Instead of just drinking at parties once in a while, you may find yourself drinking every weekend. But when alcohol consumption gets out of control, you may find yourself on a dangerous path toward addiction. Someone who is at the point of end-stage alcoholism needs treatment as soon as possible. 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. Signs such as drinking at work, while looking after children or when driving are indicators of this stage. You’ve likely become more irritable, and alcohol may start to affect you differently.

A person with early-stage alcoholism may also exhibit a high tolerance to alcohol. Their tolerance may go unnoticed by everyone except the people they spend the most time with. 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 https://curiousmindmagazine.com/selecting-the-most-suitable-sober-house-for-addiction-recovery/ condition to identify, especially from the outside. That said, there are a number of certain behavioral patterns to look out for when determining if you or a loved one is suffering from AUD. In American society, the term “alcoholism” is commonly used to describe someone who has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Treatment at Serenity Lane Can Help You Quit Alcohol For Good

Their body may begin to rely on the artificial influx of neurochemicals to feel normal. They may also rely on a drink or two to perk themselves up after experiencing something that makes them sad. For example, if you want to grab a drink after a stressful day at work or even after having a fight with a friend, you may be at risk of developing an addiction. Those who try to stop may experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.

With the combination of professional alcoholism treatment and sobriety maintenance, recovery is possible for anyone. 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.

How to Help an Alcoholic: A beginner’s guide

If you are considering treatment for yourself or a loved one, call us today. Some historians argue alcoholic beverages helped to further human civilization by providing a much-needed source of hydration to early people when there was no access to clean water. Chronic, long-term drinking can contribute to malnutrition by replacing foods needed for essential nutrients and by interfering with absorption, storage, or metabolism of the essential nutrients. This can also lead to anemia, when your red blood cell (RBC) count is lower than normal or there’s a problem with the hemoglobin protein inside those cells. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• While some people can be extremely good at hiding their alcoholism, this stage is severe, meaning a lot of symptoms will be present.
• A tolerance to alcohol develops, and they end up drinking more to achieve the same level of drunkenness.
• An in-depth look at the causes will give you or your loved one the best chance at a long-term recovery from Alcoholism.
• Holidays should be a time of celebration and joy, but for some individuals, they’re anything but this.

If you or a loved one are suffering from alcoholism, being able to identify an individual’s current stage of alcoholism will aid in finding proper alcohol treatment. Some people — known as functioning alcoholics — can still maintain their life during this phase, but this is rare and likely to lead to liver damage or other alcohol-related illnesses. If you feel like your drinking problem is chronic but your life isn’t falling apart, don’t continue down this dangerous path. This disease is progressive, and your health will eventually bear the brunt. What starts as casual drinking advances into dependence and addiction over time. The majority of people who struggle with alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), took months or years to reach that point.