Alcoholism Stages
By Ed Philips
Jul 22, 2008
There are three stages of alcoholism. As many people know, alcoholism can take years to develop. Alcoholism begins when drinking starts affecting the physical and mental health of the drinker - they have crossed that invisible line into alcoholism.
The early stages of alcoholism usually go unnoticed by not only friends and family but also the drinker. A person begins drinking in this stage for new reasons such as daily stress or a personal or professional problem. They may drink to change their mood or avoid the one they are currently feeling.
In the intermediate stage the drinker no longer needs a reason to drink. They may even fabricate reasons to drink. He or she is now drinking way over socially
Randomly, people will turn their drinking habits into a reason why to drink. Whether they drink to just have fun, to release some stress, or because they drink to help with various sorts of problems. Often, the alcoholic in the family starts drinking too much, causing the family to always be on edge and be cautious with his mood swings, because they never know how they’ll end up acting. Often in times a sign of abuse on alcohol is when ¨Legal problems, such as being arrested or harming someone else while drunk¨ said researchers in Talbott Recovery. Once the alcoholic figures what kind of power they have over the family, they’ll often tend to use it in a more manipulative way, to make sure they get what they want in the end of the day. And when they’re drunk, they could care less about the family and just desire to get another bottle, and to let their emotions/actions lash out. That is when a person ends up becoming an
Outside influences • Family problems •In trouble with the law (close calls) Stage 2: Physical dependency – motivates the large bulk of alcoholic drinking; drinks to alleviate symptoms. Stage Two: Physical Dependency • Daily, usually a.m. use • Variety of drugs • Increase tolerance • Withdrawal symptoms: headache/nausea • Irritability/mood swings/paranoia • Sleeplessness • Sexual problems • Depression and other psychiatric diagnoses • Intention tremor • Nightmares • Preoccupation/cravings • Development of blackout patterns • Disease pathology developing in major organs. Outside influences •School/work problems •DWI/DUI/unlawful possession.
There are many early stage alcoholics who are not ready to stop drinking altogether, but
Alcoholism is a chronic and progressive disorder (“Alcoholism”) affecting more than twenty-two million Americans in the United States today (Wholey 18). Alcoholics are prone to dramatic and
One might not realize that they have the problem and might consume large quantities of alchohol in a sitting.
Alcohol in the United States has become a substance that most of the population abuses. Problems with alcoholism mainly occurs in young adults and has caused numerous deaths throughout the U.S. Alcohol has been a substance known for making the decision of flight or fight. Psychologists have taken their time and came to a conclusion that there consists of a five stage process in which one can abuse alcohol. Psychologists also figured out ways to help alcoholics looking for help to stop. Alcohol can be a danger to oneself and others, and it should be treated very seriously.
Many might ask why most teens have the urge to drink? Some might say we all go through that “stage” but people have done studies on why some go through this “stage”. People use alcohol for numerous reasons; peer pressure,
People drink in many ways, for many different reasons. We drink socially, to gain acceptance into a group. We drink alone to ease stress, to cope with our problems, or we “drink because we like the taste or how it makes us feel”#. Often drinking is a learned behavior, starting out as a social drinker; you quickly become psychologically and physically dependent. When someone reaches this stage they are often classified as an alcoholic. To an alcoholic, drinking becomes a compulsion; they cannot stop themselves from having another drink, like a social drinker can. In many cases alcoholics don’t even have to drink continuously in order to be an alcoholic. One the problems of alcohol addiction is that it’s something that doesn’t just effect the individual but it effects, friends and family as well. Spouse abuse, child abuse and dysfunctional family relationships can all be influenced by alcohol abuse.
I understand that, at least for me at the time, drinking was a way of connecting with friends, to socialize with strangers, and to alleviate the shyness. But in hindsight, I noticed there was a change from wanting to needing a drink. It was a way to deal with the tree of work and life itself. Years later now my wife and son are in the picture, I do my best not drink "that much" at home, but still finding a myriad of excuses to do so.
Most alcoholics won’t admit to having a dependence on alcohol. Due to their reluctance to acknowledge they may have a problem, it could be tricky to diagnose and treat them. So it’s usually up to the people around them to be able to see the signs of alcoholism. Even the most heavily addicted drinker is unlikely to show every sign and symptom, and not every alcoholic will display the same ones.
It’s not always easy to see when your drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking. But if you consume alcohol to cope with difficulties or to avoid feeling bad, you’re in potentially dangerous territory. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can sneak up on you, so it’s important to be aware of the warning signs and take steps to cut back if you recognize them. Understanding the problem is the first step to overcoming it.
The details why most persons drink can maybe be found in a mixture of the overhead issues, though for some persons, drinking is allied with a illness - liquor need. This illness is categorized by craving, a durable need or force to drink; reduced control, the incapacity to boundary one’s drinking on any given case; corporal need, removal indications such as biliousness, sweaty and nervousness when liquor use is stationary after a period of heavy drinking; acceptance, the need for growing amounts of alcohol in order to sense its effects. It is a continuing and often broad-minded disease. People need to drink despite negative moments such as thoughtful job or health difficulties. It is influenced by both hereditary and ecological
Signs of Alcoholism are spending a lot of money and time in consuming alcohol. People with Alcoholism choose to drink instead of dealing with responsibilities such as going to work, and dealing with family responsibilities. Alcoholics engage in risky behavior like driving a car while intoxicated, having unprotected sex and abusing drugs. A person who abuses alcohol often builds a tolerance which means they need a significant amount of alcohol to reach a level of intoxication. A person who consumes a lot of liquor often has severe withdrawals when they don’t have liquor in their
Many people drink alcohol for different reasons. Then, there are those who abuse the substance of drinking it every opportunity that they get. Many of them having the same outcome each time, they continue drinking. They get drunk unaware of the danger they are getting into. People don’t realize the affect that alcohol can actually have on them not just affecting their lives, but the lives that are around them.
They will continue to drink until they cannot drink any more. They will be alcohol addiction.