Symonds was an alcoholic. What’s wrong with him? He was excited about this because for his whole life up until that point he had no idea what the hell was wrong with him? He was using alcohol every day and having problems at work. Symonds was maladjusted at the time. He remembers he wasn't paying bills and it became a real problem. At this point, it got so bad that he was stealing from his parents.
Symonds was lying to them. He was writing cheques out of his dad's cheque book. It was a really tough time for his family and finally, they said, “Listen, there are two options for you: number one, accept treatment or we do not want you as member of our family anymore.”
Symonds was shaking in the car. He remembers, like fingernail marks in his hands. Because he was so mad. He had this thought come to him, he is going to do everything it possibly takes to attain sobriety. From that moment forward he started proper treatment. It was something that he needed.
At that specific time, Symonds decided to attend a clinic helping people to fight with alcohol use disorder. At that clinic, he saw people changing right before his eyes. He loved it and took it as a lesson. He knew that he was in treatment because he was a binge drinker. It was exactly what he needed. Now he has another chance to live a new life without any terror.
If you’re also fighting with alcohol use disorder and can’t go a day without using a substance, you need treatment. Believe it or not, you can also come back to normal life.
Importance of treatment for alcohol use disorder
It has been established that alcohol use disorder is one of the top reasons for death. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), there are around 88000 people who lost their lives annually due to alcohol-related causes in the U.S. It is further pointed out that in the figure of 88,000, there are approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women. It has also been categorized as 3rd leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. The other leading causes include tobacco and poor diet in that list.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for everyone with Alcohol use disorder. It varies from patient to patient as per their needs. It can be categorized as:-
The involvement of a brief intervention
Counselling on an individual/ group basis (like in Symonds case)
An outpatient program or a residential inpatient stay
The goal is to improve the quality of life in respect of patients.
Naltrexone
Naltrexone works in the brain to treat alcohol dependence. Its main working is by blocking the outcome of opioid receptors and decreasing urges to use alcohol. Naltrexone is one of the successful treatments to save from alcohol use disorder. It is pertinent to mention here that it must be used under the supervision of a physician. The following readings would also help to get rid of addictions:-
In the end, let’s see this amazing video to save us from Alcohol use disorder.
