Classifying Alcoholism: The 4 Stages and 3 Severity Levels

You might miss work, forget to pick up the kids, become irritable, and notice physical signs of alcohol abuse (facial redness, weight gain or loss, sluggishness, stomach bloating). Support groups can be a highly effective form of help at this stage. Alcohol dependence also means that you have developed a tolerance to drinking. As a result, you may have to drink larger quantities to get “buzzed” or drunk.

Because of the severity of the disease, medically monitored alcohol detox is a necessity. Between 3 and 5 percent of people withdrawing from alcohol develop grand mal seizures and severe confusion, known as delirium tremens. Delirium tremens symptoms typically begins about three days after other withdrawal symptoms start. It usually lasts for between two and three days, and it can be fatal. These physiological changes contribute to the increasing tolerance seen in early-stage alcoholics.

Stage 1: Experimenting and Binge Drinking

Binge drinking often occurs when people start experimenting with drinking. They may not know how much they can tolerate and drink so much that they become extremely drunk and may even pass out (lose consciousness). Addiction Resource is an educational platform for sharing and disseminating information about addiction and substance abuse recovery centers.

There are two main types of rehab in the UK, including inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab. However, some medical doctors will be able to prescribe you certain medications to help you overcome this nasty stage, one of which is called Librium. As a result of this, you are much more likely to develop illnesses and pick up infections and you will also struggle to absorb any nutrients. At this stage, you will also suffer from a lack of balance and coordination, which might result in injuries. Seeking help may feel impossible, but it’s the best decision you can make for yourself.

Chronic Pancreatitis

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• People in the first of the stages of alcoholism don’t drink every day, and they are still able to carry out daily activities.
• An individual’s dependence on alcohol may also become more apparent to those around them.
• Support groups can be a highly effective form of help at this stage.
• Many disorders caused by heavy alcohol abuse can eventually result in death.
• In some cases, alcohol withdrawal can present heightened risks and even lead to fatality.
• Getting help before your problem drinking progresses to severe alcohol use disorder can save your life.

This article explains the different stages of alcohol misuse and how to find support if a person needs it. Inpatient treatment takes place at a licensed residential treatment center. You’ll live in safe, substance-free housing and have access to professional medical monitoring.

End Stage Alcoholism

These are similar to the varicose veins that some people develop in their legs. But esophageal varices are prone to rupture, and when they do, the alcoholic can bleed to death. When alcohol is not present, individuals may experience uncomfortable symptoms such as restlessness, tremors, headache, nausea, vomiting and insomnia. At this stage, the alcoholic may appear to be functioning normally and is unlikely to have performance problems at work, school or in other settings. In fact, they may mistakenly believe that drinking actually helps them to function better.

• Carrying the label of being the most abused substance among the rehab attendees, alcohol has been studied vigorously.
• However, alcohol dependence can occur before addiction is developed.

Commonly, people believe the misconception of alcohol dependency and alcohol addiction is one and the same. However, alcohol dependence can occur before addiction is developed. The fourth stage of alcoholism is characterized by an individual experiencing a dependence on alcohol. Alcohol dependence is defined as the point at which a person has no control over their alcohol intake. Examples of regular alcohol use include drinking during a celebratory event or pairing a glass of wine with a meal.

Later, it can cause fatigue, bleeding and bruising, itchy skin, yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes and fluid accumulation in the abdomen known as ascites. Fluid buildup https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-stages-of-alcoholism/ in end-stage liver disease is a particularly ominous sign. Fifty percent of patients with ascites typically die within two years if they don’t have a liver transplant.

• The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 17 million American adults have alcohol use disorders.
• Drinking is considered “problem drinking” when it begins to impact one’s life.
• John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine.

However, you will still have to work hard in order to ensure that you stay on track to recovery. When someone suffers from a mental health issue alongside an addiction, this is known as a dual diagnosis. When you suffer from a dual diagnosis, you will first be treated for the physical side of your addiction, and https://ecosoberhouse.com/ then the mental side of your addiction. The alcohol detox process involves withdrawing from the addictive substance for long enough so that the body no longer craves that addictive substance anymore. This is because the more alcohol you abuse, the more star tissue will grow in replace of healthy liver tissue.

Conditions

Depending on the severity of the alcohol addiction and the length of consumption, a supervised detox might be required. Once the journey to recovery has been completed, the patient may take over a mentor’s role to help those who are taking steps to stop drinking. It will not necessarily be an easy journey, but it is highly rewarding and well worth its efforts. Alcoholism does not happen overnight, and it takes a lot of oversight or deliberate lack of attention to fall victim.

Remember, your journey toward recovery doesn’t have to end with this final stage. Instead, you can heal from addiction and any underlying mental health concerns to get yourself on an upward path once again. Physical and mental health issues play a huge part in this type of alcohol addiction, and can easily make things worse at this stage. In order to reach this stage of alcoholism, you need to show at least five or six symptoms of alcohol addiction. In order to recover from this stage, you will need to undergo some form of treatment, unlike in the early stage of alcohol addiction.