Speaking about the effect of alcohol on a person, drunkenness should be distinguished from alcoholism. Household drunkenness in most cases is possible at home. And with the treatment of alcoholism, everything is more complicated - to get rid of this disease, a rather long stay in the hospital is most often required. What is the difference between drunkenness and alcoholism, and how much alcohol can you drink per day, you will learn from the material posted on this page.

2.4 million Russians have been officially diagnosed with alcoholism. However, about 17 million people actually suffer from alcohol addiction to one degree or another. This is almost 12% of the total population. Since 1991, alcohol consumption has been on the rise in Russia. On a per capita basis, in 1996 we drank about 7.5 liters of pure alcohol. Experts estimate that the current consumption of pure ethanol per capita is 15 liters. If we take into account only people over 15 years old, then this is already 17 liters.

At present, most scientific research showed that moderate consumption of weak quality alcoholic beverages does not harm and even helps our body protect itself from cardiovascular disease, but any step towards abuse will lead to the opposite and very serious consequences.

So how do you determine the allowable dose of alcohol and where is the line after which each next glass will harm you? The main role in the formation of a reasonable attitude towards alcohol belongs to the upbringing in the family and the influence of the social environment in which a person develops.

Safe dose of alcohol per day according to WHO criteria

According to WHO criteria, a safe dose of alcohol for men is 2 units of alcohol (30 g of ethanol - 96% alcohol)

A safe dose of alcohol per day for women is 1 unit (15 g of ethanol)

1 conventional unit of alcohol is:

• 30 g vodka, cognac, whiskey
• 120 g dry red wine
• 330 g beer

For people who have completely given up alcohol, the risk of developing complications of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, and death is slightly higher compared to those who drink alcohol within a safe dose.

The WHO report "Diet and prevention of chronic diseases" (1993) identified doses of alcohol that reduce the risk of CHD.

How much alcohol can you drink per day

How much alcohol can you drink per day healthy people so that strong alcoholic drinks have a beneficial effect on the body?

• For men - 10 - 20 g of ethanol (96% alcohol)
• For women - 5 - 10 g of ethanol

Naturally, no one claims that everyone who drinks more than the specified norm is alcoholics. However, it is necessary to know that the amount of alcohol they consume is dangerous and unhealthy.

Drinking more than 30 g of ethanol per day leads to an increased risk of developing arterial hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis.

Adverse effects of alcohol on the human body

The adverse effect of alcohol on the human body is associated with the effect of ethanol on the human body. At the central level nervous system ethyl alcohol acts as narcotic substance. The main pathogenetic link in the narcotic effect of alcohol is an increase in the threshold of pain sensitivity, the formation of emotions and behavioral reactions. Violation of the activity of these systems due to chronic alcohol consumption causes the development alcohol addiction, withdrawal syndrome, change of critical attitude to alcohol. When alcohol is oxidized in the body, a poisonous substance, acetaldehyde, is formed, which causes the development of chronic intoxication of the body. A particularly strong effect of alcohol on the body is on the walls of blood vessels (acetaldehyde stimulates the progression of atherosclerosis), liver tissue (alcoholic hepatitis), brain tissue (alcoholic encephalopathy). In addition, ethyl alcohol increases the adhesion of red blood cells, which leads to the formation of blood clots and significant disturbances in blood circulation in all organs and tissues of the body. This explains the toxic effect of alcohol on health and leads to diseases of the heart and kidneys. Chronic alcohol consumption leads to mucosal atrophy gastrointestinal tract and development of avitaminosis.

In September 2006, surrogate alcohol poisoning became a national epidemic in Russia: about 3,600 people were affected. People with a diagnosis of "toxic hepatitis" were admitted to hospitals, and not everyone was saved. Due to the fact that ethyl alcohol is taxed, the price of benign alcohol is rising. Unscrupulous producers of "leftist" alcohol switched to another raw material - isopropyl alcohol, which is a hundred times more toxic than ethyl alcohol. It is this drink that is sold for 45-50 rubles, and it is the cause of severe poisoning.

Young people in age group under 40 years of age are more likely to die in car accidents or from violent death than from heart attacks. The greater the abuse of alcohol, the higher the risk of death from accidents while intoxicated.

In the elderly, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death. The impact of alcohol on human health in old age is particularly detrimental.

The harmful effects of alcohol on the body of a woman

For women, the norm of safe alcohol consumption is 2 times lower than for men. The harmful effect of alcohol on a woman's body is due to the fact that the female body is significantly different from the male. Therefore, the path from drunkenness to alcoholism in women is much shorter - from a year to two years (for men - up to 8-10 years).

First, in female body contains less water than the male. Accordingly, the concentration of alcohol at the same doses in women is initially higher.

Secondly, Negative influence alcohol on women is explained by the fact that they have an enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase), which breaks down alcohol, is less active, respectively, and intoxication occurs faster.

In pregnant women, alcohol abuse leads to negative effects on the fetus. Meanwhile, female alcoholism is most common in childbearing age.

It is believed that alcoholism is inherited. This is not entirely true. In drinking families, negative traditions can lead to children becoming alcoholics more often. The disease itself is not transmitted from parents to children, but a hereditary predisposition to alcohol does exist.

What is the difference between domestic drunkenness and alcoholism?

Domestic drunkenness and alcoholism are different concepts. Alcoholism is characterized by a strong mental and physical dependence on alcohol and how the disease goes through several stages, which are characterized by an increase in alcohol dependence, a decrease in self-control in relation to the use of alcoholic beverages, and the development of somatic disorders caused by chronic alcohol intoxication. Among people who abuse alcohol, the following groups are distinguished:

• without signs of alcoholism;
• with initial signs of alcoholism (loss of situational and dose control, hard drinking);
• with pronounced signs of alcoholism (regular binges, damage to internal organs, mental disorders).

Test for the difference between drunkenness and alcoholism

To check how drunkenness differs from alcoholism, and at what stage you are, test yourself with a small test.

1. Have you ever thought about cutting back on alcohol?

2. Do you lose control of your drinking?

3. Are you criticized for your intemperance with alcohol?

4. Do you feel guilty about drinking?

5. Do you drink alcohol in the morning to get rid of discomfort?

If you answered “yes” to three or more questions, then you need to reconsider your attitude to alcohol and urgently consult with a specialist.

For the diagnosis of alcoholism, the presence of the following signs is necessary.

Joyful excitement in anticipation of drinking. If it does not take place, then aggression and oppression appear.

Impairment of the ability to control alcohol consumption, i.e. start, stop and/or dosage.

Usually an alcoholic does not remember the events of yesterday's drinking, even if he was conscious.

The presence of withdrawal syndrome, that is, a hangover: nausea, headache, anxiety. After taking another dose of alcohol, the condition temporarily improves.

Continued drinking despite obvious harmful effects for good health.

The patient never admits to himself that he is ill. It is very difficult to persuade him to see a doctor.

Medical and psychological treatment of alcoholism

There are several key points in the treatment of alcoholism:

Drug treatment of alcoholism is used to suppress alcohol dependence and eliminate disorders caused by chronic alcohol intoxication.

Methods of psychological treatment of alcoholism help to consolidate the patient's negative attitude towards alcohol and prevent relapses of the disease.

Measures for the social rehabilitation of the patient are designed to restore the patient with alcoholism as a person and reintegrate him into the structure of society.

In order to successfully treat alcoholism, it is necessary to realize that drinking man can't control himself. Drinking glass after glass, he does not relax, does not relieve stress, does not become freer, but only deafens his consciousness. To get rid of this addiction, you must not only seek help from a qualified specialist, but also firmly decide for yourself that you want to break the chain that fetters the will and destroys your life. You should not believe the ads, which "guarantee" a 100% recovery or cure in 1-2 sessions. You need to seek help from a narcologist who has a good professional reputation. In such a situation, relatives and friends should provide real help.

Alcoholism at the last stage is often incurable, this disease breaks down the internal protective barriers of the body, and it is sometimes impossible to restore them. After a drug withdrawal from a drunken state, an alcoholic is forbidden to drink forever, otherwise the clinical signs of alcoholism will return. It is extremely rare for a former alcoholic to return to "cultural" drinking. If he starts drinking moderately, then a relapse of the disease is inevitable, the person will soon go "peddling" again.

This must be clearly understood by the friends and relatives of the patient, this must be instilled in him too. And after treatment, try to exclude or minimize situations that can provoke alcohol consumption.

How to distinguish household drunkenness from alcoholism?

How to distinguish household drunkenness from alcoholism?

Drunkennessand alcoholism

There is a difference between drunkenness and alcoholism, knowing which, you can have time to stop the development of pathology. It is quite difficult to distinguish one addiction from another without being a specialist. Therefore, many miss the moments between simple "indulgence" in alcohol and the development of a habit that turns into alcoholism.

What is the main difference between alcoholism and drunkenness

Domestic drunkenness can be attributed to the regular use of alcoholic beverages, which provokes physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. Drunkards are able to stop drinking alcohol on their own, without even resorting to the use of medical means and specialized help. Alcoholism is already a disease, which is characterized by the fact that a sick person is so attached to alcohol that he literally cannot live a day without another dose of alcohol, which is constantly increasing. This is due to the fact that in order to achieve a state of intoxication, an alcoholic needs more and more alcohol. This continues until the pathology passes into the next stage, which differs in that intoxication occurs when using small doses. Thus, a person develops not only a psychological dependence on alcoholic beverages, but also a physical one, which he can no longer cope with on his own.

Why is domestic drinking so common?

Drinking alcohol today has become a traditional phenomenon that is present with or without it. Quite often, many of us drink small amounts of alcohol daily with friends or drink "100 grams" for appetite before dinner in order to relax and de-stress after work. Alcohol can distract a person from many problems and difficult situations, and modern bars and shops offer drinks for every color and taste. Therefore, it is quite easy to get involved and start drinking alcohol more often than circumstances require. Domestic drunkenness is usually divided into categories:

a moderate drinker is a person who drinks alcohol once a month;

if alcohol is consumed more than 3 times within one month, we can talk about the presence of episodic drunkenness;

systematically drinking people are considered lovers of strong liquor, which are taken no more than 2 times a week;

when drinking 400-500 ml of alcohol three times a week, you can talk about a person as a drinker out of habit.

The above classification refers to the category of domestic drunkenness. A further increase in the number of receptions and doses of alcohol leads to the development of drunkenness into alcoholism, then chronic alcoholism, which a person simply cannot defeat without the help of a specialist or the use of special medications.

How to prevent the development of alcoholism?

With everyday drunkenness, a person does not have a painful craving for alcohol, so he can easily refuse the alcohol offered to him. Such people do not show aggression when intoxicated, do not try to sort things out, they are cheerful and relaxed and do not feel remorse after drinking alcohol. The opposite is true for alcoholics. Not satisfying his needs in the next dose, a person becomes aggressive, this situation is a transition from simple drunkenness to alcoholism. In case of inaction in such a situation, a hangover syndrome, memory lapses and other symptoms of the development of chronic alcoholism appear over time.

Domestic drunkenness does not require special therapy, since a person can independently reduce the dose of alcohol taken and give up alcohol if necessary. The support of loved ones is also a great help in this difficult matter. A particularly rapid transition from everyday drunkenness to chronic alcoholism is observed among young people. Therefore, in the case of frequent domestic drunkenness, it is urgent to change the mode and lifestyle:

Go in for sports and control your own nutrition. healthy food and physical activity instead of uncontrolled consumption of fried, fatty foods and fast food, suppresses the desire to drink.

try to do fasting days and do not touch alcohol at all. Good communication is also possible over a piece of cake and a cup of tea.

More time should be devoted to relaxation, rest, yoga, meditation or massage. Such procedures allow you to relax the central nervous system, improve well-being, relieve tension, in such cases, the need to relax with the help of alcohol disappears.

If, nevertheless, despite all efforts, the frequency of drinking and the dose of alcohol continue to increase constantly, then you should not delay a visit to a specialist. This does not mean that you need to rush headlong to a narcologist, for a start you can consult a psychologist or psychotherapist.

A fairly common phenomenon among the population of the whole world is domestic drunkenness. It usually begins with quite moderate drinking, but over time, a person imperceptibly drinks more and drunkenness develops into chronic forms of alcohol addiction.

Household alcoholism is considered by experts as addiction, leading to very serious complications. For such a state, the typical ability of a drunkard is the ability to control the volume of alcoholic beverages consumed. At the same time, dosages can be increased or decreased periodically. The danger of this condition is that it gradually causes addiction to alcohol. In men, addiction develops much later than in the fairer sex.

The peculiarity is that with the systematic use of alcohol one fine day a person realizes that he is deeply dependent on him. At the stage of domestic drunkenness, alcoholism has not yet had time to form, but as soon as a characteristic “breakdown” appears during the refusal of alcohol, then we can assume that alcoholism is already taking place. In fact, domestic drunkenness is manifested in the use of large doses of alcohol at some celebration or party, after which the drunkard feels bad, feels sick, has a headache, and does not want to look at alcohol at all.

Many factors can lead to domestic alcoholism:

• frequent stress and problems at work, this usually happens with people who do not know how to relax, therefore, they attract alcohol for this purpose;
• frequent gatherings with friends "for the company" (for example, on Friday evenings);
• frequent family gatherings with the use of alcohol, feasts with big amount friends and relatives for the slightest reason (buying something, “washing” a vacation, a new position, etc.).

In addition, people who have too much extra time can become addicted to everyday drinking, they don’t have any hobbies, they wander around doing nothing, so they fill idleness with alcohol. A similar picture is often observed in young people.

Domestic drinking signs and symptoms

Alcoholics always drink, but drunkards only when they feel like it. It is the absence of alcohol dependence that indicates the presence of domestic drunkenness. In general, the signs of domestic alcoholism are reduced to the following symptomatic criteria:

1. Dosage control. A person understands when he needs to stop, that he has reached the maximum limit.
2. Situation. The main sign of domestic drunkenness is a drunken situation when people drink on a holiday or at a feast. In the absence of a "drunken situation" a person does not have any craving for alcohol.
3. No aggressive behavior. This indicator cannot be considered an indisputable sign, since people have different characters, someone is prone to aggressive manifestations even without drinking, and someone is by nature alien to anger and aggression.
4. There is no particular resistance to alcohol, therefore, with an excessively abundant libation, a person experiences nausea-vomiting reactions and other intoxication symptoms.
5. Behavior after drunkenness. Household drunkards feel guilty when their family reproaches them for excessive abuse, they experience a sense of shame, repent, etc.

Household alcoholics can be conditionally divided into several categories. Moderate drinkers are those who drink alcohol once a month on occasion. If a person consumes alcohol three times a month, then it can be classified as episodic. drinking people. Systematic drinkers are called people who abuse strong alcohol twice a week, but three times a week, 400 ml each. they drink alcohol already out of an established habit. All these people can be considered everyday drunkards, but the last category of habitual drinkers borders on alcohol addicts as much as possible, since the next stage after the habit of drinking will be alcoholism.

The difference between alcoholism and domestic drunkenness

It is categorically impossible to unite such concepts as domestic drunkenness and alcoholism, since they denote different conditions and diagnoses. Special treatment for domestic drunkenness is not required, since this condition is not classified as pathological. The same cannot be said about alcoholism, because it is serious illness, which is quite difficult to treat and requires a highly professional therapeutic approach with the participation of not only narcologists, but also psychotherapists. An alcoholic is not able to part with alcohol on his own, as well as to reduce its consumption. The household drinker has complete control over the amount of alcohol and is able to refuse it if he so desires.

Chronic alcoholics cannot live without alcohol, their condition worsens seriously if the next portion of alcohol is not drunk. After drinking a certain amount of alcohol, an alcoholic often has a temporary memory loss, so in the morning he often does not remember anything. In a domestic drunkard, such manifestations are not observed. Although it can be quite difficult for a drunkard himself to distinguish between domestic drunkenness and alcohol addiction, he mistakenly believes that he drinks like an ordinary amateur, but in fact it turns out that he is already an alcoholic with the first stage of addiction.

Alcoholism belongs to the category of chronic progressive pathologies, therefore it develops steadily, gradually bringing the addict to a state of absolute personal degradation. Household alcohol consumption has remained at the same level for many years, sometimes a person can drink more, sometimes less, but in general, there is no pronounced excess of dosages and frequency of use.

Stages of domestic drunkenness

Domestic use of alcohol does not become a habit at all immediately, this process is formed in several successive stages:

1. episodic abuse. At first, booze is present only on holidays and various celebrations. This is quite normal and does not usually cause concern. For a month, a person drinks less than a liter of strong alcohol, from which there is pleasure, but there are no euphoric sensations.
2. Systematic drinking. A similar phenomenon is more typical for young people aged 18-35 who drink up to a liter of alcohol every week. A certain dependence is already beginning to be traced, although the drunkard himself is completely sure that he can always refuse alcohol. Usually such people drink light drinks like cocktails or beer, only it is these low-alcohol drinks that most often provoke the development of a habit, then the next stage begins.
3. Drinking habit. When the use of alcoholic products is already becoming a habit, a person can drink up to one and a half liters of strong alcohol a week, and he does not intend to give up his habit. Alcohol delivers a euphoric sensation, so the person drinks more and more. If you do not take appropriate measures to limit alcohol, then soon drunkenness will reach chronic alcohol addiction.

It can be quite difficult to find and timely detect the line that separates chronic alcohol use from everyday drunkenness. It can be quite difficult to understand this on your own, so it is very important that relatives notice and stop the drunkard in time, and prevent him from becoming a chronic alcoholic.

Transition from household to chronic alcoholism

Chronization of alcohol abuse against the background of domestic drunkenness can develop quite quickly. Therefore, you need to understand yourself and convey to your loved ones that alcohol will never help solve the problems that have arisen, but will only add a headache. How can you notice that close person is on the verge of chronic alcoholism?

• the usual dosage is increased. Even if not a bottle of beer is drunk at dinner, as usual, but 2-3. Gradually, the dose will continue to grow and reach the use of strong alcohol;
• control over what you drink is lost, the norm ceases to be felt, so the person is increasingly drunk to the point of unconsciousness;
• after drinking alcohol, there is a noticeable appearance of conflict and aggressiveness in behavior, a tendency to assault and other forms of domestic violence appears;
• the next morning, a person experiences weakness, severe nausea and unquenchable thirst. A drunkard has all the manifestations of a hangover syndrome, in which the only way out seems to be a portion of alcohol.

Many believe that a small amount of alcohol does not cause any harm to health. But after all, chronic dependence develops after prolonged systematic use of small doses of strong alcohol. To avoid the development of alcoholism, the most ideal option would be a complete rejection of the use of strong drinks of any strength. If there is a lot of free time left, then it is worth taking it to the gym, dancing, some household chores, hobbies, etc. It is much easier to prevent alcohol addiction than to treat it later. If it is no longer possible to resist alcohol cravings on your own, then you should rather make an appointment with a narcologist, since it is unlikely that you can manage without qualified help in such a situation.

Domestic drunkenness and alcoholism are concepts distinguishable only by medicine. Despite the same root of the problem, these statuses have a completely different nature and consequences.

A drunkard is a person who systematically consumes alcohol, but at the same time does not experience dependence on it. That is, the drinker can easily refuse to drink or control the required rate.

Modern psychiatry considers drunkenness more of a disorder social behavior. And he connects it with the absence or blunting of the motives of normalized human behavior.

It is possible to refer to household drunkards those who:

• often (more than 1 time per week) uses without reason;
• use is associated primarily with good company or an increase in mood;
• the drinker may refuse to drink due to special circumstances - obligations, business, external influence;
• with a strong degree of intoxication, a person is able to control behavior;
• after a severe hangover, he is able to voluntarily refuse to drink alcohol for a rather long period.

Domestic drunkenness does not require medical treatment, often such people are helped by the help of a psychotherapist. The doctor helps:

• to recognize what pushes the patient to drink,
• distinguish true motives for pleasure from false ones;
• to distinguish between alcoholic euphoria and a feeling of joy;
• determine the main stages of the complete rejection of alcohol, in favor of a proper social life.

Narcologists consider the line between everyday drunkenness and the first stage of alcoholism too thin, any stress or out of control leads to the onset of addiction.

Who are alcoholics?

An alcoholic is a person experiencing not only psychological, but also physical addiction from alcohol. Chronic alcoholism is a type of severe drug addiction, while it differs from all its other types:

• rapid transition to the degradation of personality;
• physiological replacement with alcohol important elements metabolism;
• blatant disregard for dangerous consequences;
• failure of the central nervous system in part higher psychology person;
• turning off basic instincts;
• a high degree of damage to recessive DNA strands.

The alcoholic is not able to refuse the use of alcohol, feels a constant craving for its influence. To receive a new dose is capable of anti-social or personality-degrading behavior.

Drug and psychiatric therapies are used to treat any of the three stages of alcoholism. Moreover, both components will have a lasting effect.

Similarities between drunkenness and alcoholism

Often the two conditions are similar. At the same time, only a specialist is able to distinguish one from the other. Both the drunkard and the alcoholic will:

• consume high doses of alcohol;
• for various reasons, they do not see the pleasure of life without alcohol;
• do not consider themselves dependent.

The last statement is the main problem in the treatment of such conditions. Since the positive effect of any therapy depends on the patient's desire to be cured.

A small difference in motivation leads to the transition from one state to another. The drunkard does not recognize his behavior, referring to the general tendencies - everyone drinks, and I drink. An alcoholic believes that he can quit at any moment.

A significant similarity lulls the vigilance of loved ones, the drinker goes into a more severe psychogenic lesion. Treatment available for initial stage, will no longer bring results.

Differences between drunkenness and alcoholism

The main difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard is that refusing alcohol leads to open aggression. People with any degree of addiction do not enjoy drinking. They need alcohol for simple functioning.

Taste preferences will also differ - a drunkard drinks a drink that is pleasant for him, he is able to make a choice; To an alcoholic it is all the same what to drink, the effect is important.

With a complete refusal, alcohol withdrawal occurs - a state close to psychopathy, in which all signs of a physiological lack of a certain substance appear. By the way, comparable to alcohol addiction causes chocolate.

The meaning of the life of an alcoholic is to receive a certain portion, but it does not bring relief. A constant increase in the dose leads to a shutdown of the nervous system, and oblivion sets in.

Upon awakening, the first thought of a person is the need to take more. At the same time, he will not distinguish the taste or strength of the drink. The urgent need is due to the fact that ethanol has become a necessary participant in all reactions of the body.

Method for determining the degree of alcoholization of a person

To visually recognize the similarities and differences between drunkenness and alcoholism medical practice a table of states of the dependent was compiled. Comparison of the main personal characteristics allows you to accurately determine the degree of dependence.

Such a psychological analysis is used to identify any drug needs. Recently, it has also been used to treat tobacco addiction. Tests determine the main difference between what causes the need - a social habit or physiological dependence.