Bulgaria continues to be among the countries with the highest alcohol consumption in Europe and the world. World Health Organization data show that Bulgarians over the age of 15 drink just over 11 liters of pure alcohol per year. Beer is the leader in preferences, followed by wine and spirits. However, when does drinking become an addiction and how can people with alcoholism be helped?
According to unofficial data, over 200 thousand alcoholics live in our country, nova.bg pointed out. Regarding the risks of drinking, the statistics are even more worrying, and the health consequences are serious. Bulgaria loses an average of 6 and a half years per person due to alcohol, the economic impact is also great. Self-help groups help alcoholics in therapy, there are in almost every city, consultations with a psychologist, and in the case of serious addiction - treatment is in the hands of psychiatrists, the patient, with the support of his family, friends, colleagues.
After 30 years in the grip of alcohol, he is one of the patients of the addiction department at the Center for Mental Illness in Ruse. We are hiding his face and name because he has a prestigious profession and does not want people to know about this addiction.
“Finally, I started in the morning, it was interfering with my work”, the addict shares.
He sought help because he realized that he would not be able to cope on his own. Awareness of the problem is the first step in treating this addiction, says the treating psychiatrist Dr. Stanislav Ivanov.
“Then comes humility, knowing that this is a higher power, you just have to accept it and go along with this problem”, he explained.
Most alcoholics are forced to enter treatment.
“They are worried about being admitted to a psychiatric facility. They are afraid of the conditions, the stigma, the image, what people will say”, Dr. Ivanov also said.
Alcohol consumption is socially acceptable behavior in our latitudes. A few drinks at banquets, company parties, celebrations do not make us alcoholics, doctors say, emphasizing that only three percent of people develop an addiction.
Alcohol addiction often develops after experiencing personal or professional crises, disappointments, or stress.