My Gijaji is drinking alcohol is very much. He was hospitalized 3 months back in very critical condition due to this. And now he is starting again drinking. So, is there any treatment or any kind of medicine to reduce or stop his drinking alcohol habit Please suggest.

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist47yrs exp

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If he has been hospitalized for alcoholism, he must be in a very serious condition both in the habit and medically. I am very concerned that your Jijaji has not reached what we call, ?Hitting Rock Bottom? as yet. To me his Rock Bottom seems to be death i.e. Only death can stop his addiction! Anyway do not despair as yet and you may attempt the following and see how it works: I know you may have tried a de-addiction center but he should not be released if he was not ready. So in this attempt, he may be taken to another de-addiction center that are stricter and will also have follow up treatment and AA meetings for him to compulsorily attend. He will need the help of some adults in the family. So whatever I suggest, kindly involve or share it with elder family members to make it effective and suffer the least backlashes, if any. Ideally, your Jijaji should want to give up alcohol himself to begin with. If not, it is going to be an uphill task and to the most part impossible. However, you should not be in want of trying. If he is unwilling to seek help, he needs to be admitted to a rehabilitation center for at least 6 months. If not, there are centers who will come and pick him up when he is drunk, when his resistance will be ineffective. This will require the wife's permission and written consent. After he returns from therapy, there will be a lot of follow-ups, both in the house and in his daily activities that must be meticulously adhered to. There is a medicine called Disulfiram, which only the doctor can prescribe, and it is very powerful that even if he attempts to drink a small quantity, he can have serious reactions that may sometimes entail hospitalization. You have to monitor his intake of the medicine and keep a close watch on him. He also has to go for regular counseling for at least three years! Apart from his health, he will also affect the family and all his children will carry genetic factors for alcoholism. If he is into business or working, he will soon not be able to continue and he will go into financial ruin. He will lose all his friends and become ostracized by his society. He will lose his dignity, self-esteem, self-confidence, and become a misfit. He will also lose his sexual capacity, liver function, heart function, kidney etc. Now it is difficult to give up because he has become addicted to alcohol for some time and has a lot to do. The consumption of Antabuse has to be carefully monitored to see that he not only consumes the medication but is also avoiding alcohol. Ultimately, it is his will power and the support that he receives from the medical fraternity and his close and dear ones. He must also learn to substitute and deal with the oral need, a rigid value system, the script issue, and of course take a look at all the genetic factors to plan a strategy not to get into what is called ?cross addictions? i.e. Another form of addiction that may appear alright but is in fact as bad as the primary addiction. The center or hospital and the counselor will advise and guide him on several measures and precautions he will need to take to stay with his resolve. Even after the rehabilitation he must attend AA meetings and continue this support for a long time. The family will also need to attend some sessions and go for Al-anon meetings for their co-dependency issues. He cannot be treated in isolation because the family has gotten used to his drinking and have made some unhealthy adaptations to somehow cope. The children, and whoever else is there, will also have to attend meetings to work out their issues because of the father?s habit. In fact, they are all suffering from the Adult Children Of Alcoholics Syndrome (ACOAs), which in effect means that they are genetically predisposed to alcoholism or can have cross addiction problems and that you will have similar traits of the abusing alcoholic but in a milder form. There are special support groups for them all over the world. Should they touch or indulge in alcohol or any addictive substances or behaviors, they could also become full-fledged addicts themselves. Now you should not give up on him but neither should you harass him. Be continuously after him and in the end, you will succeed. His medical condition warrants a very strict course of action.  

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