2024-01-06 08:00:00
It is often presented as an essential ingredient of celebration and conviviality. But for many, many people, it has become the opposite. Alcohol plays an important place in our society. Those who become addicted to it often have the same word on their lips: hell! Stopping drinking is a complicated process, which requires time and, above all, help.
In Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, the testimonies are often powerful. “I lost everything, sometimes I urinated on myself, I defecated on myself“, we can hear. “I lost all relationship with my son and my partner kicked me out“, we hear immediately followingwards.
It is on Monday evenings that the Ciplet Alcoholics Anonymous group holds its weekly meeting. Véronique, one of the participants, experienced several relapses. She was convinced for years that she would be able to manage her consumption. “Last time, in a few days, I drank my glasses once more and there we go once more“.
“When you have been an alcoholic and you stop, you first have terrible anxiety regarding knowing what you are going to do without alcohol.“, testifies a participant. Alcoholics Anonymous, in French-speaking Belgium, are 3,500 participants divided into 200 self-managed groups, because here, there is no hierarchy. “I recovered thanks to the unconditional love I found in meetings“, testifies an abstainer.
The beginning of abstinence is always complicated: mutual assistance is one of the foundations of “AA”. Jennifer, another participant, remembers her first meeting. “I remember asking if I would be able to have a drink at my wedding and being told to take 24 hours at a time“, she explains.
Alarming figures from the WHO
According to the WHO, between 3 and 10% of adults consume too much alcohol. On the front line of this problem, there is often a general practitioner. “Type 2 diabetes is sometimes highlighted and liver pathologies can also be linked to blood alcohol levels.“, explains Luc Herry, general practitioner, who explains that according to him, 4 out of 10 patients he meets have a problem with alcohol.
With those who consume around 5,6 or 7 glasses every day, with dialogue and help, the risk of complications can help, but for those who count in liters it is more complicated. “The alcoholic gets up in the morning shaking and sweating and is forced to drink once more to feel good.“, notes the doctor.
A priceless reward
The Reine Astrid clinic in Malmedy is one of the places where withdrawal is possible. In case of strong dependence, eliminating alcohol all at once is not without risks and doing it alone is not recommended. “There are epileptic seizures or dangerous psychotic episodes“, notes Philippe Noel, doctor specializing in the supervision of withdrawals. Weaning generally lasts 10 to 15 days and in Malmedy, patients follow, following the hospital, an following-treatment.
Stays in boarding schools can sometimes last a year, but on the road to abstinence, relapses can occur. Those who push the door of Alcoholics Anonymous have less than a half chance of getting out, but for those who hang in there, the reward is priceless: “I came to a meeting to stop drinking and start living“, concludes an abstainer.
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