Why Alcoholism Considered a Chronic Disease? Signs & Factors

Treatment can be in a residential program or you can take part in an outpatient program. The point at which a person is considered an alcoholic is drug addiction different for everyone. You might have been hooked after your first sip or it may have happened gradually as you found yourself drinking more often. An alcohol use disorder will actually change the way the pathways of communication in your brain work. AlcoholAwareness.org is dedicated to providing support and resources for individuals struggling with alcohol addiction. We aim to raise awareness, offer guidance, and connect people with recovery programs to help them regain control and improve their lives.

• Yes, alcoholism is widely regarded as a chronic illness by medical and addiction professionals.
• That’s why a medically supervised detoxification process, followed by comprehensive addiction treatment, is the next best thing to a cure.
• By understanding alcoholism as a chronic disease, individuals can approach it from a long-term perspective, focusing on sustained recovery and management rather than seeking a quick fix.
• As it can have a relaxing effect, people with anxiety may develop a routine of having a drink when they need to calm down.

When Should Alcohol Withdrawal Be Treated by Medical Professionals?

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that affects not only the individual but also their loved ones and society as a whole. It is important to recognize the impact that alcoholism has on personal and social life, as well as the societal impact. It involves identifying triggers and developing coping mechanisms to deal with them. Support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, can provide a supportive environment for individuals in recovery. Behavioral therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), are often used to treat alcoholism. CBT helps people identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors related to drinking.

• Alcoholism is a chronic disease and we offer professional treatment teams who are familiar with alcohol use disorder and can design a comprehensive detox and treatment plan that is right for you.
• Heavy drinking can also weaken the heart muscle and lead to arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats.
• To achieve and maintain long-lasting recovery from alcohol misuse, much like other chronic disorders, a commitment to continued treatment and management is necessary.
• Examples of behavioral treatments are brief interventions and reinforcement approaches, treatments that build motivation and teach skills for coping and preventing a return to drinking, and mindfulness-based therapies.

Overcoming Alcohol Use Disorder

Thus, researchers and clinicians have begun to develop alternative approaches to enhance treatment retention in both initial why is alcoholism considered a chronic disease and continuing care. One focus of these efforts has been the design of extended treatment models. These approaches increasingly blur the distinction between initial and continuing care and aim to prolong treatment participation by providing a continuum of care. It’s important to recognize that recovery from alcoholism is not a one-time event but rather a lifelong process. Just like other chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension, alcoholism requires ongoing management and attention.

Questions? Learn More About the Recovery Process

• It can also interfere with a person’s ability to function in their personal and professional life, leading to problems in relationships, financial difficulties, and legal issues.
• The integration of pharmacological interventions reflects the understanding that alcoholism involves biological changes in the brain that may require medical treatment to restore balance.
• For individuals and families navigating AUD, understanding its medical recognition can be transformative.
• The ripple effect of one person’s story can touch countless lives, underscoring the profound power of sharing and solidarity in the journey to recovery.
• It may, however, help reduce the harsh and self-destructive judgments sufferers inflict upon themselves by shedding light on the many factors alcoholics experience beyond their control.
• Over time, their decision-making abilities—governed by the prefrontal cortex—begin to deteriorate.

Controlled studies compare the characteristics of two or more groups of patients receiving different continuing care interventions, with the participants assigned randomly or sequentially to the different groups. In addition, research should focus on developing treatment algorithms that allow for adaptation of the treatment content and intensity to the patient’s needs and circumstances. Additional efforts in this context need to be put into designing reliable monitoring tools to keep track of the patient’s progress and signal the need for treatment adaptation. One important feature of this protocol is its adaptability in response to changes in the patient’s risk status. Similarly, the protocol allows counselors to modify the content of intervention even without changing the frequency. For example, if during the risk-assessment phase of the call the patient appears to exhibit symptoms of depression, the counselor could implement specific intervention techniques designed to address this.