There is scientific research that indicates that having 1-2 glasses of drink a day can reduce the risk of heart disease. As a result, alcohol use creates a wide spectrum. There are many people who use alcohol infrequently and in small amounts without any problems, and there are people who get into trouble from time to time because of this, and people who can’t live without alcohol at the far end of the spectrum.
The medically accepted normal limit for alcohol use is 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink for women. . In terms of units, 1 drink is roughly equivalent to one can or bottle of beer, one glass of wine, or one 45ml “single” spirit (vodka, whiskey, etc.). When calculated in this way, the type of drink taken does not matter at all. In other words, drinking three beers and three single vodkas produces the same amount of alcohol and has the same effect. Therefore, it is meaningless to see beer as a harmless soft drink in this context.
When can we say that alcohol use has become a problem for a person?
When alcoholism is mentioned, heavy alcohol addicts clinging to spirit bottles in parks and leaking come to life, and people easily say that they “do not have an alcohol problem”. However, the person does not even need to be constantly drinking alcohol for alcohol use to become a problem. If the person occasionally experiences even one of the following problems due to drinking alcohol, although he or she uses it from time to time, it means that there is a problem of using alcohol at a level that requires professional help:1. Repetitive disruption of duties at work, school or home: The person occasionally interrupts work or school due to alcohol.
2. Recurrent use of alcohol in physically dangerous situations: for example, driving while under the influence of alcohol.
3. Legal issues related to alcohol: for example, getting involved in a fight while intoxicated and being taken into custody.
4. Persistent or recurrent interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by alcohol: for example, having arguments with a spouse over alcohol. Such a person is unable to control the harmful consequences of drinking. This condition is called “alcohol abuse” in medicine.
What is alcohol addiction?
We diagnose alcohol dependence if at least three of the following are present:1. Drinking alcohol in more quantity and time than intended. For example, a person starts to drink a glass, but cannot get up until he has finished a bottle.
2nd . The person starts drinking again even though he/she wants to quit or has tried to quit many times. From time to time, he may not drink for a few days or months. He may try to present this as proof that he can ‘quit at any time’.
3. He spends too much time drinking. Some may drink during the day, trying not to be noticed by anyone.
4. Reduces or abandons social activities, hobbies, and other pleasurable activities in which he does not have the opportunity to drink.
5. He continues to drink despite having physical (liver disease, high blood pressure, gastritis, etc.) or psychological (depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, etc.) problems related to alcohol or increased by alcohol.
6. Increases the amount he drinks to get the same effect, or drinks large amounts for others but remains unaffected (falsely citing this as proof of alcohol tolerance, as if it were a good thing).
7. When he does not drink alcohol, he experiences complaints such as tremor, sweating, palpitations.
Is alcoholism a disease?
Alcoholism is a chronic, relapsing disease. This disease is progressive, meaning it can get progressively worse. Even if the symptoms decrease spontaneously or with any external effect, it may reappear over time. Alcoholism; Diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. requires constant monitoring like other chronic diseases. There may be crisis situations in between. In addition to a physical sensitivity to alcohol, alcoholics have a desire to drink that cannot be defeated by willpower alone, despite all its undesirable consequences. In other words, these people do not learn from the bad consequences they have experienced due to alcohol, and they even seek consolation in alcohol, denying that the real cause of what happened to them is alcohol.
Is it possible to get rid of alcoholism?
Society considers people who cannot control their alcohol use to be mentally weak or even unstable. This is how many alcoholics see themselves. However, when alcoholism is seen as a disease, what is really meant is that the person loses his will and power to make a choice in the face of alcohol. Acknowledging your powerlessness in the face of alcohol and seeking help is the first step and absolute condition for change for the better. Millions of people have overcome the harms of alcohol in their social lives on the way that started with this first step. People who acknowledge that they are sick and are willing to recover benefit most from treatment and self-help groups such as alcoholics anonymous. But for treatment, it is not necessary for the person to accept that he is an alcoholic. The important thing is to consult a specialist, even for consultation. Because the therapist’s job is to convince the person that he or she needs treatment, if any. There are certain techniques for this.