Do You Recognize These 4 Stages Of Alcoholism?

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For most of us, drinking alcohol starts with just one drink for friends, to bond at the office party, to relax or to ease stress. Unfortunately, most of us are unaware when that one drink develops slowly into a habit, leading to severe problems.

However, every individual goes through the 4 stages of alcoholism before they become addicted to alcohol. Identifying the signs of these stages may help an individual realize that they or a loved one is headed towards a challenging time.

Stage 1: Binge Drinking

Dominated by the urge to get drunk to experience the effects of alcohol, binge drinking is the first stage of alcoholism. People who indulge in binge drinking might not drink everyday, but when they do, they drink excessively, leading to higher tolerance levels. This forms a vicious circle, where the person ends up drinking higher quantities of alcohol to feel the same effects of alcohol that they used to experience.

Stage 2: Coping Mechanism

In this stage, people drink alcohol to feel better. They would look for excuses, like to celebrate a birthday, cope with a bad day, spend time with friends, or get over a break-up, to drink alcohol. Any event which requires dealing with emotions, either negative or positive, would lead them to alcohol. Drinking alcohol would become a top priority, taking precedence over other important matters.

Other tell-tale signs of needing alcohol at all cost would include drinking throughout the day, hiding drinking patterns and preferences from those close to them, inability to control the amount of alcohol consumed, and becoming offensive when somebody suggests that they might have a problem. It is usually during this stage that people close to the individual drinking start realizing that there might be a problem or that the individual might be headed towards a problem.

Stage 3: Appearance of Consequences

This stage is characterized by people questioning the drinking habits of the person indulging in alcohol. The individual drinking might end up getting a driving under the influence (DUI) ticket or getting involved in other legal problems like stealing to be able to continue their habit. This stage would also see the individual starting to experience feelings of shame or guilt as more and more people might start avoiding the individual because of their drinking habit.

Stage 4: Manifestation of Physical Changes

During this stage, an individual would be relying on alcohol to complete even their day-to-day chores. Most probably, they would start their day with a drink to cover the physical tremors that they would be feeling without the intake of alcohol. Other physical changes such as liver damage, high blood pressure, fatigue, brain fog, and irritation in the absence of alcohol would also start manifesting. The best way to describe their relationship with alcohol would be abusive drinking. When a person reaches this stage, they are truly addicted to alcohol and would require medications and other medical interventions to help them.

Seeking Help for Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction has many short- and long-term consequences that effect the health of the individual. Managing their lives becomes challenging and it affects their professional and personal relationships with their loved ones. This is the reason why it is important to seek help when you recognize the symptoms mentioned above. Mission Recovery Treatment Center offers various patterns of treatment programs tailored to suit your needs and requirements. Remember, we are just a call away at 855-355-1116.

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