The effect of alcohol on the psyche. The effect of alcohol on the psyche. The negative effect of alcohol is expressed in the fact that

Alcohol is a kind of means to increase vitality. So many people think drinking people. After taking a certain amount of alcohol, a person experiences euphoria. The mood rises, I want to attract the attention of all those present at the table. It is good if a person can control himself and understand in time that he is not the only one so original. Some begin to brag about their achievements and exploits, others chat incessantly, others begin to complain about life, not realizing that few people are interested in listening to his boring speeches for a long time. Others begin to show aggression. And it doesn’t matter who it will be addressed to, the main thing is that there is a reason. And there is always a reason. Someone in the company joked unsuccessfully, someone reined in the bully. And this will be enough for inadequate, aggressive behavior.

From birth, a person has a small percentage of alcohol in the blood, which raises the mood, tone, desire for something good. And if a person starts drinking, then he artificially increases this percentage. Therefore, the next day after taking alcohol, he needs to restore this new percentage of alcohol in the blood. That is, the body requires alcohol. It's called a hangover. After drinking a certain amount of alcohol, a person’s life is getting better again. All adversity goes aside, nothing bothers him and does not care. This frequent hangover gradually develops into a chronic disease. And it is called -.

Some believe that after drinking a bottle - two beers, nothing will happen. This is repeated every day. And not a day goes by without a drink. Everything starts small. First, beer, then something stronger, and soon there comes a complete dependence on alcohol.

The longer the binges last, the more the person degrades. He begins to humiliate himself, although this has not been observed for him before.

He constantly makes excuses, finds, as he considers, convincing reasons that prompted him to drink. If you do not stop drinking, then you can simply lose a person who was once healthy and flourishing, full of vitality.

With the constant use of alcohol, irregularities of character begin to progress. Very early on, a person loses willpower, eventually leading to complete lack of will. Thoughts in my head are confused. Difficulties that arise are bypassed instead of being overcome. Gradually disappear friends. All interest in life disappears, only one desire remains - to drink. In cases of already advanced drunkenness, it comes to complete insanity and stupefaction.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't drink alcohol at all. You can drink, and in some cases you even need to. You just need to control yourself. And if it doesn’t work out, and you are in constant trouble, then it’s better not to use it at all, or avoid drinking companies.

Today, everyone is well aware of the negative impact of alcohol on the human body, but not everyone knows what exactly it is. Many people wonder how alcohol affects the psyche and other components of the body.

Nervous System Damage

Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is an essential component of any alcoholic beverage, which provides its main properties. The molecule of this substance easily dissolves various fats, which explains the effect of alcohol on the human psyche. The fact is that all nerve pathways and other elements of the nervous system contain a high content of various fats (for example, phospholipids).

Penetrating into nervous system, an ethanol molecule destroys nerve cells, and therefore disrupts their functions. The result is quite simple: specialized elements cease to conduct nerve impulses or produce them, which leads to mental disorders.

The personality of a person under the influence of alcohol begins to change gradually. The first and most dangerous sign of ongoing changes is episodes of memory loss. People often ignore this symptom, attributing it to a normal reaction of the body after drinking alcohol. This is not true, since memory loss indicates the beginning of the formation of addiction.

As dependence progresses, the severity of changes in the nervous system increases. A person may complain of symptoms such as:

numbness of the upper or lower extremities;
change in gait;
deterioration in coordination of movements;
personality changes, etc.

Gradually, as the negative impact progresses, the so-called Korsakov syndrome develops. This syndrome is understood as the development of fixative amnesia, in which a person cannot keep in his head recently received information. For example, he may ask several times in a row how you are doing or say hello, get lost on a familiar route, etc.

Alcohol and the psyche healthy person also incompatible due to the negative influence of additional components of any alcohol. Alkaloids, salts, various essential oils only increase the destruction of the cellular elements of the nervous system.

Many additional components contribute to impaired cerebral circulation. Hypoxia (lack of oxygen), aggravated by the effect of ethyl alcohol on brain cells, quickly leads to the destruction of all brain structures.

We must not forget about the personality changes that occur under the influence of alcohol. The mental state of an addicted person turns out to be very shaky, since all his actions are aimed at getting another dose of ethyl alcohol.

The dependent person gradually changes as a person. His behavior becomes more rude, sensitivity and understanding disappear. The manner of behavior and preferences in humor change. The effect of alcohol is such that a person changes his goals, begins to perform some actions not to obtain any results, but simply to get drunk. This becomes his main need.

Impact on women and adolescents

The greatest and teenagers.

A woman, unlike a man, is much more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Moreover, women's alcoholism, unlike men's, is not treatable.

This opinion stems from one simple fact: female body contains more fat, which means that any alcoholic drink causes much more damage and it is much more difficult to recover from it.

A woman exposed to alcohol quickly loses interest in life, becomes lethargic and lethargic. It is quite simple to recognize dependent representatives of the fair sex: they gradually cease to take care of themselves. A similar change in the psyche is also associated with a shift in motivation. A woman no longer wants to be beautiful, she just wants to drink.

Teenagers, like women, are also at risk for the development of mental disorders due to the use of alcoholic beverages. The point this time is not the amount of fat in the body, but the fact that the nervous system of a teenager is in a state of formation, which means it is the most vulnerable.

It is important to remember that for a teenager, the lethal dose of alcohol is much less than for an adult. This is due to the fact that alcohol penetrates into an incompletely formed organism more actively, it becomes more difficult to determine the line when a teenager is drunk and he should stop.

Often for children and adolescents, alcohol intoxication ends fatally.

Other negative effects of alcohol

Alcohol has a negative effect on the psyche, and this is well known to everyone, but in addition to the psyche, the “green snake” also affects other systems of the human body. Its influence is as follows:

in life drinking man a huge amount of passivity appears, if previously a person was always active and ready to do something, then under the influence of ethyl alcohol he loses these qualities, turning into an amoeba without motivation and with the only desire - to drink;
under the influence of alcohol, female reproductive capabilities and male potency decrease, the conception of a child becomes very difficult, and sometimes impossible;
due to the action of alcohol, the cardiovascular system suffers greatly, the work of the heart is difficult, and the vessels are in an expanded state, which weakens the intensity of blood flow in the body;
there are problems with socialization, as the people around the alcoholic lose their desire to communicate with a person whose only goal is drinking.

Each person must decide for himself whether he should drink alcohol. Another thing is that you need to constantly remember about self-control. It is difficult to resist the "green snake", but if you have willpower, this is a completely doable task. If the fight is too hard, then today there is a huge choice. medicines for help.

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Alcohol abuse leads to the development of disorders. Alcoholic psychosis is a dangerous disease, the signs of which vary depending on the stage of the course and the type of illness.

The study of the features will allow you to start saving the human body in a timely manner.

What it is?

The disease has several varieties.

Depending on the stage at which alcoholic psychoses occur, the following signs are characteristic:

there are disturbances with sleep, its discontinuity, anxiety;
gloomy, reactive, apathetic state;
mood swings;
anxiety, aggression, irritation, depression, insanity;
appearance of hallucinations.

Depending on this, a decision is made regarding medical appointments.

Types of alcoholic psychosis

The disease is characterized by different degrees of manifestation. According to the duration and stage of the state of intoxication, the types of the disease are distinguished.

Their classification looks like this:

delirium tremens;
alcoholic hallucinosis;
encephalopathy;
delusional psychosis;
pathological intoxication;
pseudoparalysis;
hemorrhagic polyencephalitis.

Symptoms of the disease are pronounced, according to them, a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed.

Delirium tremens

This species has received the medical name - alcoholic delirium. Violation of the state of the psyche due to the abuse of alcohol leads to the occurrence of delirium tremens.

It appears suddenly when a person tries to stop drinking or refrains from taking, while the principle of post-alcohol syndrome is difficult to tolerate.

Delirium tremens has consequences for the body:

shows nervousness and irritation;
sleep is disturbed;
no orientation in place and time.

Delirium occurs in men and women during binge drinking or 2-4 days after drunkenness. The first attack of the disease falls on a period of prolonged alcohol abuse. The following occur during short binges.

Before the onset of delirium, it manifests itself infectious disease or an exacerbation of a chronic illness.

Signs of delirium tremens are classified as follows:

lack of attraction to alcohol;
mood changes - joy turns into fears, depressive, dreary states;
limbs tremble;
disruptions in dreams, nightmare visions.

It will be possible to avoid the onset of delirium if you stop drinking and there is no addiction. Subject to availability, they are treated for the disease with the help of medications with a certain dosage.

Alcoholic hallucinosis

The course of this type of ailment occurs when the withdrawal syndrome worsens and binge lasts for a long time. The disease proceeds with auditory hallucinations in combination with delusions of persecution.

Hallucinosis manifests itself in 5-11% of cases of psychosis, and is in 2nd place in terms of prevalence.

The disease occurs in drinking women after prolonged drunkenness. With an illness, the patient is with a clear mind, in consciousness and normal adaptation in space, fully remembers all actions, behavior and feelings during psychosis.

There are 3 types of alcoholic hallucinosis.

The acute form of the disease occurs due to a post-alcohol hangover and turns into psychopathology, its duration is 2-3 weeks.

The symptomatology of the disease looks like the following standard:

visual hallucinations and tactile character appear rarely;
auditory - calls, sounds, voices are heard;
the patient is worried that he is being watched, they want to kill him or use bullying;
a person emotionally drooping, gloomy and with a gloomy mood;
you constantly want to hide, run away, defend yourself by all means;
attack people in the environment in order to avoid imaginary aggression from them.

The subacute form of the disease occurs with exacerbations, the duration is 2-3 months. A sick person has anxious sensations, fear, he rarely moves, often lies on the bed. People with subacute hallucinosis are characterized by self-blame, paranoia, and may commit suicide.

In another form of the disease, ideas of persecution arise, incomprehensible sounds and voices are heard. This type is called chronic hallucinosis, appears after the transfer of acute psychosis.

Sick long time in this state he hears voices, they argue among themselves, getting used to them, it comes to madness, the mood is depressed.

Treatment will not give an effect if the duration of alcoholic psychosis is more than 2 years. Therapy with the cessation of alcohol intake will help get rid of visions and hearing sounds.

Alcoholic encephalopathy

The disease is common to people of all ages, but with extensive experience in drinking. Encephalopathy appears in chronic alcoholism, in heavy drinkers and in large doses.

The disease proceeds with neurological, somatogenic disorders.

Consequences of the disease:

metabolic processes are disturbed;
the liver does not work well;
disruptions in brain function;
hypovitaminosis;
imbalance between pyridoxine and nicotinic acid.

delusional alcopsychosis

The disease develops when the body is poisoned during stressful situations: a tired state, on trips, after injuries, in an unknown place.

The main characteristic of the disease is the idea of persecution with delusions.

A person has thoughts that family members treat him badly, arrange conspiracies. A person sees salvation in committing suicidal acts, attacking offenders. Patients are haunted by a mania that they want to poison them, refuse to take medicine, and do not react to reality.

In some cases, the disease manifests delirium of jealousy. Spouses sort things out on this basis, suspicions develop about lovers. Many alcoholics are impotent, delusional thoughts arise and in connection with this, wives are blamed for everything.

Pathological intoxication

The disease in some manifestations resembles delirium. Pathological intoxication occurs due to low alcohol consumption in conjunction with drugs or fatigue, stressful moments, in old age, with problems with the brain.

The patient loses orientation in space, is frightened, delirious, he has hallucinations, the state ends with sleep, after getting up the person cannot remember anything.

Alcoholic pseudoparalysis

With this disease, the state of "vegetable" is observed in people's health. Closeness, apathy, rejection of the world, hallucinations, delusional thoughts develop, speech is disturbed, limbs hurt, it is difficult for him to walk and move.

Pseudoparalytic symptoms of the disease occur due to alcohol abuse, accompanied by metabolic disorders, malnutrition and lack of vitamins.

Patients degrade intellectually, are constantly in a state of euphoria, do not see their mistakes, megalomania manifests itself, which is not particularly treatable.

The activity of the psyche gradually declines, delusional disturbances, hallucinations decrease, indifference and lethargy develop.

Symptoms of pseudoparalysis stand out:

poor pupillary response;
sore arms, legs;
speech is disturbed;
fingers tremble;
reflex tendon failures.

Hemorrhagic polyencephalitis

This type of disease is considered acute psychosis and occupies the main place among them. A complex illness has a second name - Wernicke's disease, the course of which is carried out with mental, somatic, neurological disorders.

At the same time, sleep disruptions, dysarthria, tremors occur, reflexes for breathing, sneezing, palate, and swallowing disappear.

Mental disorders have their manifestations in the form of delirium with overexcitation. This results in a stun.

Hemorrhagic polyencephalitis is characterized by the following features:

breathing becomes frequent;
unstable pressure;
liver disease;
stomach upset;
muscles twitch;
hypotonia of the arms and legs.

In this condition, clinical death or death can occur if drunkenness is not stopped in a timely manner.

First aid for alcoholic psychosis

There is a big load on the organs, which becomes difficult to work, this is fraught with a fatal outcome - the heart can stop, swelling of the brain, dehydration is possible.

Metal-alcohol psychosis involves hospitalization.

First you have to call ambulance, home treatment can rarely be beneficial. Patients with alcoholic psychosis show aggression and become dangerous to others.

When identifying signs of a disorder, it is worth finding contact with a person, giving him plenty of drink, putting him to bed, taking a cool shower, so excitement is removed before the arrival of doctors.

If the patient is aggressive and very agitated, he should be protected from others. It will not work to calm the patient, it is better to isolate him and wait for the arrival of an ambulance, medical intervention will be needed.

Treatment of alcoholic psychosis

Depending on the stage of the disease, the patient is helped to recover from the state of intoxication. Treatment with infusion therapy psychotropic drugs with nootropics and vitamins will become good option removing the body from the disease.

It will be possible to avoid complications if patients are timely admitted to a hospital in a clinic, where they are under the constant supervision of doctors.

Psychoses, especially alcoholic ones, have a negative impact on the safety of the patient and those around him. The behavior of patients can change, it is worth monitoring it responsibly. Alcohol abuse should be stopped and the disease should be treated as soon as possible.

The acute form of the disease requires the immediate intervention of specialists. First, the patient's diagnosis is determined, the narcologist is invited home.

The treatment plan looks like this:

drugs are prescribed to remove toxins;
the balance between water and electrolytes is restored with adjustments to metabolic processes;
somatic pathologies are eliminated;
pharmacological and psychological assistance;
prevention of complications.

Treatment at home

Acute conditions and phenomena are removed in a hospital. The intervention of doctors helps to remove life-threatening symptoms, then treatment can be continued at home.

After the hospital, few patients are fully prepared to comply with the rules and give up alcohol addiction, there remains a psychological attraction to drinks. If such a decision is made, they need the help of relatives and friends. The family can support in the situation, influence the severing of ties with drinking buddies, devote time to psychotherapy.

Forcing an alcoholic to get out of binge will not work, there must be a desire. With the decision to be cured and the support of the family, a way out of this condition is possible.

Consequences of alcoholic psychosis

Not all patients are able to recover from disorders.

Common consequences that develop due to abstinence from drinks:

mental activity decreases;
poorly remembered information;
primitive thinking;
disability;
degradation;
the occurrence of epilepsy;
goes into the chronic stage.

This disease is a complex process with a number of disorders of the body, requires urgent treatment, experts' forecasts.

Conclusion

Alcoholic psychoses- a disease dangerous for a person, the symptoms of which appear after drinking alcohol. The study of the characteristics of each type of disease allows you to determine the degree of development and influence on a person. If symptoms are detected, take immediate action and contact a specialist.

People with alcohol addiction experience the following symptoms:

mood swings;
inadequate reactions to the environment, familiar events and familiar people (inadequate perception of reality);
decreased concentration;
the disappearance of the logic of thinking (disorder of abstraction);
sleep problems:
- nightmares;
- insomnia;
change in the system of moral coordinates - ethanol is able to change or even erase moral prohibitions and ethical norms from memory.

As a result, a person loses social ties with the people around him, loses his ability to work.

It should be noted that diseases such as encephalitis, encephalomeningitis, as well as traumatic brain injury damage the blood-brain barrier, and therefore increase the pathogenic effect of ethanol on higher nervous activity and the psyche.

Alcoholic delirium or "delirious tremens" is a withdrawal psychosis caused by the lack of a "regular" dose of alcohol (the consequences of a forced withdrawal from alcohol). A few days before the onset of delirium tremens, an alcoholic develops sleep problems, unmotivated anxiety develops.

In a state of alcoholic delirium, the patient poses an increased danger, both to the people around him and to himself. The patient becomes violent, he has visual and auditory hallucinations of a nightmarish nature. For his "protection" the patient uses any improvised objects (knife), or jumps out of the window.

Pathophysiological basis of alcohol degradation

At the basis of the pathogenesis of alcohol degradation, three mechanisms can be conditionally distinguished:

In the normal state, the outer surface of the erythrocyte membrane has a slightly negative charge, due to which the red blood cells repel each other. Ethanol acts on the membrane of red blood cells, disrupting their polarity, due to which red blood cells begin to stick together in columns. This phenomenon is called "sludge". The average diameter of a microcapillary is 8 microns, the average diameter of an erythrocyte is 7 microns. In a state of sludge, erythrocytes are unable to penetrate into small capillaries, which causes ischemia of cells and tissues. Chronic ischemia of neurons leads to disruption of their functional activity and is a common cause of their death. When taking high doses of ethyl alcohol, the activity of the entire central nervous system is disrupted, while the patient may fall into an alcoholic coma. A single intake of 1-1.25 liters of vodka can be fatal. "Children's" lethal dose can be 20-25% of the adult. That is, if a teenager finds an opportunity to consume 200 ml of vodka, the amount taken can be fatal for him.
Alcohol and its metabolites are poisons that affect all organs and organ systems without exception. Alcoholism is accompanied by diseases of the organs of the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive (stomach, liver and pancreas) and genitourinary systems (erectile dysfunction). Beer lovers are often diagnosed with "beer heart" or beer cardiodilatation, accompanied by heart rhythm disturbance and blood pressure fluctuations.
Alcohol changes the physiological levels of CNS neurotransmitters (increases or causes fluctuations): serotonin, morphine-like substances, and dopamine. These compounds determine the behavioral characteristics of a person, the background of his mood and performance. Due to the ability of ethanol to cause an increase in the concentration of neurotransmitters, a person gradually develops mental and physical dependence on it as alcohol is taken. Thus, ethanol has a narcotic effect, and an alcoholic is likened to a drug addict.

It has been experimentally established that recovery in the reflex sphere after taking small doses of alcohol is observed only on days 8-12. Higher nervous functions are restored by the end of 3 weeks.

Alcohol degradation as a cause of alcohol consumption

"Degradation" is a gradual deterioration or reverse development. Mental degradation means a disorder of self-esteem, deterioration of memory and intelligence. How alcohol affects the psyche is easy to understand by watching an alcoholic. Pathological attraction to alcohol and its regular intake leads to the destruction of the nervous system. Therefore, alcoholism and the psyche, as well as mental alcohol degradation are interconnected.

With the use of alcoholic beverages, a person develops mental and physical health relatively quickly. alcohol addiction requiring a gradual increase in the doses of alcohol taken, which enhances alcohol degradation. At the same time, the most recent acquired skills and knowledge are “erased” from memory. In the future, there is a loss of previously acquired experience. Clinical data indicate that the first signs of the symptom complex appear on average 5-8 years after the start of the systematic use of ethanol, and after another 2-4 years the clinical picture becomes quite obvious.

Abundant drinking can lead to serious toxic lesions of the central nervous system:

Korsakov's disease

Mental illness, manifested by the following disorders:

memory for current events (memory for events from the past is preserved), memory lapses can be compensated by hallucinations and sick fantasies;
orientation in time and space.

Korsakov's disease is often supplemented by alcoholic polyneuropathy (polyneuritis) accompanied by a triad of symptoms:

sensitive disorders:
- decrease or change in the sensitivity of the skin of the extremities;
- pain on movement and on palpation of the extremities;
extinction or disappearance of tendon reflexes;
a decrease in muscle strength (with their subsequent atrophy).

Hemorrhagic polyencephalitis

Manifested by violations of speech activity, fever and statodynamic disorders (changes in gait). Symptoms are supplemented by hallucinations and memory lapses. Typical complications of hemorrhagic polyencephalitis are bedsores and secondary infection.

Encephalopathy and myelopathy

Varieties of CNS damage caused by the destruction of myelin fibers. Symptoms are manifested by headaches, disturbances in motor and intellectual activity, disturbances in the functioning of internal organs.

Changes in the psyche and behavior at different stages of intoxication

Different stages of intoxication are characterized by pathognomonic symptoms for them:

With a mild degree, relaxation, an increase in mood and a slight euphoria occur. Experiences and anxieties lose their relevance, and thoughts acquire a positive color. Speech at this stage is usually accelerated, and the volume of the voice becomes higher than normal. Intellectually, mnemonic abilities are reduced, moral, ethical and critical perception of reality is reduced.
For the average degree, sharp mood swings are typical. The person completely loses control over himself. Pronounced static, static-dynamic and stato-coordinating disturbances are observed. Speech loses intelligibility and becomes slurred. A person becomes capable of inappropriate actions, which, having sobered up, he in most cases cannot remember.
Being in a difficult stage, a person is insane and disoriented. Symptoms are supplemented by nausea, vomiting, dizziness and clouding of consciousness up to an alcoholic coma. Sometimes there are convulsive seizures.

Along with the stages of intoxication, the stages of alcoholism are distinguished:

The stage of mental dependence, when the craving for strong drinks is comparable to the craving for drugs, but the patient retains the ability to control it.
Stage physical addiction(hangover syndrome). At this stage, irreversible psychosomatic changes in the human body begin. He can no longer overcome alcoholism on his own. The help of doctors and coding is necessary.
Stage of alcohol degradation. The process continues from 7 to 11 years. Alcoholic psychoses and delirium, accompanied by threatening hallucinations and persecution mania, become typical for this stage. It is especially difficult to treat a patient at this stage.

Features of the influence of ethyl alcohol on the psyche of men and women

Ethyl alcohol, exerting a depressing effect on the cerebral cortex, disinhibits the basic human instincts: eating, aggression and sexual desire.

However, ethyl alcohol has different effects on men and women:

Clinical observations show that the intellectual mnestic sphere of women suffers from the same dose of alcohol to a greater extent than the emotional one, while in men the picture is the opposite.
In women, unlike men, it is primarily the static-coordinating sphere that suffers while maintaining coherent speech, and therefore men in a state of intoxication are easier to manage driving a car, women - with negotiating.
The average lethal dose of ethanol in terms of a unit of weight in women is slightly higher than in men.
Although irreversible changes in the psyche in advanced stages are characteristic of both men and women, the prognosis for female alcoholism is more unfavorable.

Recovery of the psyche after alcoholism

Patients with alcoholism are comorbid - they are characterized by typical chronic diseases of organs and their systems, which are caused by harmful, destructive to health ethyl alcohol. It is interesting to note that alcoholics almost never consider themselves as such. Systematic drunkenness and unrestrained drunkenness are explained by "special life circumstances" or "the legal right of a peasant to get drunk."

Recovery of mental disorders is the lot of psychiatry. When the first signs of deviations in behavior are detected, such as:

sleep disturbances and nightmares;
the appearance of hallucinations, fictional events and imaginary friends;
high irritability and frequent mood swings;
delusional state, loss of orientation in space and time;

You should immediately contact a psychiatrist. Relief of symptoms requires the protection of the patient from society in order to avoid possible socially dangerous actions of the patient, as well as for the implementation of complex treatment in a hospital setting. Among the medicines for the treatment of alcoholics are used:

sedatives - in order to normalize the psychological status (widely used in psychology and psychiatry);
magnesium preparations and vitamins of group "B";

If a teenager suffers from alcoholism, the success of treatment is largely influenced by preventive conversations with parents, the socialization of children, followed by introduction to a healthy lifestyle (exclusion of beer and cigarettes from the child's life).

The coding method and visits to Alcoholics Anonymous groups are often used. The success of treatment is largely determined by the desire of the patient himself. If the patient has been coded, observation by a psychotherapist and narcologist is mandatory. It is believed that a patient who is at stages 1-2 of alcoholism still has a chance to restore his psyche. At stage 3 of the disease, the prognosis for recovery is unfavorable.