At the Copenhagen Institution for Chronic Alcoholics drinking oneself to death is serious business

The Copenhagen Institution for Chronic Alcoholics is unlike any other, think “One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Jack Nicholson for a warden. The Institute doesn’t stop  the thirty-nine men and women who live there from drinking, they encourage it. Photographer Casper Dalhoff of Vice Magazine recently compiled a photo-essay of the institute’s unique approach to alcoholism.

For many alcoholics who have reached the chronic stage, quitting is not an option. In fact, for advanced alkies, putting an end to drinking can quickly lead to death, as years of relentless boozing alters one’s metabolism to the point that a sudden lack of the sauce will wreak havoc. The symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal include a dangerously accelerated heart rate, palpitations, catatonia, and hallucinations.

Full story: The river Styx is full of booze – Vice Magazine