all brain systems are already thoroughly poisoned by ethanol, the body quickly “tired” occurs, and the patient inevitably breaks down. Here, in addition to physiology, psychological mechanisms of dependence also work. Drinking parties and drunkenness acquire a certain “ritual” or “cultural” meaning in the mind of an alcoholic. He believes that this lifestyle helps to forget, move away from current problems and relax. There is an illusion of some security, ease of being and solving all problems quickly and immediately. An alcoholic is increasingly immersed in a state of “ethanol fog”, earning more and more problems (at work, in the family, in the field of physical and mental health).

Gradually, alcohol becomes the master of the life of an addicted person, without which he can no longer live and cannot imagine his life at all. Only a complete rejection of alcohol can save the patient’s life and return him to a normal life.

It should be noted a few more classic symptoms of any, including beer alcoholism:

• increase in the amount of alcohol consumed;
• increase in the frequency of its use;
• constant binges, acquiring a long character;
• severe forms of hangover syndrome – up to the appearance of convulsions and “delirious tremens”;
• attachment of organic symptoms of brain damage – in particular, encephalopathy, when thoughts lose their former clarity and clarity, and all ideas are reduced to alcohol, sex and other lower needs. Ultimately, there is a complete degradation of the individual.

Features of beer alcoholism

It’s no secret that the producers of beer and beer drinks always add a number of harmful impurities to them, which have a pleasant taste and enhance the temporary effect of relaxation and euphoria. It is worth dwelling in more detail on the mechanism of the pharmacological effects of beer: it is no coincidence that in the 20s of the last century it was considered a sedative. After some time, a person easily gets used to its use, and the need for beer becomes constant. The dose of the drink is steadily increasing, with the advent of alcoholic excesses, and it becomes necessary in order to relax and get the desired “dose of rest.” Initially, there is a psychological, and a little later – biochemical dependence.

Public opinion in many countries has developed in such a way that, paradoxically, beer is not considered an alcoholic beverage. The bottom line is that beer alcoholism “sneaks up” to a person insidiously and imperceptibly, without fights and a sobering-up station. Beer alcoholism is a “smart” and cunning form of addiction, and with development it can take on very severe and sometimes intractable forms.

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If the patient regularly “poured” into himself a large amount of beer, it turns into a real poison for the cells. There are problems with the heart in the form of myocardial dystrophy (a decrease in the volume and work of the heart muscle, leading to heart failure), symptoms of liver cirrhosis appear. Over time, intellectual impairment and symptoms of psychopathological disorders appear.

The fight against beer alcoholism is a much more complicated process than the fight against vodka. It is most difficult for patients to refuse the “aroma” and the relaxing effect of a foamy drink. That is why the beer version of alcoholism is considered by narcologists to be one of the most difficult.

When should I see a doctor?

You need to contact a drug specialist if:

• the patient feels that he cannot stop drinking beer;
• the patient drinks large doses of beer, and the effect becomes less;
• the patient developed memory lapses and other disorders in the intellectual and mental spheres;
• the patient tends to go into a state of binge drinking;
• the patient tries to fight the addiction, but without success.

In conclusion, we will try to answer the question of whether beer alcoholism can be cured. On the one hand, treatment is possible, but, alas, the patient will have to forget about “cultural drinking” forever, so as not to break loose again, since the metabolic disorders resulting from beer alcoholism are irreversible.

There is only one conclusion: it is possible to cure this dangerous and serious disease only under the condition of constant abstinence from beer and absolute sobriety.