Alcohol Abuse- Rehabs treating more high school, university students
Sep 07, 2009
CHARLES Mubiru, a 55-year-old medical surgeon, has been to Butabika mental asylum twice due to heavy drinking. Mubiru, who is now unemployed, has been fired at four jobs. His children rely on their mothers for tuition.
By Gilbert Kidimu
CHARLES Mubiru, a 55-year-old medical surgeon, has been to Butabika mental asylum twice due to heavy drinking. Mubiru, who is now unemployed, has been fired at four jobs. His children rely on their mothers for tuition.
In spite of his level of education, Mubiru’s friends comprise illiterate drunkards who depend on him for alcohol. His sister says Mubiru was one of the best students in high school.
At university, he was admitted on government sponsorship to pursue medicine. “He should be a consultant or owning a hospital like most of his schoolmates,†she says.
But Mubiru is just one of the few alcoholics who seek treatment. Everyday one is likely to bump into drunkards who have lost their way home.
Since alcohol consumption is not the problem but over-consumption, where does one draw the line?
Roger Nsereko, a psychologist at Butabika Hospital, says addiction involves drinking ceaselessly. Once one starts, he ensures the barrels are dry, before he can return home.
Basangwa says most alcoholics at Butabika Hospital are teenagers, especially high school and university students.
Edgar Bbosa, 23, started drinking when he was a teenager. During his S.4 holidays, he took a shot at drinking.
“The social life in bars was a lot of fun. I started with beer, but had to resort to waragi because beer was expensive,†he explains.
Although Bbosa got drank on a number of occasions, he never drunk too much as to sleep on the streets. This made him comfortable, seeing that his drinking tendencies did not have glaring consequences.
However, Bbosa eventually quit drinking after realising the emptiness every morning. His grades had significantly dropped.
“When I sat down one day and thought about my future, I realised drinking would get me nowhere. Many of the friends I used to drink with have got into trouble because of alcohol; some have been imprisoned due to crimes they committed while drunk,†he says.
Eighty-year-old Jerome Wesonga had to quit drinking, following a doctor’s advice. Alcoholism damages body organs, predisposes one to liver cirrhosis, impairs brain functioning and, among expectant mothers, it could lead to abnormal births.
“Alcoholics face social challenges in almost all spheres,†says Nsereko. Some people sell their property to get money for alcohol.
Thirty percent of the patients at Butabika mental hospital are alcoholics,†says Basangwa. But the good news is alcoholism can be cured though it may take a while.
In 2004, Uganda was ranked by the World Health Organisation as the country with the highest consumption of alcohol in Africa and the second, worldwide.
Treatment
According to Nsereko, recovery requires people living with the victim to advise and persuade one to seek medical help. A health worker only enhances the person’s ability to accept care.
“The first step is detoxification, where the person’s system is cleansed. Alcohol-related problems like anaemia are also treated, followed by counselling,†he explains.
The second stage is relapse prevention, where a patient is given medication to control the urge to drink. The recovery period varies from person to person although most patients take about a month.
Early signs
Early signs of alcoholism include frequent intoxication, heavy drinking and risky drinking such as when driving. Others include black-out drinking or a drastic change in demeanour while drinking, such as consistently becoming angry or violent.
The commonest symptom of alcohol abuse is continuous drinking after one has had recurrent problems. This includes missing work, drunk-driving.
“The person with a drinking problem can get help before the problem intensifies,†says Basangwa. However once the addiction sets in, for instance getting to a point of insanity, one should seek treatment from a mental health facility.
“Regional referral hospitals in the country have mental health units, for example Mulago and Butabika hospitals and the services are free,†says Joshua Ssebunya, a clinical researcher.
A number of private medical centres provide mental health services. These include Butabika Hospital, National Recovery Centre in Bweyogerere and Serenity Centre in Nsambya. “Most private hospitals charge sh40,000 a day,†says Ssebunya.
Why people drink
Dr. David Basangwa of Butabika Hospital says: “Alcoholism is a disease and anyone is equally prone. Drinking is a social activity, although some people are predisposed to becoming alcoholics.â€
On average, 20% of the people who drink get to a dangerous level.
Roger Nsereko, a psychologist at Butabika Hospital, says alcoholism can be genetic. “If both parents are alcoholics, chances are the children will follow suit.â€
Environmental factors are also responsible for the rise in excessive alcohol consumption. If alcohol is easily accessible, over-advertised and the laws are weak; consumption increases, especially among young people.
Nsereko says some people drink because of underlying mental disorders. In case of stress, anxiety and depression, drunkenness could provide temporary relief.
Withdrawal symptoms
When heavy or frequent drinkers suddenly decide to quit “cold turkey†they will experience some physical withdrawal symptoms, which range from the mildly annoying to severe and even life-threatening.
The severity of these symptoms is dependent upon how “chemically dependent†one has become. It is difficult for one to stop drinking on their own without support.
But with the onset of withdrawal symptoms, also comes craving more alcohol. The body is telling the drinker that it needs alcohol.
As the physical symptoms of withdrawal begin to increase, taking another drink becomes less painful than not taking one.
The struggle to fight the withdrawal symptoms can become a dangerous battle — one that can become life-threatening.
For some, who are less chemically-dependent, withdrawal symptoms might be as “mild†as merely getting the shakes, or the sweats — or perhaps nausea, headache, anxiety, a rapid heart beat and increased blood pressure.
Although these symptoms are uncomfortable and irritating, they are not necessarily dangerous. But they are often accompanied by the craving more alcohol, making the decision to quit more difficult.
Even the hangover of someone who only occasionally drinks to excess, is a mild form of alcohol withdrawal from the excesses of the night before, as the alcohol content of their blood begins to drop. The symptoms can appear within a few hours after not drinking.
However, within six to 48 hours after not drinking, hallucinations may develop. These usually are visual hallucinations but they can also involve sounds and smells.
They can last for a few hours up to weeks at a time. Also within this time frame after quitting, convulsions or seizures can occur, which is the point at which alcohol withdrawal can become dangerous, if not medically treated.
The symptoms may progress to delirium tremens after three to five days without alcohol. The symptoms include profound confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity and extreme cardiovascular disturbances.
Once delirium tremens begin, there is no known medical treatment to stop them.
Online sources
CHARLES Mubiru, a 55-year-old medical surgeon, has been to Butabika mental asylum twice due to heavy drinking. Mubiru, who is now unemployed, has been fired at four jobs. His children rely on their mothers for tuition.
In spite of his level of education, Mubiru’s friends comprise illiterate drunkards who depend on him for alcohol. His sister says Mubiru was one of the best students in high school.
At university, he was admitted on government sponsorship to pursue medicine. “He should be a consultant or owning a hospital like most of his schoolmates,†she says.
But Mubiru is just one of the few alcoholics who seek treatment. Everyday one is likely to bump into drunkards who have lost their way home.
Since alcohol consumption is not the problem but over-consumption, where does one draw the line?
Roger Nsereko, a psychologist at Butabika Hospital, says addiction involves drinking ceaselessly. Once one starts, he ensures the barrels are dry, before he can return home.
Basangwa says most alcoholics at Butabika Hospital are teenagers, especially high school and university students.
Edgar Bbosa, 23, started drinking when he was a teenager. During his S.4 holidays, he took a shot at drinking.
“The social life in bars was a lot of fun. I started with beer, but had to resort to waragi because beer was expensive,†he explains.
Although Bbosa got drank on a number of occasions, he never drunk too much as to sleep on the streets. This made him comfortable, seeing that his drinking tendencies did not have glaring consequences.
However, Bbosa eventually quit drinking after realising the emptiness every morning. His grades had significantly dropped.
“When I sat down one day and thought about my future, I realised drinking would get me nowhere. Many of the friends I used to drink with have got into trouble because of alcohol; some have been imprisoned due to crimes they committed while drunk,†he says.
Eighty-year-old Jerome Wesonga had to quit drinking, following a doctor’s advice. Alcoholism damages body organs, predisposes one to liver cirrhosis, impairs brain functioning and, among expectant mothers, it could lead to abnormal births.
“Alcoholics face social challenges in almost all spheres,†says Nsereko. Some people sell their property to get money for alcohol.
Thirty percent of the patients at Butabika mental hospital are alcoholics,†says Basangwa. But the good news is alcoholism can be cured though it may take a while.
In 2004, Uganda was ranked by the World Health Organisation as the country with the highest consumption of alcohol in Africa and the second, worldwide.
Treatment
According to Nsereko, recovery requires people living with the victim to advise and persuade one to seek medical help. A health worker only enhances the person’s ability to accept care.
“The first step is detoxification, where the person’s system is cleansed. Alcohol-related problems like anaemia are also treated, followed by counselling,†he explains.
The second stage is relapse prevention, where a patient is given medication to control the urge to drink. The recovery period varies from person to person although most patients take about a month.
Early signs
Early signs of alcoholism include frequent intoxication, heavy drinking and risky drinking such as when driving. Others include black-out drinking or a drastic change in demeanour while drinking, such as consistently becoming angry or violent.
The commonest symptom of alcohol abuse is continuous drinking after one has had recurrent problems. This includes missing work, drunk-driving.
“The person with a drinking problem can get help before the problem intensifies,†says Basangwa. However once the addiction sets in, for instance getting to a point of insanity, one should seek treatment from a mental health facility.
“Regional referral hospitals in the country have mental health units, for example Mulago and Butabika hospitals and the services are free,†says Joshua Ssebunya, a clinical researcher.
A number of private medical centres provide mental health services. These include Butabika Hospital, National Recovery Centre in Bweyogerere and Serenity Centre in Nsambya. “Most private hospitals charge sh40,000 a day,†says Ssebunya.
Why people drink
Dr. David Basangwa of Butabika Hospital says: “Alcoholism is a disease and anyone is equally prone. Drinking is a social activity, although some people are predisposed to becoming alcoholics.â€
On average, 20% of the people who drink get to a dangerous level.
Roger Nsereko, a psychologist at Butabika Hospital, says alcoholism can be genetic. “If both parents are alcoholics, chances are the children will follow suit.â€
Environmental factors are also responsible for the rise in excessive alcohol consumption. If alcohol is easily accessible, over-advertised and the laws are weak; consumption increases, especially among young people.
Nsereko says some people drink because of underlying mental disorders. In case of stress, anxiety and depression, drunkenness could provide temporary relief.
Withdrawal symptoms
When heavy or frequent drinkers suddenly decide to quit “cold turkey†they will experience some physical withdrawal symptoms, which range from the mildly annoying to severe and even life-threatening.
The severity of these symptoms is dependent upon how “chemically dependent†one has become. It is difficult for one to stop drinking on their own without support.
But with the onset of withdrawal symptoms, also comes craving more alcohol. The body is telling the drinker that it needs alcohol.
As the physical symptoms of withdrawal begin to increase, taking another drink becomes less painful than not taking one.
The struggle to fight the withdrawal symptoms can become a dangerous battle — one that can become life-threatening.
For some, who are less chemically-dependent, withdrawal symptoms might be as “mild†as merely getting the shakes, or the sweats — or perhaps nausea, headache, anxiety, a rapid heart beat and increased blood pressure.
Although these symptoms are uncomfortable and irritating, they are not necessarily dangerous. But they are often accompanied by the craving more alcohol, making the decision to quit more difficult.
Even the hangover of someone who only occasionally drinks to excess, is a mild form of alcohol withdrawal from the excesses of the night before, as the alcohol content of their blood begins to drop. The symptoms can appear within a few hours after not drinking.
However, within six to 48 hours after not drinking, hallucinations may develop. These usually are visual hallucinations but they can also involve sounds and smells.
They can last for a few hours up to weeks at a time. Also within this time frame after quitting, convulsions or seizures can occur, which is the point at which alcohol withdrawal can become dangerous, if not medically treated.
The symptoms may progress to delirium tremens after three to five days without alcohol. The symptoms include profound confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity and extreme cardiovascular disturbances.
Once delirium tremens begin, there is no known medical treatment to stop them.
Online sources