Alcohol is a complicated thing.You will start with wine and cheese, continue with vodka and ravioli, and end with cognac and an interesting film.And now every day you find yourself thinking: should I spill one glass or another?And what?It was a tough day, the boss was a fool, the wife was a bitch, the weather was disgusting.Waiter, repeat without starters!Is it possible and how to stop drinking alcohol on your own at home, without resorting to the services of specialists who, for a certain price, will help you stop drinking alcohol by visiting your home?Let's try to figure it out, this time without the bottle.
Consequences of alcohol addiction
The question “To drink or not to drink?”everyone decides for themselves.However, pouring a portion of wine or white wine every evening, it is worth remembering what their constant use leads to.
A drinker is an unpleasant character in all respects.But these are texts.There are very precise results of constant alcohol consumption.And they are much more terrible than a wrinkled appearance and bad breath.
Diseases of the internal organs
The main target of alcohol bombardment is the liver.Cleanses the blood of toxins and ensures the normal functioning of all body systems.If toxins constantly attack the liver, the organ cannot cope with their destruction, takes the hit and gradually collapses.
Liver cirrhosis in most cases occurs due to alcohol dependence.This is a dangerous and deadly disease.If it is present, even a common cold can be fatal due to the impossibility of treatment with potent drugs.For example, antibiotics.
Alcoholism affects the pancreas and disrupts the functioning of the digestive system.Gastritis, peptic ulcers, intestinal disorders, heart and kidney diseases become the best “friends” of an alcoholic.In men, potency decreases dramatically.Brain cells die, memory fails.
Change in psychological state
It is known that a small portion of alcohol puts a person in a state of mild euphoria and relieves stress.Drinking for a long time has a radically opposite effect.Neurosis, irritability and unmotivated aggression appear.A person is plagued by mood swings, unexplained anxiety and lack of self-confidence.
The world around becomes hostile, people seem hostile.If you do not get out of this state in time, everything can end first in apathy, then in depression and, finally, in suicidal tendencies.
Decreased motivation
The aphorism “Drink in the morning, the whole day is free” did not appear out of nowhere.A person who drinks is unable to manage his time and, above all, has no reason to do so.Everything can wait: work, household chores, thesis, career, even entertainment.What seemed important when sober is of little importance when drunk.Lack of goals leads to a decrease in the desire to do anything.The meaning of life is gradually lost."Why live if you're going to die anyway? I'd better go get a drink," is the standard reasoning of alcoholics.
Other changes
A person caught in the alcohol trap changes externally and internally.
Swelling occurs on the face and body due to heavy loads on the kidneys.The skin looks unhealthy, the hair is dull, the appearance is dull.If you become overweight, alcohol increases your appetite and reduces physical activity.An "alcoholic" appearance can put an end to decent work, personal life and social status.
The loss of strength becomes permanent, regardless of power loads.The ability to work is significantly reduced, there is a frequent desire to rest, postpone tasks for later or abandon them completely.
Meetings with friends are only interesting in the context of alcohol consumption;sober holidays are not of interest.
The family becomes a burden.Spouse and children require constant participation, for which there is neither strength nor emotions.
A person who drinks considers himself insignificant, often feels remorse and suffers from the inability to get out of the vicious circle.
Causes of alcoholism
Why do people who not long ago only drank on holidays start drinking alcohol regularly?Scientists call medical and social aspects of the development of this habit.
The former include:
- genetic predisposition;
- features of intrauterine development during pregnancy;
- past injuries and illnesses;
- metabolic disorders;
- mental disorders;
- belonging to a special psychotype (people with low self-esteem, low resistance to stress, increased anxiety, insecure, suspicious, strong-willed, prone to depression).
Among the social causes of alcohol addiction:
- alcohol drinking environment;
- economic instability;
- lack of work and constant income;
- family problems, betrayal, divorce;
- personal restlessness, loneliness;
- rejection by society;
- constant stress and tiredness;
- death of loved ones.
Let's model the situation using a specific example.
Massimo, 38 years old.Leading specialist in a large logistics company.Married, three children.
For the past 5 years, Maxim's life has been stable and growing.A prosperous family, a beloved wife, desired children.At work, the salary was increased, career growth was outlined: the man was offered the position of head of the main department of the company.The income allowed him to buy a new car, which he had long dreamed of.
At some point, Maxim noticed that he began to maintain the euphoria of a prosperous life with the help of alcohol.This prolonged the feeling of happiness.He could have a drink with colleagues after a fruitful day at work, accompany dinner with a glass of vodka and celebrate not only an important event, but also a small event.
At first the wife laughed at his proposal to “wash” the purchase of a new bicycle for her eldest son, but then she became alert.Maxim thought everything was fine.Until he forgot to pick up his middle son from daycare because he and his coworkers went to the bar after work.And then he got drunk behind the wheel.A conversation with his wife and remorse brought Maxim back to sober reality.True, not for long.
Further events coincided with another financial crisis in the country.The company where Maxim worked announced a full economy regime and layoffs began.The prospect of obtaining a new position has been postponed indefinitely.The eldest son approached a difficult adolescence.Conflicts began in the family.The desire to drink visited Maxim more and more often.I wanted to restore the feeling of previous joy.
I had to buy alcohol secretly from my wife.His teenage son began to pay attention to his drunken father.The wife constantly accused her husband of drunkenness at home.
Maxim began to stay late in cafes with friends.At work in the morning it was difficult for him to carry out his tasks.The boss noticed.For a failed task, he deprived a subordinate of part of his salary and threatened him with dismissal.
Maxim was increasingly attracted to drinking.But one day, waking up in a state of hangover and looking at himself in the mirror, as it were, he admitted to himself that he had become an alcoholic.The disease has not yet become chronic, but in alcoholism the path to the “terminal” stage is short.
Maxim has decided to put an end to all this.He spoke with his wife and together they developed a program to return the father of the family to normal life.
Is there an easy way to stop drinking?
There is only one way: to say a firm "no" to alcohol and squeeze your will into a fist.Alas, not everyone is capable of this.Therefore, the well-known aphorism about smoking can be applied to most people (let's paraphrase it): "Quitting drinking is easy. I've done it thousands of times."
Don't forget that for effective recovery from alcoholism, a person's gender and age matter.It is very difficult for a woman over 45 and a teenager to stop drinking.
What is the benefit of getting rid of alcohol cravings on your own?Quitting smoking without the help of a professional in drug treatment can take a long time and a lot of emotional and physical effort.But first of all it's free.And, secondly, the result will be especially valuable, because you will never forget how difficult this path to sobriety was.
The best motivation for making a strong-willed decision is fear.Imagine that by becoming an alcoholic you have lost everything.External attractiveness, health, work, family, love, money, opportunity to live, finally.
Think about yourself and those you care about.Think about who you will turn into with a glass in your hands, what will happen to your parents, how your children will grow up without you, to whom your beloved sweetheart will go.Maybe then the desire to drink will leave you alone forever?
How to stop drinking without coding
Are relatives of people with alcoholism worried about how to convince a drinker to stop drinking?It will not be possible to force it.It is necessary to try to create conditions around a person that will help him think less about drinking and have contact with it.Today, rehabilitation centers are open in almost every city.
To get rid of alcohol addiction without the help of a narcologist or coding methods, three important conditions must be met:
- Recognize that alcohol use has become a problem and is interfering with a normal life.
- List the reasons why alcohol appeared in your life.
- Determine specific tasks that will help you get rid of alcohol addiction.
Important steps on the path to sobriety:
- First, go to the mirror, objectively evaluate your appearance and say to yourself: "I look 10 years older than my age. I have dark circles under my eyes and a double chin, not because I don't sleep enough and everyone in my family is fat, but because I am an alcoholic."It sounds like something out of a TV series, but without acknowledging the problem it's impossible to take the next step.
- Talk to people close to you about your plans to quit drinking.Get their support on the difficult path.If you don't find an understanding with a friend of yours, try to reduce contact with him and don't meet during periods when there are parties.Even if these are bosom friends, health is more precious.And life will put everything back in its place.
- Determine why alcohol bothers you.Remember the “steps” you started stumbling over when you became friends with the bottle.These could be: health problems, irritability leading to arguments in the family, decrease in income.
- Formulate goals for which you need to stop drinking: conceive a child, regain authority in the family, get a new position, save on alcohol and build a country house.Goals must be specific and achievable.Unfulfilled fantasies can set you back.
- During rehabilitation, eliminate all self-justifications from your vocabulary."Beer is a low-alcohol beverage.""I'm only here in the evening and for a short time.""A couple of drinks will help me sleep."These and other similar phrases are the worst enemies of the good intention to stop drinking.
- To avoid temptation, remove all alcohol from your home.In stores, try to keep the alcohol section out of your line of sight.Minimize home gatherings with guests who don't mind drinking.
- Keep a diary and plan each day to be as eventful as possible.Take on some of the household responsibilities you previously rejected.The fewer “windows” you have to waste time, the less often you will think about drinking.
- Think about activities to spend your free time.They should be active, fun and distract from thoughts about alcohol.
- Eat healthy.Eliminate from your diet those dishes that you previously liked to consume with alcoholic beverages.Try to make the menu tasty, varied and enjoyable.During such a period, small joys will not hurt.
- Find substitutes to relieve stress after work.It could be walks, going to the cinema, hobbies, exercise classes, an evening run.
- Calculate how much money you spent on alcoholic drinks per month, per week, per day.Set them aside.You'll be surprised how much this expense item screwed up your budget.Use the money you save to buy something nice, useful, or save it for a big purchase.
- Try to see the positive side in everything.Despondency is the first and main temptation to return to an old habit.Don't allow yourself to get depressed, regret what didn't come true, or long for fun, wild times.Simply switch your thoughts to something lighter.
- Take care of your health.Surely, you have something to work on after a period of prolonged alcohol attack on your body.Consult your doctor: he will recommend vitamins that will support your well-being during the rehabilitation period.
Folk remedies for the treatment of alcoholism
Alcoholism has always been considered an unnatural phenomenon for normal life.What good is a drunk?He's a bad parent, a useless employee, a terrible sexual partner.Therefore, our ancestors were looking for ways to free a person from this bad attachment.
There are many recipes of folk remedies for the treatment of alcoholism.They include decoctions based on thyme, St. John's wort, wormwood, yarrow, peppermint, bearberry, fireweed, thyme and other medicinal herbs.You should consult your doctor regarding this or that collection so as not to cause unwanted side effects in the body.
During the recovery period from alcohol addiction, doctors recommend replenishing an element such as potassium in the body.It is necessary for the normal functioning of the kidneys, heart and to ensure energy and acid-base balance.Potassium increases performance, maintains normal blood pressure and improves oxygen flow to the brain.
You can replenish the potassium excreted along with alcohol at home using products such as:
- tomatoes;
- sweet pepper;
- boiled or baked potatoes in their skins;
- dried fruit, raisins;
- walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts;
- grape;
- apricots;
- Honey;
- black tea.
During the period of abstinence from alcohol, it is recommended to use the aromatherapy method.Fennel, medicinal sage, nutmeg and myrtle essential oils help reduce cravings for alcoholic beverages and even cause aversion to them.