Alcohol Addition and the Effectiveness of Pharmacological Therapy

            Alcohol dependency is a critical health issue linked to long-term consequences. Alcohol addiction is indeed a disease which makes a person to rely on alcohol in order to survive. Its severity varies from one person to another, since some drink heavily, while others may only binge drink thus staying sober for a while. Alcohol dependency is hard to recognize, as most people tend to drink after work. Nonetheless, alcohol addiction is diagnosed when a person is not able to perform daily duties without being intoxicated (Baltieri et al, 8). Addiction consequently leads to increased frequency of use which eventually leads to poor performance at work. For that reason, different therapies are used to treat this condition. This paper will consequently discuss alcohol addiction and the effectiveness of pharmacological therapy in its treatment.

Alcohol Addiction

            Alcohol consumption has adverse effects on the human body, most of which may affect proper functioning of the body. Alcohol affects the central nervous system thus leading to poor speech delivery, which is usually a problem with most drunkards. After drinking, the transfer of message between the brain and the body becomes altered thereby leading to impaired judgement (Sharon et al, 6). On the other hand, alcohol addiction is also associated with diabetes, as it affects both pancreas and liver. Pancreas and liver are significant in regulating insulin use and its reaction to glucose, hence if the liver is not functioning properly one is at risk of experiencing hypoglycaemia (Soyka, 5).

            On the contrary alcohol dependency is equally a critical issue, since most people become enslaved to alcohol. In such a situation it is impossible to stop drinking, and withdrawal can be fatal. In such a case medical detoxification becomes the only solution to being sober. Medical detoxification is a benign way to ensure one disrupts physical addiction. Finally, alcohol addiction also reduces work productivity while increasing work accidents. Most alcohol addicts tend to work while under the influence of alcohol making it difficult for them to make the right decisions thus leading to work accidents, particularly those who work in machinery plants. In addition, due to being less productive at work, most employers tend to lay off alcohol addicts (Sharon et al, 6). As such unemployment leads to heavy drinking which results in loss of life.

Pharmacological Therapy

The main objective of most alcohol addicts is to achieve abstinence and avert relapse. There are multiple pharmacological agents in the market which are effective in averting relapse, however this section will focus on the following disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone, how effective they are.

Disulfiram is an effective drug in the treatment alcoholism as it causes unfriendly effects when alcohol is consumed in small amounts. Through constraining enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) disulfiram is able to deter alcohol intake (Baltieri et al, 8).  The effects of the drug include vomiting, nausea, sweating, choking, as well as anxiety. Unpleasant effects are caused by the conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which is eventually converted by ALDH to carbon dioxide and acetic acid. This happens 10 minutes after alcohol enters into the body, and effects last for more than an hour (Soyka, 8). The main objective of the drug is to discourage an addict from taking alcohol, even though it is not a cure for alcoholism. In as much as this therapy might seem effective, it is not appropriate for all patients, as it can only help those who have a problem with heavy drinking. This makes it the best remedy for alcohol addiction since 70% of those who use this therapy tend to fully abstain without relapse (Baltieri et al, 8). 

Acamprosate is used with the support of counselling as well as social support to aid heavy drinkers who have stopped taking alcohol to avoid relapse. Acamprosate helps in restoring the functioning of the brain to normal after being destroyed by too much drinking (Baltieri et al, 6). On the contrary, it does not avert the withdrawal indications that are experienced when people stop drinking alcohol. Conversely, the drug helps in reducing distress associated with withdrawal, hence inhibiting a relapse. It does not have any effects on the body since it is not absorbed by the liver and it is not affected by alcohol use meaning it can be used by any patient regardless of their medical conditions. Acamprosate is nonetheless effective in that in a recent study, 86% of those patients fully recovered from the addiction (Sharon et al, 7). On the other hand, there was a 9% chance of relapse among those who recovered.

Naltrexone is used to prevent those who are addicted from relapsing. It is also used as a complementary drug for alcoholics as well as drug addicts in general (Sharon et al, 7). On the other hand, it cannot be used by people who are under opiates such as methadone, since it can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Naltrexone neutralizes alcohol in the body, thus making the person not to feel the effects of alcohol in the body, as such, the person loses interest in alcohol. It is however not effective when used alone as it does not reduce alcohol cravings. It is therefore supposed to be accompanied by other medications as well as counselling. The success of the medication when accompanied by other medications is 70%. Among the side effects of the therapy are insomnia, diarrhoea, headaches, and nervousness (Soyka, 7).

Work Cited

Baltieri, Danilo Antonio, and João Maria Corrêa Filho. “Role of Two Clusters of Male Alcoholics in Treatment Retention.” European Addiction Research, vol. 18, no. 4, 2012, pp. 201–211. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26790616. Accessed 24 Apr. 2020.

Soyka, Michael. “Alcohol Use Disorders in Opioid Maintenance Therapy: Prevalence, Clinical Correlates and Treatment.” European Addiction Research, vol. 21, no. 2, 2015, pp. 78–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26790977. Accessed 24 Apr. 2020.

 

Sharon Swain, Taryn Krause, Phillipe Laramee and Stephen Stewart

BMJ: British Medical Journal

Vol. 340, No. 7761 (26 June 2010), pp. 1412-14