Alcoholism Stages - 3 Stages Of Alcoholism You Should Know
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008Alcoholism stages can be categorized into three stages of
alcoholism - early stage, middle stage and end stage alcoholism
or late stage alcoholism. Alcoholism stages generally take years
to develop. Alcoholism is a disease where alcoholic beverage
consumption is at a level that interferes with physical or
mental health, and negatively impacts social, family or
occupational responsibilities.
Consuming no more than one or two drinks per day for healthy men
and a drink a day for healthy non-pregnant women are generally
considered acceptable alcohol consumption without health risks.
However, as the amount or frequency of drinking increases, the
earliest of the alcoholism stages can develop as a result.
Early Stages of Alcoholism
In the early alcoholism stages, a person begins to depend on
alcohol to affect their mood. They drink for relief from
problems, and they begin thinking more and more about alcohol.
The person and others around them may not recognize that they
are in the earliest of the stages of alcoholism. A gradual
increase in tolerance happens, meaning, it takes increasing
amounts of alcohol to achieve the desired mood-altering effects.
Often, the person can consume large amounts of alcohol without
appearing impaired. At the early alcoholism stages, the body has
adapted to increasing amounts of alcohol. In fact, how a person
functions will likely be improved with drinking as blood alcohol
levels rise. For example, they can think and talk normally or
walk a straight line with no problem. However, with continued
alcohol consumption over time, the body begins to lose its
ability to deal with high alcohol levels. As this occurs, when
the alcoholic stops drinking and their blood alcohol level
decreases, their thinking, talking or walking functions
deteriorate, and they are moving into the next of the stages of
alcoholism. Middle Alcoholism Stages
The need and desire to drink gradually becomes more intense.
Drinking larger amounts and more often happens as well as
drinking earlier in the day. The alcoholic is losing control
over drinking, and the body is losing its ability to process
alcohol like it did in the early stages of alcoholism. Their
tolerance decreases as they become intoxicated more easily.
Withdrawal symptoms begin to become more severe if alcohol is
reduced. The person may now secretly recognize there is a
drinking problem, and others may begin to notice as well.
Unfortunately, the alcoholic no longer can judge how much
alcohol their body can handle. Typically, the drinker denies to
themselves and others that alcohol is a problem so they won’t
have to deal with their inner turmoil. Hangovers, blackouts and
stomach problems can now be physical symptoms that occur on a
regular basis.
End Stage Alcoholism
As alcoholism progresses, the alcoholic has become obsessed with
drinking to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Everyone
can tell there’s a major problem. During the late alcoholism
stages, the mental and physical health of the alcoholic are
seriously deteriorating. Many of the body’s organs have been
damaged which lowers resistance to disease. Relationships at
home or socially may have been severely damaged, and there can
be mounting financial and legal problems due to the alcoholic’s
powerlessness over alcohol.
Every alcoholic will suffer from malnutrition. Alcohol in large
amounts interferes with the digestion process and the passage of
nutrients from the intestines into the bloodstream. Liver
function has been damaged, further limiting the conversion of
nutrients into a usable form that the body can assimilate. The
damaged cells are not receiving the needed nutrients, they
cannot repair themselves and the damage continues. Nutritional
deficiencies cause a host of related problems to become worse.
For example, a vitamin B-1 deficiency common in alcoholics can
result in loss of mental alertness and appetite, fatigue,
confusion and emotional instability.
And if the alcoholic continues drinking, alcohol will cause the
death of the alcoholic in one way or another. From suicide,
accidents and related injuries to direct damage to the body’s
organs and systems, death will likely be the final outcome of
end stage alcoholism.
Are there warning signs of alcoholism? Yes! Understand the signs
and symptoms that indicate that alcohol consumption is becoming
or is already a problem. There are resources available in a
variety of ways to help deal with alcoholism stages and the
serious consequences of this disease. Copyright 2006 InfoSearch
Publishing
