Alcohol –dependence Treatments

In the modern United States, alcoholism, or alcohol dependency, is one of the most dangerous medical conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol was the third most common avoidable reason for death in this nation. The projected yearly cost of alcohol-related disorders in the United States is $185 billion, taking into account the reduction in productivity. Alcoholism has a broad negative impact on families, society, and the affected person in addition to its own damaging effects.
The following characteristics define alcohol dependence: craving: an intense, ongoing desire to drink; Loss of control (the inability to quit drinking; tolerance) the need to consume more alcohol to become high or drunk after drinking began; severe damage in the individual’s life, including the abandonment of social, professional, and familial obligations; and physical dependency, characterized by withdrawal symptoms as nausea, perspiration, trembling, and uneasiness. The degree of alcohol consumption obviously affects how severe the impairment is. misuse.

How to deal with Alcohol dependency

Support groups, psychotherapy, and medication are all used in the treatment of alcohol dependency to help patients reach soberness. Numerous people who are alcohol addicted have benefited from support organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Research indicates that the co-administration of medicine and psychological support leads to increased rates and longer stints without alcohol use. 

• Revia (naltrexone), Vivitrol (naltrexone injectable), Campral (acamprosate), and Antabuse (disulfiram) are the four pharmacological alternatives for treating alcohol dependency. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized all four drugs for alcoholism therapy.
•  Vivitrol and Revia are the Naltrexone being the same medication; Vivitrol is an injectable version with an extended half-life, while Revia is a tablet form. The first drug licensed by the FDA to treat alcoholism was Antabuse (disulfiram). Abstinence from alcohol prevents the liver’s enzyme from breaking down alcohol (ethanol), which leads to an accumulation of the metabolite acetaldehyde. The buildup of acetaldehyde causes symptoms including flushing, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and heartbeat that is fast. Intentional or inadvertent alcohol use may cause these symptoms, sometimes known as a disulfiram response, in someone taking Antabuse on a regular basis. The possibility of this negative response encourages abstinence and dissuades the individual from drinking. 
• Revia and Vivitrol contain naltrexone, which blocks opiate (or narcotic) receptors in the central nervous system in an effort to lessen the alcoholic urge. Sites on nerve cells, or neurons, called receptors are where interactions with the substances in the neurological system called neurotransmitters are in charge of sending signals to other neurons) in order to cause a certain alteration in the nerve cell. 
• An antagonist of the opiate receptor, naltrexone is brain, but its exact mechanism of action in treating alcoholism is yet unknown. One theory is that opiate receptors, particularly in the nucleus accumbens region of the brain, interact with dopamine neurons to increase dopamine neurotransmission. Research has connected dopamine neurotransmission to actions that are rewarding, like pursuing pleasure. By decreasing and inhibiting the opiate receptors, Naltrexone inhibits the reward system and the pleasure that comes from drinking by blocking dopamine neurotransmission lowering the enjoyment that comes from drinking helps to lessen cravings. 
• The FDA authorized campral (acamprosate) in 2004 for the maintenance treatment of alcoholism. In contrast to naltrexone, campral acts on distinct brain systems. It is unclear exactly how Campral keeps alcohol sobriety intact. A plausible rationale might be that the equilibrium between Chronic alcohol misuse affects the brain’s excitatory and inhibitory neuronal networks. Inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is present in neurons that slow down or inhibit brain, and in those neurons that excite, or activate, the brain, glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter. Because of its molecular resemblance to GABA, campral enhances GABA’s effects while opposing glutamate. It’s probable that by doing this, Campral balances GABA and glutamate, which lessens cravings and the need to drink. 

Long-term abstinence from alcohol has been difficult to achieve when using medications alone to treat alcohol dependency. Studies have shown that patients who get both pharmaceutical treatment and psychological support exhibit greater rates of abstinence and longer durations of abstinence compared to those who receive monotherapy.