hypnosis for drinking problems

 
If HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ALCOHOL ... WHAT TO DO?

Dr. Elena Pucci - Psychologist and Psychotherapist Cantù - What is alcoholism? -

 Who are the problem drinkers? - Is there physical dependence in alcohol? - How can one get rid of the psychological need to drink? -

What is therapeutic work focused on?
Historically, Mediterranean culture attributes to alcohol a predominantly positive connotation; in our country alcohol consumption belongs to the cultural and social tradition, and is in fact often associated with festive situations, sometimes conveying communication, socialization and solidarity among people. This positive meaning, however, risks underestimating the situations in which alcohol becomes the object of abuse, if not dependence, and influences the state of an individual's psycho-physical health. In recent times there has been more and more frequent talk about alcoholism, but often this word evokes a series of prejudices and stereotypes, including that of the "country drunkard" rather than the person who lives on the edge of social marginality. In reality, the relationship with alcohol describes a complexity of situations that embrace social and cultural environments transversely, bands of different ages, so it is not possible to trace the profile of the standard alcoholic.

Alcohol consumption, for example, is currently growing among young people and women, as well as within medium-high social classes. The problem of alcoholism has long been relatively underestimated, at a cultural, political and legislative level. Until recently, in fact, the initiatives in the field of alcohol were mostly entrusted to local and regional authorities, which have proposed over the years several initiatives in the form of decrees and provisions, and the action of associations and groups of cars Help (Anonymous Alcoholics, Alcoholics Treatment Centers, ...).

In the legislative field it was recently the Framework Law on alcohol and alcohol-related
 problems (Law 125/2001). It is the first law at European level that has adopted the principles of the European Alcohol Charter, approved in Paris in 1995), within which are contained guidelines for an organic approach to interventions in the field of alcohol. Among its consequences there are the modification of the Highway Code, according to which the limit of alcoholic concentration tolerated to be able to drive drops from 0.8 grams per liter to 0.5 grams per liter, the appearance of advertising spots on the hazard of driving under the influence of substances alcoholic (it is forbidden to air during the protected hours). Even the dominant culture seems more 'inclined to consider the problem of alcoholism, sometimes appear in newspapers, services in television broadcasts or cases of alcoholism among the characters in film and TV series. What is alcoholism? Alcoholism is a multifactorial genesis disorder (biological, psychological and social) associated with protracted (episodic or chronic) intake of alcoholic beverages, which may involve dependency, but not necessarily, capable of causing multidimensional suffering that manifests itself in a different way from individual to individual.

(1) There is therefore no single cause of alcoholism, rather it can be favored by the constellation of various factors, individual, psychological, biological, cultural and social. There is no single mode of being "alcoholic", alcohol intake can in fact be limited to a specific period (episodic), or be continuous, but the common denominator is the search for a certain effect in the substance. Precisely because the relationship with this substance manifests itself according to heterogeneous and diversified methods, it would be preferable to speak of "problem drinkers" (2) rather than of "alcoholism", which could in fact be misleading.


If we also assume the definition of health proposed by the WHO (3), conceived as a state of equilibrium between the physical, psychic and social relations of the individual, it is clearly understandable how alcohol can act, however, at any dosage, on at least one of the three aspects, thus generally altering the general state of health of an individual.
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(1) Definition according to the Italian Society of Alcology
(2) As suggested for example by G. Edwards, E.J. Marshall and C.C. Cook in The volume
Treatment of Drinking Problems (Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcoholism, Raffaello Cortina
Publisher, 2000).
(3) WHO, World Health Organization

From this it follows that it is not possible to define an absolute safe alcohol dosage for each individual and for diversified situations and it is not so simple to define a "limit" or an "abuse".
To better understand this phenomenon, it is therefore appropriate to consider both the possibility of defining an excessive use of the substance, but also its undue or arbitrary intake, to the point that alcohol abuse means both "drinking too much" and "drinking inappropriately" , meaning in this second case, also all those situations in which even minimal dosages may be inappropriate due to the inadequacy of the circumstance of recruitment (driving, work, pharmacology therapy in progress, pregnancy, ...)

Who are the problem drinkers then?

At the base of a problematic behavior there is an altered relationship with alcohol, which is often the only response to a state of mind (agitation, anxiety, sadness, boredom, stress, etc.) and / or to one or more specific situations, looking for a "beneficial" effect (happiness, tranquility, ...).
Persevering in the search for such an effect can, on the contrary, be confused with psychological dependence
and at the same time the problems for which we had approached the alcohol are not resolved with the latter, rather persist and sometimes amplify.
The paths through which alcohol is approached can be extremely different from person to person, can lead very slowly to the control over substance, then to abuse or dependence, or manifest in a more explosive and sudden.
Who is dependent on alcohol has a physical dependence, (and 'the body that claims the substance, sometimes through real physical symptoms of abstinence - shaking hands, nausea, headache, ... - when you do not takes alcohol), difficulties in adapting to civil and social norms; in the latter cases the intake of alcohol is frequent, daily and can progressively lead to a decline in personal functioning, for example you can no longer manage the work (there are no unusual absenteeism, a decrease in the work performance, .. .), the study, the family, the friendships, up to the most extreme cases in which to obtain alcohol becomes the sole purpose of the day, therefore the assumption of it the main activity, as well as the physical and physical onset of alcohol-related diseases. (4)

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(4) With alcohol-related diseases we mean all those physical pathologies that derive
from the action of alcohol on the organism.

The condition of abuse, on the other hand, leads to a lower impairment of general functioning, usually alcohol intake is not daily, or limited to specific situations, however, even in this case there is no control over the assumptions or behavior under the influence of alcohol.

I have a problem with alcohol (maybe) ... what to do?

If you decide to stop drinking, it is advisable to undergo, under the guidance of a specialist, diagnostic tests to ascertain the impact of alcohol on the body (so-called alcohol-related diseases, the effects at the level are not uncommon hepatic, cardiac, gastrointestinal, to cite some examples); in cases of severe physical dependence, a primarily medical and one treatment is necessarily indicated 


physical detoxification, which, depending on the situation, can take place during hospitalization or day hospitalization, while in case of abuse, treatment can also take place in the outpatient phase.
The phase of abstinence, therefore of suspension of the substance, and 'very delicate, it' absolutely inadvisable abrupt discontinuation (may in fact arise symptoms of abstinence, even serious), rather it is necessary 'to be monitored and followed by expert staff.

While with adequate procedures, physical dependence is easily manageable and resolvable in a relatively short time, what is hardly surmountable is the psychological one.

Therapeutic paths can be different and different, but the key to solving the problem with alcohol, however trivial it may seem, is the recognition of the problem, therefore the decision to stop drinking, which is reflected in the presence of a good motivation to this.

It is not uncommon for the problematic drinker to deny being such
• I have no problems with alcohol
minimize your behavior
• I drink like many people I know, I do not see where the problem is
or the consequences of it
• when I drink I'm just a little cheerful, maybe too much, but I'm funny, I do not bother anyone, on the contrary ...

If there is no awareness of this problem, there is an important prerequisite for a therapeutic work aimed at solving the difficult relationship with alcohol, but it will be the primary objective of consultation with the specialist to reconstruct and analyze the specific situation, to ascertain, together to the patient, the characteristics of his relationship with alcohol, so that he can decide whether or not to undertake a therapeutic-rehabilitative path and with which modalities (provided that these are not extreme situations in which there is no alternative to treatment ).
It is in fact absolutely necessary the full cooperation of the problematic drinker for the success of a therapeutic path aimed at the suspension of alcohol intake.
The situation may also occur where the pressures of family members or of the employer induce a person to contact a specialist or a structure, without however being convinced that they have a real problem with alcohol, as in the case indicated above of obligation to care, the initial phase of the therapeutic work will have as its objective the analysis of the patient's situation and the construction of the motivation to it.

The initial work must however focus on the analysis of the relationship that has been established with alcohol and on the construction of the motivation to introduce a change with respect to it, thus characterizing a work focused mainly on the "alcohol symptom", via both groups, either through an individual counseling path that can last from six months to longer periods.

Generally problematic drinking has profound effects on the family and on those close to the drinker, who can be involved at various levels.
There are those who recognize the situation in a realistic way, who instead becomes collusive with the patient, so situations occur that underestimate what is happening to their joint, justify and tolerate behaviors that can instead become annoying, if not dangerous (alcohol can make for example extremely aggressive both physically and verbally), who reinforces and encourages, often due to the inability to recognize and manage behavior and situations. It may be desirable in some cases, that even the family, with the patient's agreement naturally, actively participate in the therapeutic path; this can offer the possibility to count on someone able to positively influence the recovery process and at the same time be useful to have the opportunity to recover a relationship that can be damaged by alcohol.
The patient's relatives, when necessary and always naturally with his agreement, can thus become part of the therapeutic process.
In the event that the person refuses any help or recognition of the problem, it may be useful for the family members to have support and help in managing this situation, starting from some basic information on what the problematic alcoholism / drinking is and other psycho-educational notions. In this case the optimal setting is the group, which allows the comparison between more 'experiences and the overcoming of the feeling of loneliness and impotence often experienced in these situations.


Being a problem drinker involves a situation of "suffering" that is managed through a substance, ie alcohol and change the relationship with it, taking into account that, being legal, it is quite frequent "to meet and find" alcoholic beverages, not possible without much effort and effort.
The problem drinker needs help to recognize and accept his needs, to which he responded with alcohol, then integrate them as a significant part of his personality and channel them in a more adaptive and beneficial way.

Obviously there is not a single path and a single solution, rather each individual will give an answer to this and will follow a peculiar and absolutely personal path.