Long-term alcoholic, female kindergarten teacher had to be hospitalized in a mental hospital

Dang Thu Mai (35 years old) is the principal of a private kindergarten in Hanoi . Successful in her job and having a happy family, Mai is addicted to alcohol.

The woman said she had been drinking for more than 5 years. Previously, Mai opened a restaurant and occasionally drank alcohol with customers. However, Mai's business failed and she had to close the restaurant. Tired of work and her children being sick, Mai drank a few glasses to relieve stress.

The bitter taste of alcohol helped her feel more comfortable and calm. Gradually, whenever she faced pressure, Mai turned to alcohol. Drinking alcohol became a habit, then an indispensable need for women.

Every time Mai came home drunk, she cried, sang, and talked nonsense, and their relationship became strained. Many times Mai's husband advised her to quit drinking, but after only a few days, she returned to alcohol. Without alcohol, Mai had trouble sleeping, and even became anxious, restless, and irritable when she was stressed at work.

After a long period of drinking, the female teacher appeared mentally unstable.

"Mai used to be very gentle and never got angry, but after a business failure, my wife drank alcohol regularly and her personality changed. She got angry with her husband and children, sometimes remembered and sometimes forgot," Mai's husband shared.

Fearing the impact on his wife's health as well as family happiness, Ms. Mai's husband decided to take his wife to see a psychiatrist to find a solution.

Through examination and medical history, the doctor diagnosed Mai with alcoholism.

According to Dr. Tran Thi Hong Thu, Deputy Director of Mai Huong Daytime Psychiatric Hospital (Hanoi), alcohol addiction is a strong desire, requiring frequent drinking, forming habits, personality disorders, reducing the ability to work, affecting health, and causing economic and social losses.

"To assess whether a person is an alcoholic, in the early stages, the alcoholic has some signs such as personality changes, memory disorders, irritability, fatigue, headaches, poor sleep, cravings for alcohol, reduced ability and productivity at work ," said Dr. Thu, adding that alcohol is one of the causes of psychosis, memory loss, insomnia, stroke, addiction, agitation and violence.

Alcoholism in medicine is considered a disease classified in the psychiatric specialty because it causes effects on the brain. Treatment of alcoholism needs to be combined between the psychiatric specialty and other specialties that specialize in diseases caused by alcohol.

According to Dr. Thu, there are many causes of alcohol addiction, the main group of causes being environmental factors that make it easy to access addictive substances, followed by psychological factors and brain biochemistry, possibly due to genetics.

Severe cases of alcoholism must go to a medical facility to quit. Doctors will prescribe alcohol withdrawal medications and sleep aids to treat the patient to reduce tremors and delirium tremens. In addition, the patient will also receive support, encouragement, and daily monitoring of the patient's progress.

Nguyen Ngoan

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