Treatment of alcoholism in Poland is free for everyone. Depending on the situation and possibilities, treatment may take the form of outpatient (inpatient) therapy or in a closed ward. For some, psychotherapy is enough, others should also undergo pharmacological treatment of alcoholism. Read about alcoholism treatment and find out where to report to start therapy.

Treatment of alcoholismis a long process - it lasts about 18-24 months. Treatment consists primarily of individual and group psychotherapy (the best results are achieved by combining both methods).

Treatment of alcoholism: outpatient or inpatient therapy

1. Treatment of alcoholism in a drug addiction clinic

Psychotherapy related to the treatment of alcoholism should be initiated in drug addiction clinics. It is conducted 2-3 times a week in the afternoon. The first, basic stage of psychotherapy lasts 4-6 months. In drug addiction clinics, families of alcoholics, i.e. co-addicts, are also helped.

2. Treatment of alcoholism in the day hospital

You can also go to the outpatient treatment of alcoholism in day care wards. Classes are held 5 times a week from 8 to 14. The basic stage of therapy lasts 8 weeks. They are not a good solution for all forms of outpatient treatment. Some are too far from drug addiction clinics or find it difficult to abstain, e.g. for social reasons (everyone in the family drinks). They can benefit from treatment in 24-hour wards for 6-8 weeks. However, they have to wait from several to several weeks for admission (people legally obliged to undergo treatment for up to several months).

3. Treatment of alcoholism in the withdrawal syndrome treatment unit

On the other hand, patients are admitted to abstinence treatment units immediately, because their lives are at risk. Hospitalization takes 7-10 days. After completing the basic stage of therapy, patients are referred for treatment continuation to drug addiction clinics and to self-help groups of anonymous alcoholics and abstinence clubs.

Psychotherapy isthe basis of treatment of alcoholism

Despite advances in pharmacology, psychotherapy is the most important form of treatment. The task of drug addiction treatment specialists is first of all to make the patient aware of his problem and to motivate him to therapy, which is not easy. Addicts often deny that they are heavy drinking, and if they admit it, they find many reasons why they cannot change it. They do not want to part with alcohol, which is why it is so important to motivate the patient to abstinence or at least limit drinking. For this purpose, the therapist creates the so-called moral dissonances. They make it clear that the addiction is in opposition to what is the greatest value for the addict (professional position, fatherhood), it destroys dreams and plans. Moral dissonance makes the sick person realize that he drinks against himself, not the whole world. Then the therapist tries to awaken the patient's readiness for change and advises how to carry it out. From many different ways, he chooses those that can be implemented in the case of a specific person.

Pharmacotherapy in the treatment of alcoholism

Pharmacotherapy is of great importance only in the treatment of the abstinence syndrome that occurs after alcohol withdrawal. It consists mainly in the administration of rehydration drugs (orally or intravenously), vitamin B1 and benzodiazepines, which reduce the risk of delirium, have anticonvulsant, anxiolytic and hypnotic effects. Benzodiazepines are not used for more than 10 days because they can become addictive.

Regardless of this, diseases accompanying alcohol dependence are treated. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, can be assisted by four drugs. The first two are subcutaneous wafers or oral dysulfiram tablets. After drinking alcohol, they cause very unpleasant reactions (e.g. throbbing headache, palpitations) that discourage drinking. The third drug reduces the euphoric effect of alcohol, while the fourth one reduces the urge to drink. None of these four products are reimbursed. There is also a new drug that raises some hopes. It limits the amount of alcohol you drink. It is taken 1-2 hours before reaching for the drink. How effective it is will prove in a few years.

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Well-developed network of alcoholism treatment facilities

We have a fairly large network of public and private institutions that use the National He alth Fund (NFZ) funds to deal with this: 487 outpatient drug addiction treatment centers, 91 day units for alcohol addiction treatment, 94 round-the-clock units and 63 detoxification units (PARPA data). In 2010, over 230,000 addicts and over 37,000 members were registered in themfamilies (the so-called co-dependent). Apart from the statistics, there are also some private institutions that do not use the funds of the National He alth Fund. Treatment in them, however, costs a lot. A monthly stay in a private center costs more than 6,000. PLN.

What to do if an alcoholic refuses to be treated?

Treatment of alcoholism is voluntary, the only exception are situations in which a given person has been legally obliged to it - in such situations, on the basis of a court decision, they are transferred to a therapeutic facility. However, the road to a judicial commitment of an alcoholic to treatment is very long: the proceedings may be initiated by the municipal commission for solving alcohol problems at the request of, for example, a neighbor against a neighbor, a family against an addict, an institution against a ward. For the proceedings to be initiated, two conditions must exist: the alcoholic has been in the addiction for a very long time and does not want to undergo treatment voluntarily. Social reasons are the second factor, when an alcoholic with his behavior poses a threat to the he alth and life of others - he is a perpetrator of domestic violence and makes it difficult to raise children.

After the interview, the commune commission invites the addicted person to visit it and tries to convince them to start treatment on their own, but if they do not want to do so, they can go to court. However, this procedure takes a long time, and in the meantime, the alcoholic can take advantage of those he thinks are responsible for initiating the procedure (he does not receive information about who actually made such a request).

When the decision about the need for treatment is made, the alcoholic waits for it for even a dozen or more months.

The alcoholic's family can seek help from the therapist themselves - if the alcoholic does not want to be treated, attempts are made to help relatives, including co-addicts.

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Psychology