In our lives, there is such a group of people who are addicted to alcohol and whose work and life are in a mess. They are not weak-willed, hedonistic people, they are a group of alcohol-dependent patients who are powerless over their addiction to alcohol, have lost self-control, and need comprehensive drug, psychological and social help. When we give them the name “patient”, it means they are suffering from some kind of disease, so is drinking a disease? Wenzhou Medical University Affiliated Corning Hospital, vice president of Zhejiang Province, clinical specialty disciplines – behavioral medicine discipline leader Ye Agile, chief physician, said that the thirst for alcohol beyond the individual’s ability to control, affecting work, life and family and other interpersonal relationships, means that the formation of alcohol dependence, which is a long-term alcohol-induced chronic encephalopathy. It is a chronic brain disease caused by the long-term effects of alcohol. Its formation involves the combined effects of individual psychological factors, social and cultural factors, environmental factors and biological susceptibility. Not only are there changes in brain function that lead to uncontrollable biological cravings for drugs, but they are often accompanied by psychological vulnerability and difficulties in maintaining self-esteem, emotional and impulse control, relationship problems and self-care, and they tend to use the need to drink as a way of solving their own emotional, self-esteem, or interpersonal problems, thus creating a vicious cycle of problems. How to Recognize Alcohol Dependence Alcohol dependence is a chronic relapsing encephalopathy that includes both physical dependence (addiction) and mental dependence (addiction). “Alcoholics generally have the following clinical manifestations: 1. strong desire or urge to drink (heart addiction); 2. impaired control over drinking behavior; 3. physiological withdrawal (body addiction): withdrawal symptoms occur when the blood alcohol concentration drops below a certain level, manifesting as trembling hands, trembling of the limbs and trunk, agitation, nausea, sweating, and so on. , sweating, etc. If you take a few sips of alcohol in time, these symptoms are quickly eliminated, otherwise they will become more and more intense, and even impaired consciousness and convulsions will occur. In order to avoid the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms and frequent drinking, many alcohol-dependent people get up the first thing is to drink, because after a night’s sleep, the body after metabolizing alcohol has little left; 4. Tolerance to alcohol. The amount of alcohol is getting bigger and bigger, and more and more alcohol is being consumed. However, the patient is always secretive about the real amount of alcohol consumed, and “not much” becomes their mantra; 5. Neglecting or giving up other recreational activities because of drinking. Considering drinking as the first priority in life; 6. Continuing to drink in spite of clear evidence of harm caused by drinking. Disregarding personal health, work discipline, family responsibilities and social norms, and pursuing drinking to the point where they can’t control themselves when they raise a glass, often without getting drunk. What to do if you have an alcoholic in your family Many alcohol-dependent patients find it difficult to quit drinking because the withdrawal symptoms that occur when they suddenly reduce or stop drinking are very hard to bear, and even delirium and epilepsy can occur, so there is a certain risk of forcibly quitting, so it is appropriate to seek help from the hospital, which can be used to break the addiction to alcohol through systematic interventions. The solution to alcohol withdrawal is not to simply quit physical dependence. Simply turning off or physically abstaining from alcohol can still lead to a vicious cycle of addiction-abstinence-relapse. Effective sobriety requires systematic pharmaco-psycho-social interventions that help addicts strengthen their motivation to stop drinking, move from passive abstinence to active treatment, deal with the interpersonal, work, family and other mental health issues behind the problem of alcohol dependence, develop new lifestyle alternatives to addictive behaviors, and train them in specific ways to prevent relapse. Multi-level systemic interventions lead to lasting, structural personality changes in alcohol addicts. In interpersonal interactions such as group therapy and self-help groups, peer warmth and caring are internalized by the patient to help him or her deal with emotions, control impulses, and develop other self-functions. At the same time, sobriety is not a solo endeavor. Family members, friends, and other resources can help the patient to change, effectively curb relapse, and even get rid of alcohol dependence for good.