Online Alcoholism Treatment

Alcohol brands are prominent on the social scene all across the world. These products, whether infused in beverages or ingested as concentrates, are the driving force behind a market that is expected to reach $1,684 by 2025. As it continues to deliver new product formulations to its consumers, this market is rapidly expanding beyond market predictions. The idea is that the alcohol industry will continue to grow in terms of revenue and production volume as long as people find a reason to socialize and celebrate in style. The rising incidence of alcohol-related risky behaviors and alcohol substance use disorders is currently a big issue with the popularity of alcohol.

A report on the prevalence of drinking, binge drinking, and harmful alcohol use in the United States was released in 2019 by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. According to statistics, approximately 87 percent of those aged 18 and up have a favorable history of alcohol usage. About a quarter of the people in this group admitted to binge drinking at least once in the previous month. This study reflects the global alcohol problem, as healthcare services continue to grow to make room for anti-alcohol awareness initiatives.

Getting Help Through the Internet

The Lancet published a scientific investigation in 2018 that looked into the validity of various claims about alcohol's health benefits in humans. The goal of this study was to determine the level of exposure over a range of relative risks. The main goal was to correct misconceptions in previously published studies on the effects of alcohol on biological systems. The researchers said in their conclusion that;

"Alcohol (use) is a major worldwide health problem, and minor reductions in health-related damages at low levels of alcohol use are balanced by the increased risk of other health-related problems, such as cancer."

Many people are becoming more comfortable with the idea of seeking counseling online. People occasionally utilize internet resources to look up information regarding alcohol and its effects on living a healthy lifestyle. Medicine's reach has widened dramatically as a result of recent advances in information and communication technology. Self-care applications and do-it-yourself medical websites provide a wealth of information on medical treatment and management strategies for alcoholism. Obtaining information regarding home care for the management of alcohol-related medical problems is currently simple with a smartphone and a reliable internet connection. Despite the fact that many of the health information sources on the website are unverifiable, individuals rely on them every day.

Modern medicine has benefited from telemedicine. As a result, it has widened the scope of remote treatment options for alcoholics. In telemedicine, online doctor services are considered authority stakeholders. A staff of licensed clinicians, registered medical laboratories, and a chain of pharmacies make up these services. Using a two-way video technology platform, this team provides medical care to a patient remotely. Patients who sign up for this service can arrange an online consultation with a specialist, enter personal health information, and receive an online prescription from a clinician. Patients who are being treated for substance use disorders are kept under constant observation, with therapy being monitored and the risk of relapse being addressed.

Alcoholism Treatment and the Online Doctor Service

Online medical services are ideal for managing health concerns that may not necessitate emergency treatment or hospitalization. These services implement and monitor medical care plans for registered patients using the latest innovations in information and communication technology. These services, unlike traditional ways of healthcare delivery, allow patients to arrange an appointment online, submit health records, and obtain an online prescription. In many parts of the world, telemedicine treatment for alcoholism is still a relatively new practice; yet, therapy regimens for alcoholics have previously been devised on this platform.

In terms of substance use disorders, these therapeutic procedures are similar to physical sessions. Virtual doctors can examine the patient, determine the severity of the ailment, administer cognitive behavioral treatment, and, if necessary, write an online prescription. The treatment plan for alcoholism on online doctor networks is convenient, privately delivered, relatively affordable, sustained over lengthy periods of time, and not necessarily delivered in a clinical context, as opposed to formal in-person hospital appointments. A patient can be treated anonymously in addition to having their therapy monitored remotely.

Smartphone applications, interactive voice recognition, voice prompts, and comprehensive internet interactive forums can all be used to conduct an alcoholism therapy session. The virtual doctor can establish a secure two-way connection with the patient using voice prompt technology and smartphone apps. In-app software that provides messaging prompts and pre-recorded video sessions is used to perform alcoholism therapy alternatives such as cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and contingency management. These tools aid in the development of a customised addiction treatment plan that puts the patient in charge.

Many online doctor services use the Sinclair approach to alcoholism management as a popular alcohol therapy alternative. This therapy, developed in the 1980s by Dr. John Sinclair, is a medication-based strategy that uses Naltrexone. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist that suppresses the euphoric feeling associated with heavy drinking. It is given as a dose-controlled medicine. This medicine functioned biologically by inhibiting the actions of endogenous opioids on opioid receptors in the brain, which decreases the rewarding, euphoric feeling experienced by habitual alcoholics. Naltrexone steadily reduces an alcoholic's craving for high amounts of alcohol products by suppressing this common alcohol-use reward.

Clinical studies examining the efficiency of the Sinclair technique in the treatment of alcoholism have found that it has a 78 percent success rate. Once the treatment course is completed, the rate of relapse and therapy failure is minimal when compared to other therapy approaches. An online doctor can write a prescription for Naltrexone and change it as the patient's treatment advances. The virtual doctor can give real-time medical information about the therapy plan, support a patient in limiting the level of daily alcohol use, and track the rate of medication adherence using in-app voice prompts, text messages, and pre-recorded films.

Virtual doctors' responsibilities in healthcare delivery are quickly rising as they manage substance use disorder on a telemedicine network. Because many diseases do not necessitate immediate hospitalization, home care at the patient's convenience is regarded the most practicable approach of providing optimal care. Many doctors believe that in the future, telemedicine will help to minimize the global health burden of substance abuse diseases.