Alcoholism Cure
Is there an Alcoholism Cure? The disease called Alcoholism is characterized by a craving for and a dependence on alcohol; an urge beyond the capability of the person to control. But there is so much more… it is a disease of the body, mind and spirit. Sadly, there is no cure Alcoholism cannot be cured. It will forever remain a part of a person’s makeup. However, when it comes to Addiction and Alcoholism, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that alcohol can be treated and managed. Alcoholics can live successful lives. The bad news is that they are always vulnerable to relapse if they take a drink. Denial is major issue Some people will say, “I’m not an alcoholic, I’m just a problem drinker.” There is humor in this statement, but there is also serious truth. People can drink too often, drink too much and run into problems, even though they are not physically addicted. DUI, driving under the influence is huge in this country. People have been known to go to court repeatedly, yet they are not technically alcoholics. Sure, there are drunk-driving laws, but people abuse the tolerance and generosity of the court system. They will continue to drink and they will continue to drive, with or without a license. If you lock up the drunks, the jails will be filled every night. Alcoholism are VERY wide-spread The problem of Alcoholism is wide-spread. The Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University concluded: “more than half of all adults have a family history of Alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs.” That is a staggering piece of information. A major part of our Culture I live in Milwaukee, where beer drinking is a major sport. Attending a game at Miller Park for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team is quite an experience, as vendors are constantly walking the aisles of the stadium hawking beer. As soon as one leaves another one appears. I counted once and recorded that 48 vendor appearances were noted before the fifth inning at one game. People drink the whole time, and come into the ballpark after having a few in the parking lot. It’s all a part of the culture. The Milwaukee Brewers don’t consider it a problem, especially when they take in nearly $7 a serving. It impacts all of us! Alcoholism affects us all. Beyond the immediate family, we have friends, co-workers and neighbors. Moreover, Alcohol abuse and dependence are directly related to our most difficult social problems, such as crime, domestic violence, teen pregnancy. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse teaches us that a person will continue to drink even though it has serious impact on family, friends, employment, health and legal matters. The disease takes over and soon a person is slave to the alcohol. They have to take another drink. People have been known to literally drink themselves to death. To learn more about Alcoholism Cure and abuse click hereIs There an Alcoholism Cure? It’s one of those hot button issues. On the one side, there are those who believe from their evidence that there is a positive cure for alcoholism, while the other side is convinced that there is no such cure. One side says: Abstinence not needed A story by Lindsay Chura from June 13, 2008, in US News and World Report told of how researchers from the University of Virginia Health System concluded that the drug topiramate “can lead to a reduction in heavy drinking.” The drug is used to treat seizures and is approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration. Roy Eskapa, PhD., author of the book “The Cure for Alcoholism: Drink your way sober without willpower, abstinence or discomfort” writes of using naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist, and the “Sinclair Method” to rollback the addictive brain action to its original state. Both the aforementioned works suggest that people can take a pill and continue to drink, only in a responsible way. The other side says: The cure for alcoholism is to not drink! The other side of the fence looks at the same evidence and draws a different conclusion. They see alcoholism as a chronic disease that can be treated and managed, but not cured in much the same way as there is not a cure for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. While medical intervention is used, such as detoxification and perhaps drugs, there is no encouragement that the person may continue drinking. Abstinence is the key to controlling the disease, or stated another way; the cure for alcoholism is to not drink. Treatment plans that offer a pill as the primary weapon against the condition of alcoholism will also refute any claims that the 12 Step recovery plan has any validity whatsoever, as they will claim that the steps have a greater than 90 percent failure rate. Those who “fail” are likely, according to 12 Step advocates, to be the ones who do not work the steps and who refuse to allow themselves to submit to the “power greater than ourselves” or “God, as we understood him.” While not a religious plan, the 12 Steps offer a deep, soul-searching pathway to recovery. There are a couple of main drugs that are used in treating alcoholism. Naltrexone has a blocking effect on the area of the brain that feels pleasure from alcohol or other drugs. The drinker doesn’t get the same pleasure from the alcohol, so the craving to drink gets reduced. That’s the idea. Disulfram is another drug that is used to treat alcoholism, only instead of blocking the pleasure receptors, it makes the drinker sick to his/her stomach and causes other unpleasant side effects. Neither drug is claimed to be a cure for alcoholism, but a management tool. Different Goals The goal of many non-12 Step advocates is not so much to stop drinking, but to drink less. Organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous preach abstinence, as the only requirement for membership is the desire to not drink. The debate rages on and will continue to be a hot button issue for the foreseeable future. Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure Alcoholism Cure HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: RECOVERY… Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail. |
