Treatment of problem drinking at Tulasi Healthcare in Delhi, Gurgaon and India
Tulasi Healthcare offers quality treatment for patients who have drinking problems but are not dependent on alcohol as yet.
Who is a problem drinker?
Problem drinking is 4 times more prevalent in our society than alcoholism.
You may have heard of the term problem drinking and wondered what exactly makes it different from alcoholism. How do you know if you’re a problem drinker or an alcoholic?
Problem drinking is using alcohol in a way that can negatively impact your health and your life, but the body is not physically dependent on alcohol. Alcoholism most likely includes the physical addiction to alcohol in addition to the problems it may cause to your health and to your life.
For instance, a person may be a problem drinker if alcohol causes them to routinely miss work or school, but they can go days, weeks or months without drinking.
An alcoholic usually cannot go a long period of time without needing to drink alcohol but due to the excessive consumption of alcohol, problem drinkers face problems in all spheres of life, both personal & professional.
You may be a problem drinker if alcohol:
- Makes you miss important functions like class or work.
- Causes you to avoid family or friends and become isolated.
- Makes you feel depressed, angry or violent.
- Causes you to spend money you don’t have and creates financial troubles.
- Disrupts your relationships with family and friends.
- Causes you to do something illegal and get arrested due to your behavior.
- Causes driving under the influence.
- Causes blackouts.
Risk factors
Family history of alcohol use disorder and inheriting certain genes predispose drinking problems.
Alcohol abuse is common in people older than 65 years of age. It is more dangerous since they are already on prescription medicines which in-turn can adversely react with alcohol & mental illnesses such as depression & anxiety. Problem drinkers are people who drink moderately, heavily or indulge in binge drinking
Moderate drinking:
Moderate drinkers are healthy people who are at low risk of developing an alcohol problem.
- Women: No more than one drink per day
- Men: No more than two drinks per day
- People 65 and older: No more than one drink per day
Even moderate drinking is known to cause problems
- if alcohol is consumed too quickly,
- if there is a history of taking certain medication or
- if there are other health problems.
Heavy drinking:
Heavy drinkers have a very high risk of developing alcohol problems.
- Women: More than seven drinks per week or three drinks per occasion
- Men: More than 14 drinks per week or four drinks per occasion
Binge drinking (generally within about two hours):
- Women: Four or more drinks
- Men: Five or more drinks
Binge drinkers are usually at risk of developing an alcohol problem. Binge drinkers often do not drink for long periods altogether but once they start they are unable to stop. Gradually their alcohol binge periods become longer and the intake of alcohol also increases.
How to diagnose a drinking problem?
Three key questions are important for diagnosis of drinking problem
- Have you lost control of your drinking?
- Have you developed tolerance or other signs of addiction?
- Are there problem in your job, relationships or with law due to your drinking.
Consequences of problem drinking:
- Untimely preventable death
- Road traffic accidents and trauma
- Suicide or drowning
- Liver diseases
- Cancer of mouth, throat, gullet, liver, etc.
Treatment options
- Counseling from a trained mental health professional
- Medication
- Social support groups
It is highly recommended to seek help from an experienced and qualified mental health professional because reducing the consumption or stopping alcohol consumption suddenly can precipitate life threatening withdrawal symptoms. Opportunely, effective treatment for problem drinking is available at Tulasi Healthcare.
Contact us now before it gets too late!