5 Stages Of Alcoholism

Drinking is usually a social event among this younger set, and they collectively binge drink as a way of partying. They may not be regular drinkers, but binge drinking alone still puts them at risk of developing alcohol use disorder. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking occurs when, within two hours, a person reaches a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater. For women, depending on body weight, this usually requires four drinks, and in men, it requires five drinks in 2 hours. However, many binge drinkers will exceed the four or five drink mark and experience higher levels of BAC as well as a host of debilitating physical and mental side effects. Alcohol addiction treatment can occur at any of the stages of alcoholism.

A person may be diagnosed with AUD if their drinking has started to negatively affect important aspects of their life. Addiction is not always an easy condition to identify, especially from the outside. That said, there are a number of certain behaviors to look for when determining if you or a loved one is suffering from Drug rehabilitation AUD. No two people develop an addiction to alcohol in the same way because everyone is unique. Everyone’s unique biology, environment, and upbringing can play a role in how addiction can develop and affect their lives. The specific triggers, progression, and causes of addiction will always vary from person to person.

The Second Stage: Risky Use And Recklessness

At this point, drinking is no longer for pleasure – it is a need that one can simply not do without. There are constant cravings for the substance, one finds oneself thinking about drinking at the oddest times, and there is little satisfaction in drinking in small quantities. For instance, if one started to experiment with alcohol with a beer every other day, after a while, one may notice that a beer every other day feels nothing. There is a craving to achieve the previously experienced effects again. When that craving happens, one finds that “a beer every other day” increases to “two beers” and then “three beers” as tolerance levels of the body to alcohol increase. This article looks at the stages of alcoholism, reviewing the various criteria for diagnosing these stages and possible treatment options. Sharing occasional drinks with friends and loved ones is hardly a problem, but there is the potential for this to get to the point of chronic ethanol abuse.

Having repeated problems with work, school, relationships or the law because of drinking. Let your child know what behavior you expect — and what the consequences will be if he or she doesn’t follow the rules.

We follow strict guidelines when fact-checking information and only use credible sources when citing statistics and medical information. Look for the medically reviewed badge on our articles for the most up-to-date and accurate information. Jellinek viewed alcoholism as a chronic relapsing condition that needed to be treated by health professionals and developed a theory on the progression of alcoholism through various stages.

Am I In Danger Of Alcoholism?

The early or adaptive stage of alcoholism marks the beginning of an alcoholic’s struggle with addiction. At this point, drinking is no longer just a casual social activity — it’s become a daily habit that may be used to cope with stress, anxiety or other emotional problems. With more than 30 years’ experience in behavioral health, she’s held leadership posts at residential addiction-treatment centers and behavioral healthcare hospitals. As someone drinks more heavily or more often, they develop a tolerance to alcohol. This behavior is dangerous because it damages neural pathways, causing changes in the body that lead to the first stage of alcohol use disorder. In this early stage, called Pre-Alcoholism, friends and family may barely notice alcohol abuse or the other behaviors that come with it.

The pre-alcoholic stage is a formative stage; people go in one of two directions. Those who begin using alcohol as a tool someone uses to unwind after a long day, bolster themselves in social situations, or help them fall asleep progress into the next stage of alcoholism. Those who find alternatives to drinking either stay in the pre-alcoholic stage or move away from drinking altogether. If you or a loved one suffers from end-stage alcoholism, there is hope for recovery.

Early, Middle, And Late Stage Alcoholism

For some, however, even in the face of dire consequences, there is a tendency to remain in denial about the magnitude of their addiction. Other people may become aware of a problem, but find it difficult to take the necessary steps to seek help and enter into recovery. Then, there are those who are able to identify the need for a change and are ready and able to take the necessary steps to find and maintain support.

Eventually, this early experimentation can escalate into a full-blown alcohol use disorder as someone gradually moves through all the different stages of alcoholism. In addition, some people have a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic than others due to genetic factors, social factors, and other individual differences.

Stage #4: Alcohol Dependence

If they choose not to address their drinking problem, they’re likely to drink themselves into an alcohol-induced illness, such as cirrhosis or cancer. Treatment is most beneficial for those at the point of middle-stage alcoholism. They haven’t reached a place where their health declined too far and they can make some extreme changes in their lives. Attending alcohol rehab at this stage will be incredibly beneficial.

• Essentially, alcohol begins to take over their life and they consume more alcohol to deal with increasing consequences.
• It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.
• Someone who experiences even 2 of the 11 criteria qualifies as having a mild disorder.
• For drinking to be considered binge drinking, a male would consume five or more drinks within the space of two hours.

Alcohol abuse can destroy a person’s health and relationship with others. The beginning of the early alcoholic phase is usually defined by a blackout. At this stage, alcoholics begin to realize their problem with drinking, but are unable to stop. Drinkers in this stage may find themselves lying about their drinking habits to their family, friends, and co-workers. Mixing alcohol into drinks like soda and coffee to hide a growing addiction is also common in this stage. Your body and thoughts become fixated on alcohol as your tolerance for it continues to grow. At Sana Lake Recovery Center, we educate our members on the stages of alcoholism to help them cope with their disease.

Additional Models Of Alcoholism

They may not know how much they can tolerate and drink so much that they become extremely drunk and may even pass out . Once an individual begins to drink more frequently, they have entered the second stage of alcoholism. During this stage, drinkers are typically still drinking solely in social settings. However, they need to consume more alcohol in order to produce the same effect they experienced in the beginning. Additionally, this stage of alcoholism is when an individual will begin to identify a sense of emotional relief as an effect of alcohol. This first stage of drug or alcohol addiction can be difficult to catch on to, especially if a loved one is trying a substance for the first time.

The physical symptoms of stage four alcoholism are clearly life threatening. Even if a person tries to stop drinking at this point, they may experience serious withdrawal symptoms. People in the end-stage of alcoholism are at high risk for serious and even life-threatening health problems.

How Can Drinking Too Much Affect Me?

Teenagers and young adults make up a large percentage of the binge drinking crowd. While many of them end their binge drinking behaviors as they grow older, some of them will progress to later stages of alcoholism. Medical detoxing program, individual therapy, and group therapy sessions are vital. Luckily, alcoholism treatment centers offer treatment plans that include each of these important tools. With the combination of professional alcoholism treatment and sobriety maintenance, recovery is possible for anyone. The third stage of alcoholism is characterized by a person experiencing problems as a direct result of their drinking.

People must recognize the signs and symptoms of alcohol use disorder to identify the problem and receive the necessary help that they need. During 5 stages of alcoholism this stage, your condition may become evident to friends and family, although some people can become highly adept at hiding problem drinking.

Impact On Your Health

A part of the Banyan team since 2016, Alyssa brings over 5 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. Drinking excessively causes damaging effects to the body such as the symptoms of withdrawal. Each time you sober up, the body is not only hungover but is confused when no alcohol is being consumed. Therefore, the body reacts by producing undesirable symptoms such as nausea, tremors, sweating, irritability, insomnia, diarrhea, etc.

The damaged liver can cause other complications in the body since it is a vital organ. The liver is responsible for over 500 tasks to ensure the body is functioning as healthy as possible. Other health complications, like heart problems and stroke, stem from chronic alcohol abuse in end-stage alcoholism. Even brain damage and hepatitis can occur in end-stage alcoholics. Alcoholism, on the other hand, is a general term commonly used to describe problem drinking that has become severe. A doctor will not diagnose someone as an “alcoholic”, but instead will say they have an alcohol use disorder and determine its severity based on the criteria listed above. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholismreported that 15.1 million adults in the United States had an alcohol use disorder and only 6.7% of those suffering from an AUD received treatment.

Relationship issues and decreased social activity usually also will occur because of their preoccupation with alcohol. Therefore, knowing the signs and symptoms of each stage of alcoholism can also save lives.

In this phase, the individual begins drinking in social situations. A prospective alcoholic may find that they experience other beneficial effects of drinking, such as stress relief. The individual’s use of alcohol becomes a standard method for them to address these issues, and even though they are beginning to develop disordered behavior, it will not look like that to others. This stage can last indefinitely, but those with a predisposition to be alcoholics will eventually move on to the next stage. People at this stage of AUD have a high tolerance to alcohol, and even heavy drinking may not cause a change in mood or behavior. At this point, they need to drink just to feel normal and to avoid intense withdrawal symptoms.