Experts have increasingly seen these terms as negative and unhelpful labels. Today, instead of people being alcoholics, professionals refer to them as people with AUD. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours.

People struggling with alcoholism don’t often realize that they are in this hellhole. Even if/when they do, they are so mentally and emotionally drained to get help. Getting out of this cycle of addiction seems impossible to them and to fight with this depressing thought of not being able to ever recover, they drink even more. So if someone finds themselves drinking more than they plan to, or their drinking habits affecting their relationships, it is most likely that they are on the on-set of being an alcoholic. Not everyone who drinks or occasionally uses alcohol to cope with stress will develop an alcohol addiction. Some people who show symptoms of alcoholism do not become addicted to alcohol.

The Stages of Alcoholism

The CDC define heavy drinking as 15 or more drinks per week for males and 8 or more drinks per week for females. In this stage, people may be simply experimenting with alcohol consumption. They can be moderate drinkers with the 3 stages of alcoholism the occasional instance of binge drinking. Find support for yourself and other family members in a rehab family program. Go to an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting or set up an appointment with a mental health professional.

• If a person drinks frequently or more heavily, the nerve cells in the brain adapt by reducing the number of places they can receive these messages.
• As the disease becomes more severe, blackouts and loss of control can happen.
• Another 855,000 Americans ages 12 to 17 years old have alcohol use disorders.
• The rate of communication returns to its typical levels once alcohol leaves the body.

They may have liver and heart damage, either of which can result in hospitalization. They may suffer from blackouts, memory loss, and bad coordination. As time goes on, the individual develops a tolerance to alcohol. They may begin to have two or three drinks, and they may start drinking every night.

Stages of Alcoholism

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. As alcoholism progresses, the alcoholic becomes obsessed with drinking–sometimes to the exclusion of nearly everything else. During the late alcoholism stage, 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.

If you drink alone occasionally and in moderation, the behavior shouldn’t be cause for concern. On the other hand, if you start to drink alone often or regularly, this habit could quickly turn into something more sinister, such as alcohol addiction. In this stage, you’re gradually becoming more accustomed to drinking larger amounts of alcohol with little to no effect. You can still function well enough, despite your heavy drinking, and you become more and more focused on getting that next drink. Between 90 and 100 percent of alcoholics develop a fatty liver, which can progress to cirrhosis.

Find the Road to Recovery from Problem Drinking with Caron Treatment Centers

Remember, there are many resources available to help treat and deal with alcoholism. There are factors that pop up again and again when determining who might have an issue with alcoholism. If you’re in the “at-risk” population, it doesn’t take much to become dependent on alcohol or other drugs. Typically, alcohol withdrawal symptoms happen for heavier drinkers. Alcohol withdrawal can begin within hours of ending a drinking session. When a person with alcoholism reaches end stage alcoholism, they have reached a point that is dramatically different from the initial stages.