Alcoholism is one of the most common reasons for people coming to me for psychological advice. This is a situation in which the basic symptom is concentration on consuming this stimulant and a constant/recurrent need to drink.
Alcohol addiction is one of the most common reasons for seeking psychological advice. This is a situation in which the basic symptom is concentration on consuming this stimulant and a constant/recurrent need to drink.
Many people wonder how to deal with addiction? How to check if I am addicted? Is it still safe for me to drink? Certainly, the very fact that such questions appear in our heads should be a warning signal for us: I notice that something is happening. In diagnosis and psychological work, this is where we start: checking what is happening and trying to understand why. Psychological tests and, above all, the Bible, i.e. ICD10 (international classification of diseases), come to our aid.
In the ICD-10 classification, alcohol dependence is included in the code F.10: Mental and behavioral disorders caused by the use of psychoactive substances.
6 criteria for addiction
- STRONG THIRST OR FEELING OF COMPULSION TO DRINK ALCOHOL (HUNGER)
- IMPAIRED ABILITY TO CONTROL OVER DRINKING
- CONSISTENT DRINKING OF ALCOHOL DESPITE HARMFUL CONSEQUENCES
- PRIVACY OF ALCOHOL OVER OTHER ACTIVITIES AND COMMITMENTS, STRONG PRESCRIPTION OF DRINKING
- PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL STATE APPEARING WHEN SUBSTANCE USE IS LIMITED OR INTERRUPTED
- CHANGE IN TOLERANCE TOWARDS THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
These must be met for the diagnosis to be confirmed 3 out of 6 above criteria, during the last year.
How to understand individual criteria?
1. A STRONG THIRST OR FEELING OF COMPULSION TO DRINK ALCOHOL (HUNGER)
Usually recognizable during a period of abstinence. Particularly strong when the motivation to stop drinking is externally motivated (e.g. circumstances, poor well-being or environmental pressure). By refraining from using a psychoactive substance, an addicted person may feel the tension associated with withdrawal from alcohol for a long time. This tension is also often responsible for problems with sleep, reduced appetite and irritability. Intrusive thoughts about addictive behaviors may occur. This, in turn, may lead to decreased concentration, distraction, or losing track of things. Addicted people unconsciously look for substitutes for addictive behaviors - they willingly recall and talk about their "exploits", dream or fantasize about using, or even tell jokes about addiction.
Another good time to notice "hunger" is when you start taking drugs again after, even a short period of abstinence. This is usually accompanied by a feeling of euphoria or the so-called "high". This is caused by the sudden relief caused by the drop in tension in the body. The need to experience this euphoric "release from tension" will lead to a break with abstinence.
2. IMPAIRED ABILITY TO CONTROL OVER DRINKING
We are talking about impaired control, not its complete loss. Healthy control is when a person who drinks alcohol does it because he wants it, has the conditions to do so, and in this particular case it is a positive experience for him. An example of such control is drinking a glass of champagne during a New Year's Eve party. A person with healthy control over the use of psychoactive substances does so when certain conditions are met, but does not experience negative feelings when these conditions are not met and reaching for a drug is impossible or inappropriate.
A person with impaired control is not always able to control the amount, time or circumstances of addictive behavior. A person who is not addicted at all YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRINK EVERY DAY. He can easily maintain periods of abstinence, but when he starts drinking it will be difficult for him to drink as much as he planned, spend as much time as he planned, or stop when he expected.
These scenarios can be different, from drinking a few beers after work or drinking only on weekends, to a week-long streak of drinking "day and night" ending with serious body poisoning. This impaired control is often perceived by those around us as inexpressiveness, unpredictability, and irresponsibility. An addicted person begins to lie, mask and hide his drinking, unable to confront his own powerlessness in the face of the addiction.
3. CONSISTENT DRINKING OF ALCOHOL DESPITE HARMFUL CONSEQUENCES
In understanding this criterion, the word "awareness" is crucial. It is only met if the addicted person is clearly aware of the harmful consequences of using a given substance, and yet shows no motivation to change habits or has serious difficulties in stopping destructive behavior. An addicted person continues to consume alcohol before/during work or, for example, before traveling by car or visiting a doctor.
This criterion is also met when drinking continues despite clear health symptoms. Consistently downplaying facts about the loss of health, conflicts with the environment or financial problems. Addicted people develop defense mechanisms that allow them to question or ignore these obvious facts. They want to perceive the substance they depend on as helpful and at the same time ignore its negative impact on their lives.
4. PRINCIPING ALCOHOL USE OVER OTHER ACTIVITIES AND COMMITMENTS, STRONG PRECURTION WITH DRINKING
This is a phase in which sources of gratification other than drinking, interests, work and social contacts are largely neglected.
Everyone's natural need is to seek pleasure. Gratification is one of the most important drivers of our motivation. The more opportunities we have to reward ourselves, the easier it is for us to maintain good energy, well-being, motivation and mood. A rich repertoire of rewarding behaviors, such as meeting friends, going for a walk, spending time with loved ones, developing a hobby, engaging in a favorite activity, reading, watching a movie, engaging in creative or social activities, is a good predictor of being an inner rich person.
An addicted person does not have such opportunities. As the addiction develops, the range of behaviors that improve the mood narrows, until it ultimately leads to a situation in which alcohol is the only source of gratification, eliminating other options. In times of difficulty, the mind looks for the most accessible behavior that will bring relief. “Have a drink” works like a miracle cure for all problems. At least temporarily. Alcohol will relax you and provide that desired, pleasant state of lowering tension. Just like a painkiller, it immediately hits the receptors that need a stimulus.
An alcoholic devotes more and more time and attention to looking for opportunities to drink or obtain alcohol. Therefore, an addicted person spends a lot of time planning how to get alcohol, obtaining funds to buy it, drinking it, getting high and then returning to reality. Inevitably, this is a time-consuming activity and does not leave much space for engaging in activities that do not ultimately lead to intoxication.
The compulsion to drink will also make it difficult to plan to spend time with people who do not drink. An alcoholic will be very reluctant to make plans that do not include opportunities to get drunk. This results in giving more and more space to drinking, separating oneself from people who do not drink, which leads to a feeling of emptiness and loneliness.
Addiction receives the highest priority among available actions and it displaces everything else that could threaten it. An addicted person does not want to be aware of facts proving how much he has changed, due to the strongly gratifying role of addictive behaviors and the relief he experiences when taking them.
5. PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL STATE APPEARING WHEN SUBSTANCE USE IS LIMITED OR INTERRUPTED
This criterion proves that abstinence, or a longer period of not drinking, is a permanent element of any addiction. This is the moment when the alcoholic does not spend as much time planning drinking-related activities as before. Relatives of an addicted person see his change and hope that he "has overcome his addiction and no longer drinks." At the same time, it is difficult for non-addicts to understand how huge and difficult to process withdrawal symptoms an addict has to struggle with. These symptoms are the most common cause of relapse.
What is withdrawal syndrome? This is a group of symptoms that appear in an addicted person after "withdrawal" or a sharp reduction in the amount of substance consumed, or after stopping or significantly reducing addictive behavior. In withdrawal syndrome, in addition to the usual symptoms of poisoning (any ingestion of a substance causing unpleasant effects can be described as such), there are also symptoms that indicate that the safe dose of the substance has been repeatedly exceeded and that the body is adapting to the chemically changed way of functioning.
Withdrawal symptoms vary in duration and intensity, and are difficult to bear, which is why the addict often goes to hospital to "detoxify" the body. Severe alcohol poisoning can be a life-threatening condition.
The most common withdrawal symptoms: anxiety, fearfulness, irritability, depression; and somatic disorders: body tremors, weakness, sleep problems, increased sweating, various pains of unknown origin. Convulsive seizures or psychotic disorders, such as auditory or visual hallucinations, are also common. These symptoms are the result of long-term and harmful use of narcotics, which results in severe poisoning of the body. Hence the withdrawal process is sometimes called "detoxification" or "detoxification".
6. CHANGE IN TOLERANCE TOWARDS THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
Both in the case of substance addiction and behavioral addictions (e.g. gambling, using the Internet), as time passes and the addiction develops, the frequency and amount of addictive behaviors increase. The patient's body gets used to a certain level of the substance and over time the previous dose is insufficient and does not produce the desired effect.
Changes in tolerance in people addicted to alcohol are clearly visible - the initially rapidly increasing demand for alcohol often causes a switch from weaker drinks to stronger ones. An alcoholic in the middle phase of addiction development often drinks significant amounts of vodka or mixes it with another alcoholic beverage, only to find, after several dozen years of addictive drinking, that vodka "has started to harm him" and is too expensive. Then he becomes a "gourmet" of cheap wines and liqueurs. This is not a rule, but an illustrative example of changes in "tastes" caused by changes in alcohol tolerance.
Alcoholism is a universal disease because it affects people from various social groups and in every corner of the world. The most common treatment method for alcohol addiction is long-term addiction therapy.
To be diagnosed with alcohol addiction, a person must have met 3 of the 6 addiction criteria in the last 12 months. If you have any doubts about your attitude towards alcohol, I encourage you to complete it TEST or make an appointment psychological consultationsj
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