ORIGIN OF 12 STEP ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS

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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, celebrating its 76th anniversary this year, counts two million mem­bers who participate in some 115,000 groups worldwide, about half of them in the U.S. How well does it work? Anthropologist William Madsen, then at the University of California, Santa Barbara, claimed in a 1974 book that it has a “nearly miraculous” success rate, whereas others are far more skeptical. After reviewing the literature, we found that AA may help some people overcome alcoholism, especially if they also get in to in-patient  12 step rehabilitation program.

Alcoholics Anonymous got its start at a meeting in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, between a businessman named Bill Wilson and a physician, Bob Smith. “Bill W” and “Dr. Bob,” as they are now known, were alcoholics. Wilson had attained sobriety largely through his affiliation with a Christian movement. Smith stopped drinking after he met Wilson, whose success inspired him. Determined to help other problem drinkers, the men soon published what has become known as “The Big Book,” which spelled out their philosophy, principles and methods, including the now famous 12-step method. Alcoholics Anonymous was the book’s official title and also became the name of the organization that grew from it.

In AA, members meet in groups to help one another achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol. The meetings, which are free and open to anyone serious about stopping drinking, may include reading from the Big Book, sharing stories, celebrating members’ sobriety, as well as discussing the 12 steps and themes related to problem drinking. Participants are encouraged to “work” the 12-step program, fully integrating each step into their lives before proceeding to the next. AA targets more than problem drinking; members are supposed to correct all defects of character and adopt a new way of life. They are to accomplish these difficult goals without professional help. No therapists, psychologists or physicians can attend AA meetings unless they, too, have drinking problems.

A for Abstinence?Most studies evaluating the efficacy of AA are not definitive; for the most part, they associate the duration of participation with success in quitting drinking but do not show that the program caused that outcome. However those who are enrolled into 12 step in-patient rehab program and proceed to join the AA fellowship obviously to have higher success of abstinence. 

Nevertheless, the results of one well-designed investigation called Project Match, published in 1997, suggest that AA can facilitate the transition to sobriety for many alcoholics. In this study, a group of prominent alcoholism researchers randomly assigned more than 900 problem drinkers to receive one of three treatments over 12 weeks. One was an AA-based treatment called 12-step facilitation therapy that includes contact with a professional who helps patients work the first few of the 12 steps and encourages them to attend AA meetings. The other treatments were cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches skills for coping better with situations that commonly trigger relapse, and motivational enhancement therapy, which is designed to boost motivation to cease problem drinking.

The AA-based approach seemed to work and compared favorably with the other therapies. In all three groups, participants were abstinent on roughly 20 percent of days, on average, before treatment began, and the fraction of alcohol-free days rose to about 80 percent a year after treatment ended. What is more, 19 percent of these subjects were teetotalers during the entire 12-month follow-up. 

Thika counseling home, which is located in Landless area, off Thika – Garissa road, Landless road, Dodoma close Thika is a private addiction treatment centre which offers in-house therapies with a focus towards substance dependent persons, depression, posttraumatic stress disorders and personality disorders. To speak with a specialist call 0702103841. All calls are confidential.

NAMES USED IN ALCOHOLISM & DRUGS ADDICTION RECOVERY
Acamprosate 
Acceptance 
ACOA 
Acute Alcohol Poisoning 
Addiction 
Adult Children of Alcoholics 
Alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcohol Abuse 
Alcohol Dependence 
Alcohol Liver Disease 
Alcoholic 
Alcoholics Anonymous 
Al-Anon 
Anonymity 
Antabuse 
Big Book 
Binge Drinking 
Biochemical Restoration 
Blood Alcohol Content 
Boundaries 
Cirrhosis 
Codependent 
Craving 
Dementia 
Denial 
Detachment 
Detoxification 
Dry Drunk 
Dual Diagnosis 
DUI/DWI 
Enabling 
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 
Hangover 
Hepatitis C 
Intervention 
LifeRing Recovery 
MADD 
Moderation Management 
Nalmefene 
Naltrexone 
Ondansetron 
Pharmacotherapy 
Rational Recovery 
Recovery 
Relapse 
Rehabilitation 
Revia 
Serenity 
SMART Recovery 
Sponsor 
Treatment 
Withdrawal 
Women For Sobriety
ADD ANY THAT IS LEFT OUT.

PRINCIPLES OF ADDICTION TREATMENT

Principles of Effective Treatment

1. Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.  Drugs of abuse alter the brain’s structure and function, resulting in changes that persist long after drug use has ceased. This may explain why drug abusers are at risk for relapse even after long periods of abstinence and despite the potentially devastating consequences.
2. No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.  Treatment varies depending on the type of drug and the characteristics of the patients. Matching treatment settings, interventions, and services to an individual’s particular problems and needs is critical to his or her ultimate success in returning to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and society.
3. Treatment needs to be readily available.  Because drug-addicted individuals may be uncertain about entering treatment, taking advantage of available services the moment people are ready for treatment is critical. Potential patients can be lost if treatment is not immediately available or readily accessible. As with other chronic diseases, the earlier treatment is offered in the disease process, the greater the likelihood of positive outcomes.
4. Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.  To be effective, treatment must address the individual’s drug abuse and any associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems. It is also important that treatment be appropriate to the individual’s age, gender, ethnicity, and culture.
5. Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical.  The appropriate duration for an individual depends on the type and degree of the patient’s problems and needs. Research indicates that most addicted individuals need at least 3 months in treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use and that the best outcomes occur with longer durations of treatment. Recovery from drug addiction is a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug abuse can occur and should signal a need for treatment to be reinstated or adjusted. Because individuals often leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.
6. Behavioral therapies—including individual, family, or group counseling—are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment.   Behavioral therapies vary in their focus and may involve addressing a patient’s motivation to change, providing incentives for abstinence, building skills to resist drug use, replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, improving problem-solving skills, and facilitating better interpersonal relationships. Also, participation in group therapy and other peer support programs during and following treatment can help maintain abstinence.
7. Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.  For example, methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone (including a new long-acting formulation) are effective in helping individuals addicted to heroin or other opioids stabilize their lives and reduce their illicit drug use. Acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone are medications approved for treating alcohol dependence. For persons addicted to nicotine, a nicotine replacement product (available as patches, gum, lozenges, or nasal spray) or an oral medication (such as bupropion or varenicline) can be an effective component of treatment when part of a comprehensive behavioral treatment program.
8. An individual's treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.  A patient may require varying combinations of services and treatment components during the course of treatment and recovery. In addition to counseling or psychotherapy, a patient may require medication, medical services, family therapy, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and/or social and legal services. For many patients, a continuing care approach provides the best results, with the treatment intensity varying according to a person’s changing needs.
9. Many drug-addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.  Because drug abuse and addiction—both of which are mental disorders—often co-occur with other mental illnesses, patients presenting with one condition should be assessed for the other(s). And when these problems co-occur, treatment should address both (or all), including the use of medications as appropriate.
10. Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug abuse.  Although medically assisted detoxification can safely manage the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal and can, for some, pave the way for effective long-term addiction treatment, detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicted individuals achieve long-term abstinence. Thus, patients should be encouraged to continue drug treatment following detoxification. Motivational enhancement and incentive strategies, begun at initial patient intake, can improve treatment engagement.
11. Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.  Sanctions or enticements from family, employment settings, and/or the criminal justice system can significantly increase treatment entry, retention rates, and the ultimate success of drug treatment interventions.
12. Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.  Knowing their drug use is being monitored can be a powerful incentive for patients and can help them withstand urges to use drugs. Monitoring also provides an early indication of a return to drug use, signaling a possible need to adjust an individual’s treatment plan to better meet his or her needs.
13. Treatment programs should test patients for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk-reduction counseling, linking patients to treatment if necessary.   Typically, drug abuse treatment addresses some of the drug-related behaviors that put people at risk of infectious diseases. Targeted counseling focused on reducing infectious disease risk can help patients further reduce or avoid substance-related and other high-risk behaviors. Counseling can also help those who are already infected to manage their illness. Moreover, engaging in substance abuse treatment can facilitate adherence to other medical treatments. Substance abuse treatment facilities should provide onsite, rapid HIV testing rather than referrals to offsite testing—research shows that doing so increases the likelihood that patients will be tested and receive their test results. Treatment providers should also inform patients that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has proven effective in combating HIV, including among drug-abusing populations, and help link them to HIV treatment if they test positive.

Alcoholics dying indoors after illicit alcohol crack down

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Alcohol withdrawal should always be done under supervision. To safely detox, there is only one way to go: with medically-supervised detoxification in a rehabilitation centre, where there is a whole team of medics, therapist, and other peoples pursuing a similar goal, and not in your house.

Here, we warn against going cold turkey off alcohol at home without medical supervision. What are the risks? The dangers? The symptoms of detoxification from alcohol? why going cold turkey off alcohol is not advised.

Going Cold Turkey Alcohol?

Give it a second thought.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream. When alcohol has virtually consumed your life and you come to the conclusion that it’s time to purge it from your system, the temptation is to do it yourself. While this may seem like a harmless home remedy, certainly one that won’t cost you anything, in fact, the practice is not only not very effective, it is also a bad idea that can prove dangerous, even fatal, in some instances.

The ‘cold turkey’ method refers to the complete and abrupt cessation of drinking alcohol. This can be effective for some and it can reward a problem drinker by quickening their path to recovery; however, this method of detox can be excruciatingly difficult and should be accompanied by joining a Rehabilitation to undergo psychotherapy in order to reduce the risk of relapse. 

Detox only takes care of a biological process that involves your body re-learning to manage without ethanol. Body cell once again begin to function normally but without the ethanol. The behavioral aspect of alcoholism remains within you, this is the sole reason why joining rehabilitation to undergo psychotherapy is critical to ensure relapse doesn't occur. 

Rehabilitation combines; Controlled environment, where triggers to relapse are non existent , Psychotherapy such as 12 steps of A.A/N.A, group therapy, individual therapy administered by professionals and medication is administered while patients are monitored on 24/7.

Cold Turkey Off Alcohol

Q: So what does going cold turkey off alcohol do to your body?
A: Basically, it triggers alcohol withdrawal syndrome with possibly very severe symptoms. 

Alcohol Withdrawal symptoms occur when your body becomes dependent on a substance like alcohol. During withdrawal, the body manifests symptoms when that substance is lowered in dosage or no longer available. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal show up after a period of continued drinking that is suddenly interrupted. The acute symptoms of alcohol withdrawal may worsen over two to three days and can persist for weeks. They may be more noticeable when you wake up with less alcohol in your blood.

Detoxification from alcohol is a two-phase process. The first phase of alcohol withdrawal occurs over a period of a few days. This initial period is the most dangerous and can prove fatal. The second and longer phase of alcohol detox occurs over months, as the brain slowly begins to regulate and resume normal functioning. There may be lingering symptoms during the second phase of alcohol detox, but they are not usually life-threatening.

Cold Turkey Alcohol Withdrawal

For alcoholics in search of recovery, detoxification is often the first step towards a life without alcohol. Alcoholics’ bodies have become accustomed to large amounts of ethanol in their systems; slowing down or interrupting alcohol consumption can cause shock to the body and produce such withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are the most severe when the cold turkey detox method is used. Cold turkey alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

• clamminess
• headaches
• increased heart rate
• insomnia
• nausea
• shakiness
• sweating

The most severe type of going cold turkey is known as delirium tremens DT's. Its symptoms include:

• auditory hallucinations (e.g., hearing non-existent sounds)
• extreme confusion and agitation
• fever
• seizures
• tactile hallucinations (e.g., itching, burning, and numbness)
• visual hallucinations (e.g., seeing non-existent images)

Quitting Cold Turkey Alcoholturkey alcohol

When a person stops drinking alcohol suddenly, just up and quits because he or she thinks it’s time to do so, the consequences can be intense. Sudden alcohol cessation can cause hallucinations, convulsions, and even heart seizure that may ultimately result in death. Who should especially avoid quitting alcohol cold turkey?

1. Anyone with a serious dependency on alcohol should never even consider going cold turkey at home.
2. Heavy drinkers or people who have been drinking regularly for a period of 6 months, or more.
3. Those who have experience severe symptoms during alcohol withdrawal in the past.
4. Those who have been diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders.

Get Off Alcohol Cold Turkey

Instead of getting off alcohol turkey, medications may be prescribed that can make the detox more comfortable and safer for the individual. Medications such as benzodiazepines, acamprosate and naltrexone, help reduce or eliminate cravings ease anxiety and help the individual transition more gently from an abrupt cessation from drinking. It is important to note that a person cannot just take a prescription pill and detox on his or her own, or at home. Detox and recovery is best achieved in a rehabilitation centre setting, where the person is surrounded by professionals, people going through similar process and those who has safely completed detox and are already enrolled in psychotherapy.

Over the course of several months of abstinence, long-term withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, cravings and anxiety will gradually reduce in intensity. They may be eased somewhat by medications such as antidepressants or short-acting benzodiazepines but only continued sobriety and the passage of time can resolve these symptoms.

Can I Quit Alcohol Cold Turkey?

It is not recommended that you quit alcohol cold turkey. Instead, you’ll need a professional assessment of your physical, mental, and medical history in order to create an individualized plan for alcohol detox. This is only possible in a rehabilitation centre setting. 

Detox is only the first step in overcoming alcohol dependence.  Psychotherapy in a controlled environment of a residential rehab ensures that achieved gains are maintained as you begin the process of learning how to live a life of sobriety. Residential rehab programs combine one-on-one counseling, group therapy, educational lectures, and other treatment specifically tailored to the individual’s needs.

Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey Questions

Still have questions about quitting alcohol cold turkey? Please leave your questions or share your experience from stopping cold turkey in the comments in our contacts section of our website . We will do our best to respond to you personally and promptly. 

|THIKA REHABILITATION HOME | LANDLESS ROAD, DODOMA STREET| OFF THIKA-GARISSA ROAD| 0702103841|0738317630|www.psychosocial.co.ke|admin@psychosocial.co.ke|Twitter:@ThikaRehab