Jan Ullrich makes a withdrawal: addiction expert explains, what will happen now to him

According to the alcohol and drug excesses cyclist Jan Ullrich has announced a four-week withdrawal. Addiction expert Jörg Petersson describes at FOCUS Online, what to expect in therapy and how the chances are that he will relapse.

2002 Jan Ullrich built a car accident and committed hit-and-run. The police picked him up, however, and showed his blood alcohol concentration of 1.4 ppm. In the following year, a spontaneous doping test was for him to be positive. Since then, messages about the cyclist and his excesses accumulate. Now he seems to be at a new low point is reached and announced, to want to a withdrawal. To his own, but especially the Welfare of his children.

FOCUS Online spoke with Interventioner and addiction expert Jörg Petersson, advises in his Psychological practice for addiction issues, in particular, relatives of the unwilling addict. In the Interview, the psychologist from Osnabrück, in what is expected to be Jan Ullrich in an addiction therapy explained – and how his chances are, to get off the drugs. “When the environment permits, the failure of the addiction treatment is as good as,” he warns.

As Petersson explains, is a addiction treatment consists of three phases: The clinical detoxification, inpatient Rehabilitation and outpatient Rehabilitation.

Step one: Clinical detoxification

What the majority of people under the “withdrawal” understanding the clinical detoxification. It is held stationary, and under the supervision of Doctors, and typically takes five to seven days. “During this time, the Doctors let high alcohol and drug concentrations of ‘tapering’. You do that with the help of drugs that contain similar-looking substances and low-dosed. Especially the 14-day “Qualified detoxification”, in which the Patient for further Rehabilitation will be motivated has been proven. So he can come “with a clear mind” to a decision.

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Step two: Inpatient Rehabilitation

Then the so-called “weaning”. She is also stationary, and lasts for three to four weeks, during which the Doctors and therapists are trying with the help of, for example, individual, group, or body therapy, to ensure abstinence. In this time, the actual cessation is to take place, so the Patient recognize the root of his problem, and cutting, as well as about the risks of addiction disorders will be elucidated.

Brain metabolism returns to normal is not easy

Physical withdrawal is no longer an issue are phenomena already after clinical detoxification: “alcohol is eliminated at the latest after 72 hours completely from the body,” explains psychologist Petersson. “The metabolism returns to normal gradually. However, the Brain metabolism is still need for a while“. In particular, the “addiction memory” is indelibly enshrined. This, the scientists have identified as the crux of the cessation: years later it can come to the so-called “Cravings”, so insatiable Demand, if a recovering alcoholic sees a bottle of wine. In the clinic, he learns to deal with it.

Step three: Outpatient Rehabilitation, and aftercare

The third part of the withdrawal, the aftercare, and attaches the expert of the highest importance: “most important of all of this is the social environment of the person Concerned. In addition to the outpatient Rehabilitation, which takes place in the counselling agencies of welfare associations such as Diakonie, Caritas and AWO, it is also important that the people in the environment of the patient to strengthen his back and taking him back into Addiction.

Not at all overestimated the importance of self-help groups for the abstinence success. Alcoholics anonymous, Blue cross, cross, Federal, and the many independent groups in the first months and years, an indispensable security for the now-dry alcoholic.

For the Affected, according to Petersson is important that he accepts himself, but also socially integrated feel. The environment is not an easy task – with this condition and the success of the addiction treatment case.

“But fear not, appeased the expert: “Experience has shown that the greatest risk of relapse is in the first six months. And after two years, it has managed to it in the rule.

How hard patients have to fight for a successful treatment, is demonstrated by a number. 60 percent of all addicts suffer according to the Borwin Bandelow, following the withdrawal of a relapse, even, if you keep the therapy, as the physician says to the image. A relapse is a danger, therefore, also in the case of Ullrich. In the case of cocaine the relapse rate spent also at about 60 percent, according to Bandelow.

There is a connection between athletes and drug affinity?

Now Jan Ullrich is not the first high-performance athletes, the power with drug use headlines. For example, the Italian Cycling colleague, Marco Pantani had a drug problem, died in the year 2004 from an Overdose of cocaine. Addiction expert Petersson sees a direct connection between performance sports and drug use. “Sport is healthy. Performance sports can be very, very unhealthy,“ he explains. “Athletes push their bodies to their limits. To be able to bear it, pouring substances in the body, high doses of the body’s own “addiction” from: adrenaline, dopamine, endorphins, and many more – the effect is ultimately the same as cocaine, Heroin and opiates.”

Body’s own drugs for Kick – and depression

Sport encourages, therefore, the Distribute of the body’s own narcotics. If you stop with the high-performance sport, and had only normalize his body functions, “but also his Brain metabolism. “Otherwise, you will not, for example, suddenly enough dopamine to feel joy,” explains the expert. The end is often in a depressive hole. Seen in this way, a connection between sports performance and vulnerability to drugs obvious seems.

“Addicted to you – addicted to you”

“In the case of Jan Ullrich’s genetic predisposition, in addition, the alcoholic father,” stresses Petersson. “Addicted to you, addicted to you is” who does the potential for addiction is in the genes, really. This could also be the reason why Ullrich was already so early with alcohol and drugs and it never managed to recover from that.

Jan Ullrich: The crash of a Cycling legend

  • Drinking and driving, this happens to him, already on 1. May 2002. With 1.4 per Mille Ullrich building in the vicinity of the Freiburg main train station, in a car accident and flees the scene. He has to give up a year of his driver’s license.
  • In the case of an unannounced doping test on 12. June 2002, Ullrich is demonstrated in the use of amphetamines. He gives a discount to visit the “two pills” swallowed and is locked for six months.
  • The Tour 2006 is to be held without Ullrich. Due to Doping allegations, he was suspended by his Team.
  • Ullrich had denied the doping allegations and, in his Swiss homeland Scherzingen withdrawn. The contract with the T-Mobile Team was first, placed on ice, then resolved.
  • At a press conference in Hamburg, Ullrich was on 26. February 2007, his retirement from Cycling and took the verbal attack – he reckoned with his critics, who suspected him of doping.
  • Before the regional court of Hamburg proceedings against Ullrich runs for a long time. The molecular biologist Werner Franke supplies with him in a private feud. He had accused the former professional cyclist, to the Spanish Doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes money for the purchase of illegal substances is paid. In contrast, Ullrich had complained.
  • Jan Ullrich was on 9. February 2012 spoken by the CAS for doping guilty.
  • Jan Ullrich provides then with his explanation of his Fuentes-past for resentment. In FOCUS Interview in June 2013, he admits openly that our blood doping.
  • 19. May 2014 debt Jan Ullrich with his Audi a car accident in the Swiss Canon of the Canton of Thurgau. He was a drunk. As a result, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison on probation.
  • In June, 2018 Jan Ullrich has announced the separation from his wife in 2006, they had married. “My heart is broken, my knee is broken. I’m a mess”,-quotes the former Cycling professional from the magazine “Bunte”. “I always thought that Sara’s coming back to me. I stirred in six months not a drop of alcohol. Just since Easter I drink again.” He will now live according to his rules, so Ullrich: “I drink and smoke when I feel like it.”
  • Til Schweiger’s estate on Mallorca, there was apparently a scuffle, whereupon the former professional cyclist Jan Ullrich was led away in handcuffs.

Why is it Ullrich harder than others

The former professional cyclist, it is likely to have the therapy much more difficult than other patients. Psychiatry-Professor Tom Bschor said in an interview with t-online.de He has sick much more severe than other addictions, because his fate is now being followed from around the country, because he needs to be screened in the clinic, so that he can participate only to a limited extent to the actually important group therapies. These circumstances will be an additional burden for Ullrich during his withdrawal.