The concept of alcoholic personality degradation includes. Alcoholism and stages of destruction of moral character

Personality degradation in alcoholism is a mental disorder due to the systematic use of alcohol, in which pathological change character and behavior of a person. Mental abilities, memory, interests and hobbies are lost, selfishness develops, constant irritability arises, and social values are replaced. There are several types of personality degradation in an alcoholic. The speed of development depends on many factors, mainly on personal qualities and the stage of alcoholism. Treatment should begin at the first signs.

Typically, personality degradation begins to appear approximately 7-8 years from the beginning. alcohol addiction. At the beginning of the disease, the changes may not be noticeable, but over time they become more serious. The rate of personality degradation directly depends on the patient’s age, his personal qualities, gender and stage of alcoholism. It has been noticed that in women this process develops much faster.

The whole process lies in the direct influence of alcohol on everything internal organs, as it also affects the brain. Alcohol leads to destruction of the structure and disruption of its functions.

Alcohol-induced personality degradation leads to deterioration in thinking, loss of memory, personal and social skills. Over time, the personality practically disappears, up to a state in which self-sufficiency and fulfillment of vital needs become impossible.

Causes

The effect of alcohol on personality occurs due to damage to the brain by ethyl alcohol and its breakdown products. The fact is that under the influence of alcohol, red blood cells (blood cells) cannot pass through the microcapillaries of the neurons of the brain, as a result of which the capillaries are destroyed, the neurons do not receive nutrition and die. In total, there are approximately 15 billion active neurons in the brain. Each intake of alcohol-containing drinks destroys several thousand, while the restoration of dead cells occurs extremely slowly.

Since the blood supply to the brain is impaired, the required amount of oxygen does not reach the cortex, which causes hypoxia or oxygen starvation. Brain damage causes an alcoholic to feel a sense of joy, which he attributes to the effects of alcoholic beverages.

Further development of alcohol dependence leads to irreversible changes in the patient’s nervous system, destruction of the spinal cord and medulla oblongata. If this condition is not treated in time, the result can be alcoholic coma and death.

Symptoms

A person suffering from alcohol addiction becomes increasingly susceptible to the influence of this addiction over time. Symptoms of alcoholic personality degradation are manifested in the following:

dependence on alcohol gradually replaces all interests, the addict becomes detached, concentrating all his attention only on drinking;
violation of socialization leads to a narrowing of the circle of friends, alienation from family and loved ones;
are decreasing moral principles and norms of behavior are ignored;
aloof and hostile attitude towards people who do not want to drink alcohol;
development of egocentrism, rejection of other people's opinions.

Personality changes during alcoholism make some hidden character traits more pronounced. There are excessive manifestations of the following qualities:

tendency to lie;
familiarity;
exaltation of one’s own “I”;
commercialism;
laziness;
tactlessness.

A person always looks for excuses for his illness, blaming alcoholism on problems at work, in his personal life, or on financial difficulties.

In addition to changes in character and common features personality there is also a significant decrease mental abilities. An alcoholic becomes more distracted and finds it more difficult to remember past events. There is lethargy, passivity, decreased logical abilities, which manifests itself in a violation of cause-and-effect relationships. The progression of alcoholism aggravates these symptoms and makes them more pronounced and noticeable.

One of the most important manifestations of personality degradation is the lack of awareness of one’s own actions and actions. All the actions and words of an alcoholic are aimed at misleading others and convincing them that there is no problem. The addict makes deliberately false promises, not wanting to deal with the problem.

It is important to understand that all symptoms and signs may manifest differently in each individual case. Some patients go into depressive state, others, on the contrary, show excessive cheerfulness and carelessness. These states can replace each other, and significant changes in the behavior of the alcoholic can be noticed immediately after he drank alcohol.

Types of pathology

There are 4 main types of degradation, which have some differences:

Astheno-neurosis-like;
alcoholic;
alcoholic-organic;
psychopathic.

Astheno-neurosis-like appearance

This type of degradation is characterized by the fact that people susceptible to it can be easily cured. Patients recognize the problem, are treatable, and are concerned about their own health. With proper therapy, people can get rid of alcoholism and its manifestations in a fairly short period of time.

Degradation of this type is expressed in increased anxiety of people suffering from the disease, they become irritable, asthenia is clearly manifested, which leads to sleep disturbance. Patients need alcohol to fall asleep, and sleep lasts no more than 5 hours a day, which leads to overwork and increased symptoms, and alcohol is increasingly used as a relaxant.

The following symptoms are typical for people with astheno-neurosis-like type of alcoholic degradation:

irritability and emotionality even in the absence of stimulus;
chronic fatigue;
increased absent-mindedness;
significant decrease in performance;
depression;
penchant for obsessive thoughts and ideas;
frequent headaches and heart pain.

In addition, signs of human degradation include decreased libido, deterioration of sexual function and memory impairment. These conditions are especially intensified when drinking alcohol.

Alcohol type

This subtype of the disease is characterized by acute emotional distress. A person cannot react properly to situations, since the regulation and determination of emotions is reduced. The most common symptoms in patients are:

frequent lies, manifestations of duplicity;
decreased will, increased suggestibility from the outside;
social skills and norms of behavior are greatly reduced;
the mood is most often upbeat;
frequent manifestations of cynicism;
lack of shame;
loss of self-criticism.

At the same time, there is an active disregard for responsibility for one’s actions; the person moves away from family and colleagues.

Very often, patients are aware of their own actions, recognize the presence of a problem, but cannot independently take any measures for treatment, since they strong-willed qualities depressed.

Alcohol-organic look

This subtype of the disease is often accompanied by additional complications caused by alcoholism, most often cerebral atherosclerosis.

It can also occur in patients who have suffered serious traumatic brain injuries. A person often does not realize the boundary between fiction and reality, and ascribes to himself actions and acquaintances that did not take place. This is a reflection of volitional personality disorder and passive state a person in which he is completely immersed in the world of his fantasy.

A patient with this diagnosis can be identified by the following symptoms:

severe disturbances in thought processes and memory;
excessive emotionality;
violation social norms behavior.

A person with such a disease is aware of his situation, but does not make any attempts to cure alcoholism. All his promises and confessions are usually false, since his volitional disorder does not allow him to give up alcohol.

Psychopathic type

Patients with this type of disorder are subject to sudden changes in mood, react to the smallest stimuli, and manifestations of alcoholic psychosis and delirium tremens are possible. The psychopathic-like appearance usually develops in people who start drinking in early age, not allowing them to adapt to life in society, after which they believe that only alcohol helps to level out this inferiority.

Patients are prone to silence, isolation, secrecy, prefer to drink alone, and often fall into a state of binge drinking. Behavior while intoxicated can be antisocial, patients are prone to violence, violence against themselves and others. Even if in a sober state an alcoholic is distinguished by modesty and calmness, then in a state of intoxication he can fall into a completely opposite state. At the end of the binge, he practically does not remember his actions and what happened to him.

Alcohol negatively affects the human psyche, this is a fact proven by doctors. Nothing serious happens if alcohol is consumed rarely and in moderation. Problems begin for those who get used to drinking alcohol constantly. Many alcoholics are diagnosed not only with chronic diseases, but also mental disorders, in particular personality degradation.

Unfortunately, sometimes this problem is irreversible. Even if you follow all the doctor’s recommendations, it is not possible to restore your previous personality, but there are also cases of successful treatment.

The term “degradation” and features of the condition

The word itself is of Latin origin. The term degradatio can be translated as development in the opposite direction. Psychologists interpret degradation as a backward movement, a deterioration in condition. It can also be applied to a person’s personality. Normally, people develop throughout their lives. With experience, they gain new knowledge, skills or abilities. All this is required for normal existence in society. Life usually consists of several successive stages.

A person grows, learns about the world, learns to communicate with other representatives of society, receives an education, begins to work, creates new social groups, including family. We should not forget about the constant development of the psyche. New experiences and impressions serve as an excellent basis for personal improvement.

These processes occur continuously until reaching old age. Over the years, the first senile changes begin that affect the psyche. Part of the cells nervous system is irreversibly destroyed, the number of connections between neurons decreases, which leads to a deterioration in intellectual abilities and memory.

Similar processes can begin in at different ages. Statistics confirm that people who engage in mental work and regularly give their brain dosed exercise are more likely to maintain mental clarity in old age.

Sometimes the opposite situation occurs when personality degradation begins long before old age. The fact is that the brain and all higher nervous activity are influenced negative factors. The problem can be initiated by drinking alcohol over a long period of time.

Alcohol degradation – typical condition for persons who have been drinking for more than 7-10 years, however, the first personality changes will begin even earlier. It is extremely important to notice from a timely manner. Early diagnosis of the onset of pathology is the key to successful recovery of the patient.

Signs of a problem

Personality degradation is a gradual process that can drag on for decades. Its first signs are usually mild. The fact is that in the early stages the nervous system easily restores dead cells. Neural connections are actively formed between the hemispheres of the brain. This occurs in the initial stages of alcohol addiction.

Later, the situation worsens, as the nervous system noticeably wears out. The death of its individual cells or entire fragments entails Negative consequences for the psyche. Experts note that the functioning of the brain gradually begins to deteriorate. Externally, this manifests itself with symptoms such as:

The reason for such disorders is a reduction in the number of neural connections not only between the hemispheres, but also between the cortex and subcortical part. As a result, many tasks become beyond the capabilities of an alcoholic. Memory problems are always noticeable. They are the ones who usually make relatives wary.

A person who drinks cannot remember any events important dates. Later, problems with short-term memory become apparent, which is accompanied by constant forgetfulness. It is difficult for an alcoholic to keep a lot of information in his head at the same time.

Alcohol also changes a person's character. This is primarily due to the fact that drinking becomes his main need. If there are no strong drinks, all energy is directed to searching for them. When cash When they run out of money to buy alcohol, the drunkard begins to use cunning to get what he wants. Many join the company of drinkers and live on other people’s money, while others ignore the law and begin to steal in order to receive funds for the next bottle.

The lack of interests and additional activities that bring pleasure completely changes a person. He loses his previous character traits and acquires new ones, which can hardly be called positive. Thus, degrading alcoholics are characterized by:

Of course, such changes in character are difficult not to notice. Family members and close friends celebrate them first. Some try to solve the problem on their own, without turning to professionals and without advertising the difficulties. This is better than completely ignoring a rapidly deteriorating situation, but it is much more effective to immediately take the patient to a psychotherapist or narcologist.

Doctors will be able to determine at what stage of alcohol dependence a person is and what methods can help him as soon as possible.

Degrading personality in society

Alcohol degradation is often irreversible, especially if the changes affect large areas of the gray matter of the cortex cerebral hemispheres brain. In this case, even if you give up alcohol, it will not be possible to completely restore all losses.

The degree of degradation can always be assessed by a person’s behavior in society. Typically, in the early stages, when almost any addiction treatment is appropriate, no one notices the problem.

Of course, the patient himself does not admit that he needs help. Initially, it seems to him that he drinks infrequently and can stop at any time. Experts know that this vision of the situation is wrong.

Alcoholics do not give up alcohol voluntarily, but continue to drink strong drinks in increased doses. This is due to the fact that ethanol has mild narcotic properties. This substance is addictive, invisible to humans.

First, psychological dependence is formed. Alcohol makes a person free, liberated and self-confident. He likes these sensations, he strives to prolong them, which is why he drinks strong drinks again. This leads to disastrous consequences.

Dependence becomes physical. The body can no longer function normally without the presence of ethanol in the bloodstream. If it is not there, so-called withdrawal begins, or withdrawal syndrome, whose symptoms resemble a severe hangover.

A person dependent on alcohol begins to quickly lose ground in society, and problems begin simultaneously in all areas. Conflicts with the family associated with attempts by relatives to persuade the alcoholic to seek treatment come to the fore. Most often, drunkards ignore calls and refuse help. If they show excessive persistence, they become angry and aggressive.

Psychologists note that such behavior can become critical for a marriage. Many families cannot withstand such difficulties and fall apart. So, a wife can leave her alcoholic husband, even if they have children together. Such actions can be explained by a woman’s desire to feel safe. A person dependent on alcohol suffers from sudden attacks of aggression. In a fit of anger, he can raise his hand against his loved ones. This also indicates personality degradation.

Family problems are not the only difficulty for alcohol addicts. Many of them lose their jobs or are deprived of their previous solid positions. A degrading person stops being critical of himself. This becomes a turning point in a career.

A previously responsible employee begins to cope with his responsibilities worse, ignores instructions, is late or leaves the workplace without permission. The bosses are unlikely to like all this. And alcoholics themselves, becoming overly careless and self-confident, do not hold on to their positions. The result is dismissal and lack of attempts to find employment in the future.

Difficulties also arise in communicating with friends. Experts note that a gradually degenerating person does not need the support of those who do not share his interests. At first, loved ones will try to help in the fight against addiction, but alcoholics most often respond to such actions with aggression. Circle common interests simply disappears. The drunkard only wants to drink. Concerts, exhibitions and joint travel no longer interest him, so friendly contacts are called into question.

Gradually, the social circle narrows exclusively to drinking buddies. All people with other interests disappear from life dependent person. They can still make attempts to help the patient, but it is almost impossible to do this without his desire. It is for this reason that it is so important to notice in time the first steps on the path to personality degradation.

Physical manifestations

Alcohol destroys not only the central nervous system, but also all other organ systems. This means that, in parallel with mental disorders, human health will deteriorate. Thus, doctors are convinced that drunkards almost always suffer from some kind of illness. This is a physical manifestation of degradation.

The liver is the first to be destroyed in chronic alcoholics. This organ is involved in the processes of alcohol neutralization, but with large quantities he can't cope. The gland cells are destroyed and the tissues become inflamed. As a result, dangerous diseases develop – alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis. They cannot be treated and sometimes cause death.

Another dangerous pathology is a stomach ulcer. With ulcerative gastrointestinal tract, the mucous membranes and muscular walls of the digestive tract are damaged. The drinker rarely thinks about treatment, which leads to the formation of more and more erosions. As a result, this is fraught with bleeding into the abdominal cavity and perforation of the ulcer. Drug treatment will no longer have the desired effect, the patient will need urgent surgery.

Doctors warn that constant drinking of alcohol negatively affects the condition of the heart. Normally, this is a muscular organ, but due to the presence of ethanol, the muscle degenerates into adipose tissue. The heart increases in volume, but partially loses its functions. It can no longer pump the required amount of blood. In addition, adipose tissue is more prone to heart attacks.

Blood vessels also suffer due to excess alcohol. Constant fluctuations blood pressure make them brittle and brittle. This increases the risk of hemorrhage. Such phenomena are especially dangerous in areas of the arteries that supply the brain. Doctors classify this condition as a hemorrhagic stroke. Pathology often leads to disability or instant death.

Experts note that such physiological deviations from the norm are often incurable. They are the cause of death for alcoholics. At the same time, it is impossible to predict at what stage of degradation a person will be. Some die from alcohol poisoning, being in an absolutely adequate state.

How to help a person

Degradation in alcoholism begins almost immediately. The sooner measures are taken, the higher the chances of a favorable outcome. Doctors explain that the only way to avoid degenerative mental changes is to stop drinking. It is good if a person himself understands that he needs treatment. Otherwise, sessions with a psychotherapist will be required.

If the drinker himself wants to overcome addiction, then the doctor’s actions will be reduced only to selecting the optimal method. This could be psychotherapeutic coding according to Dovzhenko or sewing in a capsule. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

Yes, when strong addiction in the final stages, only drug coding is appropriate. A psychotherapist will provide invaluable support. He will tell you how to avoid breakdowns and restore relationships with loved ones.

Personality degradation in alcoholism - serious problem, the solution of which must be approached thoroughly. A whole range of measures will be required, from sessions with a psychologist to taking medications that create an aversion to alcohol and restore health.

The support of family and friends is essential at every stage. Often it is they who return the former alcoholic to normal life.

Alcohol-induced personality degradation often leads to irreversible consequences. First of all, the nervous system suffers, and intellectual capabilities are noticeably reduced. In cases of serious alcohol dependence, a person is no longer guided by anything other than the desire to drink alcohol. He can behave strangely, be rude, without feeling guilt or remorse. Interest in others decreases, up to a complete loss of desire for life.

What is this deviation?

The term “degradation” refers to a sequence of irreversible changes for the worse, the loss of the most valuable properties and qualities. There is a kind of “development in the opposite direction.” With alcoholism, there is a gradual destruction of personality - both moral and physical. If before the onset of craving for alcohol a person was balanced, well-thought, and had a developed intellect, then under the influence of alcoholic drinks he can become nervous and poorly perceive information.

An alcoholic loses control of himself, he begins to blame others for his own troubles. He does not see problems in himself, and finds various excuses for drinking alcohol - family disagreements, health problems, etc. He usually does not accept criticism from outside; he believes that everyone wants to offend him. Indifference to others or, conversely, aggression may occur. There is nothing left except the desire to drink alcohol. Periodically there are outbursts of anger or resentment.

With alcoholism it changes completely psychological picture person. Many show an inability to self-criticize, lie and boast. An alcoholic can talk for a long time about some of his past victories and achievements, praising himself and being offended that he was not appreciated. He can also make any promises without intending to fulfill them, and attempts to remind him of what was promised will only cause him to have outbursts of aggression.

When a drinker begins to lose interest in life, this is the first symptom of alcohol degradation. The sense of duty to the family or team is lost, replaced by indecision, indifference or rudeness. The development of certain signs depends on the psychological type of a person.

Alcohol degradation can begin with acceleration of motor acts. A person addicted to alcohol becomes physically active, but subsequently all reflexes become dull.

Alcoholics are not aware of their behavior and cannot appreciate the seriousness of the situation. Although some people admit their alcoholism out loud, this is often just “working for the public,” while they themselves remain internally convinced that they have not yet become drunk and can control themselves, and each time they find new insurmountable circumstances due to which it was impossible not to drink.

Alcohol degradation leads to a person becoming:

rude;
showing bad manners;
callous;
lazy;
excitable;
frivolous;
depressed.

The details of the clinical picture depend entirely on the psychological type of the person.

Main stages

There are several main stages of alcohol degradation. Each of them has a special clinical picture. From the very beginning, the alcoholic is either indifferent to the words of others, or responds rudely to comments, while it does not matter to him at all who is in front of him - a work colleague or birth mother. Over time, family and friends are replaced by drinking buddies who will not dissuade you from drinking another drink.

Personality degradation in alcoholism at the second stage is characterized by the absence of subtle feelings. A drunkard is not able to empathize with another; he is rude and tactless. He is not interested in other people's problems when alcohol, which is more important than anything else, is at stake. A person tries to spend most of his free time with drinking buddies. At this stage, lies become a constant companion of the alcoholic. He is ready to lie to everyone and everywhere in order to drink again.

At the third stage, a complete change of feelings and desires occurs. Previously observed indifference turns into rudeness and harshness. On last stage obvious signs degradation is accompanied by cruelty and complete indifference to others. An alcoholic withdraws into himself and begins to drink on his own, without needing company. It is also characteristic that he is not at all interested in the quality of the alcohol; it could be any “scorched vodka” or even a pharmacy tincture.

In the advanced stage, alcohol degradation includes disruption of physiological processes - sleep, digestion, sexual activity.

Manifestation of the syndrome

Symptoms of degradation can vary, depending on a person's susceptibility. The first clinical manifestations are observed on average 7-8 years after the start of systematic alcohol consumption.

Alcoholic personality degradation inevitably leads to a narrowing of the range of interests. Initially, a drinking person may not pay attention to family and friends, and over time begins to show rudeness towards others. Fights often occur on this basis.

The progression of the disease leads to complete social indifference.

A person suffering from alcohol addiction does not want to communicate with anyone; he is only interested in people who drink alcohol. Communication with drinking buddies leads to the complete destruction of moral and ethical standards. Degradation with psychopath-like symptoms is accompanied by causeless outbursts of anger, scandals and hysterics.

Video about the dangerous effects of alcohol on people:

Alcoholism is a serious disease. And his treatment requires a visit to a narcologist and a neurologist, who can prescribe a course of sedative and stabilizing drugs.

A large role in the selective damage in chronic alcoholism to certain aspects of the psyche is played by the constitution, the type of higher nervous activity, personality development in ontogenesis. Alcohol has the property of sharpening individual characteristics, and then leveling them out to a certain extent.

It should be noted that placing the mental degradation of alcoholic patients into the Procrustean bed of one or another type of degradation is a very difficult task, but we will still try to highlight some of the main options for alcoholic degradation.

Every patient suffering from chronic alcoholism has individual characteristics its manifestations:

Personality degradation according to the astheno-neurosis-like type

Increased irritability and asthenia come to the fore in the clinical picture of chronic alcohol intoxication. Then, such patients' sleep is disturbed: it becomes superficial, patients often wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep for a long time or, conversely, have difficulty falling asleep in the evening. Sleep duration is from 2 to 5 hours per day. Therefore, in order to get a good night's sleep, patients take alcohol in large doses at night. They say that they cannot fall asleep unless they drink 300-400 g of vodka.

A. L. Epstein attached great importance to agrypnic syndrome in the clinic of chronic alcoholism, believing that it marks the transition from a latent period to an openly developing psychotic process.

Patients become overly emotionally excitable and irritable. They experience a decline in physical and mental strength. Memory and performance are somewhat reduced, lethargy with a tendency to drowsiness, and increased fatigue are observed. Such persons experience especially great difficulties during work that requires prolonged stress. Patients are distracted and find it difficult to concentrate. They often have an anxious and suspicious character, a tendency to obsessive thoughts and hypochondriacal states. Their mood is unstable, depressed or somewhat dysphoric. Sexual function often decreases.

Such persons, if they do not drink alcohol, are impotent. Alcohol increases their erection and sexual desire. Such patients come to the doctor and bitterly declare that while they were drinking, “they were men,” but when they stopped drinking, they became sexually powerless, and they ask for help to overcome this illness. They complain about discomfort in the region of the heart, palpitations. During the examination, unclean tones due to autonomic dysfunction are often detected of cardio-vascular system, this also explains the slight excitability of vasomotors. Unpleasant sensations in the stomach and increased gas formation may be detected. Headaches and pain in different parts of the body often occur.

Patients with alcoholism with personality changes of the astheno-neurosis-like type, unlike other groups of patients suffering from chronic alcohol intoxication, love to be treated and ask for a variety of procedures and medicines. They come to the doctor with a note outlining their complaints, because they are afraid of forgetting something. Such patients ask to be sent to special medical institutions and sanatoriums for a long period. While in a sanatorium, they express dissatisfaction if they are prescribed few medical procedures, and always make many complaints, demanding that doctors examine them more often and conduct various studies and tests. Patients always look closely at the doctor’s facial expression and ask him again if he finds any serious deviations from the norm in them.

Astheno-neurosis-like syndrome disappears gradually, after appropriate treatment and long-term abstinence from alcohol.

Personality degradation due to alcoholism type characterized by emotional disorders, since the patient’s regulation, adequacy, and determinism of emotions weaken. Such patients are characterized by cheerful carelessness, frivolity, alcoholic humor, some grumbling, dissatisfaction, and capriciousness. At the same time, they exhibit deceit, selfishness, and egocentrism. These faces are always on the side of the one who speaks to them, they can flatter in the eyes and at the same time, behind the eyes, they easily join in someone else’s abuse. In words - streams of gratitude, but in reality - neglect and even discredit.

Patients suffering from chronic alcoholism are characterized by increased suggestibility and weakened will, especially when it comes to drinking alcohol. Their range of interests is narrowed, mainly in the general cultural aspect: they stop reading books, visiting theaters, and cinema. Their sense of duty to society, team, and family weakens or is lost. Often patients completely ignore the poor state of their health and their safety. In their behavior, swagger, looseness, a tendency towards naked cynicism, a decrease in ethical sense, shame, and disgust appear. Alcoholic bragging dominates in the later stages of alcohol degradation. Patients, without proper criticism, cynically talk about past intimate relationships with women, they joke flatly, cynically call the intimate aspects of life by their proper names. They categorically deny their uncritical, incorrect behavior in everyday life and blame their family members for excesses.

The mood of patients is often carefree, with elements of euphoria. Their judgments are superficial. Plans for the future are frivolous and lightweight. While in the hospital, you are not burdened by the situation. Sloppy, familiar, annoying. Their criticism is reduced. However, the repentance, regret, and tears of patients suffering from alcoholism are not always hypocritical: they can be aware of their actions and evaluate them correctly, but weakness of will does not give them the opportunity to free themselves from alcoholism. It can be assumed that affective-volitional and other disorders characteristic of acute alcohol intoxication, when repeated frequently during chronic alcohol intoxication, perpetuate them. Attention and memory are usually weakened. Loss of interest and desire to work depends on their social decline and asthenia caused by chronic alcohol intoxication.

Personality degradation according to the alcoholic-organic type observed mainly in persons suffering from alcoholic encephalopathy, cerebral atherosclerosis, residual effects of traumatic brain injury, etc. The mood of such patients is mostly complacent and tearful. Along with affective-volitional disorders, gross impairments of memory, intelligence, and comprehension are observed. Thinking is stiff and viscous. They are verbose, talkative, and inclined to reasoning. Increasing lack of will causes such individuals to relapse into drinking alcohol at the first opportunity: salary, meeting with acquaintances, friends. Returning home drunk, they either start another row, or, falling to their knees, ask for forgiveness from their wife and children, and make a solemn promise to stop drinking. Financial situation family deteriorates, since a patient with alcoholism drinks away not only his earnings, but often money and belongings of family members. Such patients lose their sense of human dignity, plunge into a passive-inert state, compensating for the lack of interests with memories of the past, of their unfulfilled dreams, desires, and aspirations. They move away from the living, vital interests of reality and take the path of false fabrications and fantasies. At the same time, without being embarrassed at all and losing the proper criterion between lies and truth, they willingly brag to their interlocutors about extraordinary adventures, unusual feats, acquaintance with outstanding people. Others, on the contrary, clearly imagine and understand their fall due to drunkenness. Trying to maintain their dignity, they ironically, with a touch of humor, make fun of themselves. They seem to protest against their illness, which is apparently due to the remaining tendency towards self-assertion, and make attempts to free themselves from drunkenness. Such persons are not without some sentimentality and, on occasion, are ready to shed tears, grieving over their failed life. But their words are at odds with their deeds. Attempts to start a new life (without alcohol) in most cases are just good wishes and promises that end in another drink.

Thus, we can talk about two sides of the impact of alcohol intoxication on the characterological characteristics of the personality of patients suffering from chronic alcoholism. Some have pronounced traits of self-affirmation, bragging, and overestimation of their personality, while others have passive inertia with a search for compensation in the illusory world of fantasies and fiction, and self-humiliation. In some patients, some characterological personality traits are replaced by others. It must be emphasized that alcohol intoxication creates passivity, inertia, suppresses, or rather inhibits, former energy and creative imagination.

Alcohol sometimes inverts personality: people who were persistent, energetic, active, strong-willed become weak-willed, passive, shy, timid, insecure, and people who are shy, timid, unconfident, somewhat inhibited under the influence of alcohol, on the contrary, become cheeky , demanding, persistent in a certain direction, more frank, but usually lose their intellectual subtlety, refinement, and depth. Subsequently, they turn into passive, indifferent people, whose labor dominance is inhibited, the ethical and moral qualities of the individual decrease depending on the degree of degradation.

Personality degradation according to the psychopathic type

Patients suffering from chronic alcoholism with psychopathic personality changes are irritable, hot-tempered, and prone to mood swings: sometimes a dysphoric, irritable-sad mood, sometimes a melancholy mood with a painful craving for alcohol. The disease in most of these individuals begins in teenage years. Alcohol makes them inferior, not adapted to the environment, they see in it a sedative that gives them the opportunity to forget, to compensate for their inferiority. The shortcomings in the upbringing of such persons in the family, spoilage, connivance of parents, bad company create the ground for episodic alcoholic excesses, which quickly contribute to the emergence and strengthening of painful cravings for alcohol. These patients do not degrade so quickly morally and intellectually. They drink periodically, sometimes for whole weeks and months, until they can be brought out of their stunned, toxic state by one means or another. Many patients at this time are prone to immoral acts. Some of them are withdrawn and drink alone. These are usually people who are indifferent and harsh towards their family. Their mood is mostly gloomy. They are dissatisfied with everything, unsociable, try to hide their drunkenness: when they drink, they lock themselves in their room, hide alcoholic drinks into various “hiding places” in his apartment. Others give more under the influence of alcohol violent reactions, make a scandal, insult loved ones, spit, grind their teeth, swear, hit themselves in the face and head with their fists or try to bang their heads against the wall, throw everything that comes to hand - shoes, watches, dishes, food products. They bite their hands and cause minor injuries to themselves. Such persons do not tolerate contradictions. They try to scare their relatives, run away from home, and threaten everyone.

Carelessness, carelessness, lack of will, gross egocentrism, selfishness, disinhibition of higher and lower emotions, increased affective excitability indicate a kind of hysteria or changes in the psyche of a type similar to the hysterical type of personality degradation. A number of alcoholics become shy, timid, indecisive, and consider themselves “the worst of all” and “lowest of all.” Despite the good inclinations, abilities and even talent they sometimes have, they underestimate themselves, try to stay away, be unnoticed, do not show proper activity, and feel humiliated and disadvantaged. When drunk, their appearance changes: not a trace remains of their inherent uncertainty and humiliation, they begin to praise themselves in every possible way, become picky, angry, remember all the insults and make scandals. They usually say about such people that when sober they wouldn’t hurt a fly, but when drunk they are picky and brawlers.

alcoholism personality rehabilitation

Alcoholism contributes to the development of many diseases in drinking man. It not only destroys his body, destiny, but also his soul. As a result, degradation inevitably occurs. To understand what personality degradation is, you need to take into account that alcohol has a destructive effect not only on the liver and nervous system, but also on the brain. As a result, the brain centers responsible for memory and information transfer suffer and decrease intellectual abilities. In essence, alcohol degradation manifests itself in the fact that for the alcoholic it ceases to exist. the world, only alcohol is important to him. Significant changes occur not only in the appearance of the alcoholic, but also in his character, behavior and thinking. The stronger the degradation of the patient, the lower the level of his intelligence in comparison with the initial development, the weaker his will and narrower his range of interests.

Signs of alcohol degradation

As alcohol dependence develops, the symptoms become more pronounced following signs personality degradation:

A person is only interested in alcoholic drink. He gradually loses interest in everything that is not related to alcohol; he is not interested in his previous hobbies. Any public and family events for him it’s just an opportunity to drink.
Under the influence of alcohol, a person becomes alienated from his family and team at work. Moreover, at the initial stage, the personality is not yet lost to society, since the alcoholic may feel ashamed of his behavior and adequately perceive criticism. However, as degradation occurs, the person begins to avoid communicating with people who condemn his behavior and drunkenness. For an alcoholic, all people are divided into bad (those who judge him) and good (drinking buddies).
Then degradation will manifest itself in the loss of concepts about the rules and norms of behavior in society. The drunkard begins to forget about morality, shame, responsibilities to family, decency and fear.
A degenerating person not only becomes indifferent to criticism, he is not even capable of self-criticism. An alcoholic does not admit that he has an addiction to alcohol.
The process that occurs causes the alcoholic to become resourceful and deceitful in order to come up with plausible excuses at work and at home about his drinking or absence.
As a person degrades, he generally ceases to be interested in the opinions of family and friends and he does not even try to hide his addiction. In response to criticism and remarks, he becomes aggressive and can even get into a fight.

The personality degradation of an alcoholic contributes to the fact that he believes that the whole world is not fair to him, and he deserves better attitude. The person becomes picky and distrustful. Social degradation manifests itself in complete indifference to problems at work, public opinion. An alcoholic will behave familiarly with strangers, pester strangers, show aggression and insult others.

Since alcohol destroys brain structures, the degradation process is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Ethanol destroys the brain center responsible for memory, so a person experiences memory loss.
Speech and mental activity become incoherent.
The person becomes weak-willed.
The ability to self-learn and adapt is lost.
An alcoholic cannot adequately respond to surrounding events.
Mental activity slows down. A person becomes stupid and forgets previously acquired skills.

Important: the destruction of brain structures causes not only memory loss, but also that a person can confuse events, invent them, or lose the chronology of memories.

As a rule, the first signs of degradation of an alcoholic begin to appear after 7-9 years of regular alcohol consumption. But at an early stage they are hardly noticeable to others. However, within a couple of years after the first signs appear, the symptoms become pronounced and visible to everyone. Moreover, against the background of female alcoholism, personality degradation occurs several times faster than in men.

Causes

The reasons for human degradation may be different, but in the case of alcoholics, this is due to the systematic and long-term effects of ethanol on the brain. After alcohol enters the body, a toxic half-life product is formed - acetaldehyde. This toxin destroys cells of various organs, including the brain. Nerve cells the brain does not recover even after stopping drinking alcohol, so the consequences of long-term alcoholism are degradation and dementia.

The toxic effects of alcohol on the brain lead to degradation for the following reasons:

Alcohol increases blood clotting and constricts blood vessels, which causes oxygen starvation of the brain. Oxygen starvation is also facilitated by the fact that ethanol, combining with blood cells, causes disruption of gas exchange processes in the body. As a result, brain cells that are particularly sensitive to lack of oxygen quickly die.
Alcoholism also affects liver function. Because of this, this organ produces less glucose, which is needed for the normal functioning of brain structures. It also promotes the death of brain cells.
Our meninges are made up of 15 billion neurons, each of which is powered by its own microscopic capillary, through which red blood cells can pass only one at a time - in a row. Alcohol causes red blood cells to clump together and clog these capillaries, leading to neuron death.

Attention: further alcohol abuse causes serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, affecting the medulla oblongata and spinal cord. This may result in coma or death.

Types of personality degradation

Astheno-neurosis-like. The manifestation of this form of degradation is expressed in insomnia, psychosis, absent-mindedness, irritability, loss of strength, sudden changes in mood, and suspiciousness. A person may have neurosis, which manifests itself in cardiac dysfunction and pain in different parts of the body.
A person can deteriorate according to the alcoholic type. At the same time, he becomes weak-willed, loses his former interests, becomes untied and cynical, and loses shame.
There is also a definition of alcohol-organic degradation. This form is characterized by memory impairment and severe dullness.
Psychopathic-like degradation is more common in young people suffering from alcoholism and experiencing feelings of inferiority. At first, alcohol adds to their self-confidence, but gradually replaces all other values. In this case, alcohol degradation manifests itself in neurasthenia and hysterics.

Important: treatment of alcohol degradation and reverse development of the process is possible only at an early stage. Subsequently, the disease is considered irreversible.

Astheno-neurosis-like degradation

The personality degradation of an alcoholic according to this type manifests itself in irritability and asthenia. This leads to constant sleep problems. The patient sleeps for 2-5 hours, so in order to get enough sleep, the person is forced to take a large dose of alcohol at night.

The clinical manifestations of the disease are as follows:

The leading symptom is emotionality and excessive excitability.
Decline of physical and mental strength.
Irritability.
Memory impairment and absent-mindedness.
Decreased performance.
It is difficult for a person to concentrate.
Suspiciousness, tendency to mania and obsessive thoughts.
Frequent mood changes.
Problems with the functioning of the heart.
Sexual weakness (sexual function is enhanced by drinking alcohol).
Body pain, migraine.

The main feature of such patients is that while he is not yet a complete alcoholic, the person is ready and wants to be treated. If a person receives adequate and correct treatment, and also gives up alcohol, then after some time the syndrome will gradually go away.

Alcohol degradation

This form of the disease is characterized by various emotional disorders, which are caused by a lack of adequacy, regulation and significance of emotions. Such alcoholics are characterized by duplicity. A person can support his interlocutor, but in fact treat him with disdain.

The following features predominate in human behavior:

The alcoholic's will weakens.
Suggestibility increases.
The circle of interests is narrowing.
The person neglects his responsibilities to his family and team.
The patient ignores his safety and is irresponsible about his health.
Cynicism and untied behavior predominate.
A person loses shame and disgust.
His judgments are superficial.
He is often in a carefree, almost euphoric mood.
Hypocrisy and lack of self-criticism.
Memory impairment.
Decreased concentration.
The desire to work disappears.

Important: patients with this form of degradation are aware of their condition and behavior, but completely lack the will to change the situation.

Alcohol-organic degradation

Typically, this form of degradation occurs in people with the following diseases:

Alcoholic encephalopathy.
Residual effects after traumatic brain injury.
Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels.

This type of personality change is characterized by the following clinical manifestations:

Volitional and affective personality disorder.
Sluggish thinking.
Memory impairment, decreased intelligence.
Increased talkativeness.
Complete lack of will (a person cannot refuse drinking).
Increased sentimentality.
Loss of dignity.
A person plunges into a fantasy world to escape from life's problems.

Sometimes such alcoholics blur the line between the fictional world and reality. Some invent events and talk about them, others can understand what problems they have because of drunkenness, they promise to quit drinking, but due to weakness of will they do not do this.

Psychopathic type

Such people are overly irritable and prone to sudden mood swings. The disease usually begins at a young age. Due to alcohol consumption, a person becomes inferior and unadapted to life situations. Alcohol allows them to level out their inferiority.

The process of personal decomposition of such patients lasts a very long time. At this time, prolonged drinking bouts and immoral acts may occur. Very often such people are withdrawn, stern and indifferent to others and loved ones. They tend to be in a gloomy mood and drink alone.

In this type of patient, alcohol can provoke outbursts of hysteria, scandals with throwing objects and banging their heads against the wall. These people do not like to be contradicted. They may threaten, frighten or run away from home. Some alcoholics are timid and insecure, but under the influence of alcohol they turn into angry, arrogant and picky people.