Program & Services

Misusing Alcohol or Drugs

Help for People with an Alcohol Problem

Help is out there for people with an alcohol problem. People may need different types of help. How much they are drinking, how long they have had the problem and resources available where they live will help know what kind of help will work for them.

Many people first need to get the alcohol out of their body. This should be done through a doctor or hospital. They may also talk to their doctor about taking medicine. Going to meetings where other people have the same problem also helps a lot. Through these meetings, people can learn to spot when they have feelings that make them want to drink and finding new ways to get over those feelings in a positive way. A doctor can help find good resources in the area.

A drinking problem can be hard on everyone living with that person. It is important for everyone to get help. They need to learn about the problem and how they can help the person get better. They can get help for their marriage and for everyone in the family. Many places can help the person with the drinking problem:

• find resources in their area
• locate help for legal problems
• learn new jobs
• teach people how to be a parent and care for their children.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Many programs include AA meetings that can help a person with a drinking problem. Going to a AA meeting can help a lot. In this type of meeting, people with the same problem get together to support each other and learn ways to stay away from alcohol. While this type of group can help a lot of people, it may not help everyone. Each person needs to find out what will help them the most. A person may feel more comfortable talking to someone on their own. But they should always work with their doctor at the same time.

Can It Be Cured?

An alcohol problem can be helped, but a cure is not available. That means that even if a person has not had a drink for a long time and is in better health, he or she may still have times when they want to drink, but they stay away from all alcohol. "Drinking less" doesn't work; stopping all drinking is the only way to be successful.

Even people who may want to stop drinking may have a hard time and have a drink. It happens to a lot of people but they can still stop drinking for good. Every day that a person doesn't drink is important. If it does happen, it is important to stop drinking again and get help right away.

Help for an Alcohol Problem

If the doctor says that a person is getting better but is still using alcohol for the wrong reasons, the doctor can:

• Show how good the person will feel when they stop drinking and how healthy they will be.
• Help set goals to stop drinking. Some people choose to stay away from alcohol, while others want to limit how much they drink.
• Help look at the times and places that make the person want to drink and find new ways of getting through those times so that they can reach their goal.

Sometimes people have stopped drinking after getting in trouble or they have had an accident. �While they may have stopped drinking, they still haven't called a doctor for help. Going to AA meetings to talk to other people can help these people a lot.

New Directions

There are people that are looking at what makes people have a drinking problem. They want to find new ways to help these people. They also want to keep other people from having a drinking problem. Most of the studies on alcohol problems are being paid for by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and they are finding out a lot.

Family history:

People are working with families to learn about their past. When they look at this they can tell what may make a person have a drinking problem. They have found many genes that may have an affect on people. Now they can tell the type of person that are more likely to drink and help find new ways to help these people before it becomes a problem.

Treatment:

There are three common ways to help a person with a drinking problem. They have found that each way helped alcohol problems a lot just after one year. About 1/3 of the people involved in the study were still not drinking after three years.

New Medicine:

The NIAAA is looking at new medicines. At the same time, they are looking at the reasons why and when people drink. One drug, Naltrexone (ReVia), is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Naltrexone may lessen the need to drink by blocking part of the brain. Another drug, Acamprosate, may keep a person from wanting a drink by making them feel better.

They are also looking at other important areas. They are looking at what drinking does to the brain and other body parts. They are also looking at what it does to that person's unborn baby.

They are finding out what adds to a drinking problem. It also shows ways to avoid problems that may happen when people drink and new care. These studies will help people to not even start drinking, knowing what to look for. It will also help with new care and resources for people and their families.

Resources

For more information, these resources can help:

Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters:
Internet address: http://www.al-anon.org/

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) World Services:
Internet address: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD):
Internet address: http://www.ncadd.org

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:
Internet address: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov