alcoholism causes and treatment criteria for alcohol use disorder clinical pictures of alcohol related disorder effects of alcohol i brain

2. What is alcoholism?
• A chronic disease characterized by
uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with
alcohol.
• Alcoholism is the inability to control drinking due
to both a physical and emotional dependence
on alcohol.
• Symptoms include repeated alcohol
consumption despite related legal and health
issues. Those with alcoholism may begin each
day with a drink, feel guilty about their drinking
and have the desire to cut down on the amount of
drinking.

3. Criteria for alcohol use
disorder
•Alcohol is often taken in larger
amount or over longer period than
was intended.
•Persistent desire and unsuccessful
efforts to cut down or control
alcohol use.
•A great deal of time is spent in
activities necessary to obtain
alcohol, use alcohol or recover from
its effects.
• Alcohol use is physically
hazardous.

4. • Craving or strong desire or urge to
use alcohol.
• Recurrent alcohol use resulting in
failure to fulfill major role obligations
at work, school and future.
• Continuous alcohol use causes both
physical and interpersonal problems.
• Important social, occupational or
recreational activities are given up or
reduce because of alcohol use.
• Recurrent alcohol use is physically
hazardous.

6. 1. Alcohol effect on brain
 Alcohol has the complex and seemingly contradictory effect on
brain.
 At lower levels, alcohol stimulates certain brain cells and
activates brain’s “pleasure areas” which releases opium like
endogenous opioids that are stored in the body.
 At high levels it depress brain functioning inhibits brain’s
excitatory neurotransmitters glutamate, which in turn slow down
the activity of brain.
 Some degree of motor un coordination soon become apparent,
and drinker’s discrimination and perception of cold, pain and
other discomforts are dulled.
 Typically the drinker experience the sense of warmth,
expansiveness and well being.
 In such mood unpleasant realities are screened out and the
drinker’s feeling of self esteem and adequacy rise.

7. 2. Development of alcohol dependence
• Excessive drinking can be viewed as
progressively insidious from early to
middle – late stage of alcohol related
disorders, although some abusers don’t
follow this pattern.
• For some people alcohol for little
amount is dangerous whereas for other
moderate use of alcohol is not harmful.

8. 3. Physical effects of chronic alcohol use.
•The work of alcohol metabolism is done by liver, but when
large amount of alcohol is ingested the liver may be seriously
overworked and eventually suffer from severe irreversible
damage.
•15 – 30 % of heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis of liver.
•As alcohol is high – calorie drug when consumption is
reduced, a drinker appetite for other food.
•It is because alcohol has no nutritional value, the excessive
drinker can suffer from malnutrition.
•Many alcohol abusers also experience increased gastro
intestinal symptoms such as stomach pains.

9. •Psycho social effects of alcohol
abuse and dependence
•In addition to physical problem, a heavy
drinker usually suffers from chronic
fatigue, oversensitivity depression.
•The excessive use of alcohol eventually
becomes counterproductive, however and
can result in impaired reasoning, poor
judgement and gradual personality
deterioration.
•It affects memory and problem solving
ability.

10. 5. Psychoses associated with severe
alcohol abuse
•Psychosis – disconnection with reality
•Disorientation for time and place
•Vivid hallucination particularly on small
animals such as rats, mice etc
•Acute fear of changes in color and size of
those hallucinated animals.
•Marked tumors of hands, tongue and
lips.
•Other symptoms including perspiration,
fever, a rapid weak heart beat, coated
tongue and foul breath.

12. 1. Biological causal factor
The neurobiology of addiction
The mesocorticolimbic dopamine
pathway
( MCLP) is the centre of psychotic drug
activation in the brain.
This is involved in such functions as
control of emotions, memory and
gratification.
Genetic vulnerability
Son of alcoholics have a high risk for
problem with alcohols because of inherent
motivation to drink or sensitivity to drug.

13. Psychosocial causal factors
•Failures in parental guidance
•Psychological vulnerability
(Research has suggested that personality
factor related to having a family history
of alcoholism are associated with the
development of alcohol use disorder.)
•Stress, tension reduction and
reinforcement
(25 to 50% of PTSD patients also have
substance abuse disorder.)
•Expectation of social success.
•Marital and other intimate
relationships.

14. 3.Socio cultural causal factor
•Alcohol use is a pervasive component
in a social life in western civilization.
•Social events often revolve around
alcohol use before and during meals in
common place.
•Alcohol is often seen as social
lubricant or tension reducer that
enhances social events

16. Alcohol abuse and dependence are
difficult to treat because many alcohol
abusers refuse to admit that they have a
problem before they “hit the bottom”
And many which do go into the
treatment leave before the therapy is
completed..
1. Medication to reduce the side
effects of acute withdrawal.
2. Psychological treatment
approaches.

17. •Group therapy
•Environmental intervention.
•Behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy.-
(ingestion of alcohol might be paired with an
electric shock or a drug that produces nausea.
•intramuscular ingestion of emetine
hydrochloride, an emetic.)
•Alcoholics anonymous (AA)
Self help counseling program for alcohol abusers .