The Five Stages of Alcohol Addiction Explained

“I could easily sleep 12 hours a night and still feel tired the next morning.” “Symptoms are reducing daily, and I have had the best two night’s sleep in a very long time. Just loving waking up without counting the hours to the next drink.” The benefits of abstaining often become apparent around this stage. Some nagging symptoms might linger, but the benefits far outweigh the negative after nine days.

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Despite how severe their condition might be, the person may not fully comprehend the danger they are in due to their mental and physical impairment. With so many effects on the body, the usual first step in treating alcoholism is detox—or getting alcohol out of your system. Depending on the severity of the alcohol use disorder, this stage can be mildly annoying or severe.

Stage 2: Early Alcoholic

Quitting alcohol consumption affects drinkers’ sleep patterns differently. Some are able to return to normal sleep patterns after a few days. Others struggle with insomnia and poor-quality sleep long after they quit drinking. It’s important to note that regular alcohol use is not the same as moderate drinking. The difference lies in both the frequency and amount of consumption, as well as the intention behind the drinking.

Get Help from Asheville Recovery Center if You’ve Experienced the 5 Stages of Alcohol Addiction

It can also reduce the triggers you face that could lead to a return to use. Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to more than 60 different diseases. But when alcohol consumption gets out heroin addiction of control, you may find yourself on a dangerous path toward addiction. The primary symptom of stage one is the development of alcohol tolerance.

This step aims to transition from drug use to detox to treatment. From there, you will work on maintenance (learning to live sober) and, finally, transcendence or full recovery. A person with AUD five stages of drinking will drink alcohol excessively despite knowing the occupational, health, and social consequences.

Sometimes, what seems like social drinking escalates and then becomes problematic. However, no matter which of the stages of alcoholism you’re in, Buckhead Behavioral Health is here to help. Most people go through various stages of alcoholism before they realize they have a problem. But, by understanding the stages, you can quit drinking before things worsen and get out of control. You may use alcohol as a way to relax on occasion or to deal with stress. In this phase, it is possible that you’re not experiencing negative side effects as a result of drinking, and there are not many – if any – external warning signs that you could be developing AUD.

• Other warning signs of this stage include lying about drinking, drinking excessively, and thinking obsessively about drinking.
• Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.
• Despite how severe their condition might be, the person may not fully comprehend the danger they are in due to their mental and physical impairment.
• “Depression is gone, anxiety gone, and all else gone. Didn’t sleep great last night, but tonight will be good.”
• The severity of the disorder lies on a spectrum, ranging from mild to severe dependence, also known as chronic alcoholism (although even a mild disorder can spiral out of control without early treatment).

Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals. Furthermore, it is common for Koreans to use drinking as a way to build relationships and network with colleagues and business partners. Many business deals and job promotions are made over drinks, so it is important to understand the etiquette of Korean drinking culture in professional settings.

Or you begin crying and telling people how much you love them. Morose and lachrymose are essentially the same.Keep going long enough, and you may eventually pass out. You may not lapse into a coma, but in this “formula,” you may be in what we’d jokingly refer to as the comatose stage, otherwise known as adios. If you’re behind the wheel of a car when in this stage, the comatose and/or adios description may be literal, rather than just figurative. Whereas some experienced mild symptoms in the early days, others reported severe, sometimes frightening ones. Most of those who experience severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms do so because they’re going through their detoxification period “on their own” without the benefit of medical help.

Is Alcohol Addiction Considered a Disease?

If you’re questioning if your drinking is a problem, then you are probably in one of these stages. The consumption of alcohol has long been a part of human socialization. The first recorded alcoholic beverage dates back as early as 7000 B.C.—and they have been consistently part of social gatherings since then. While partaking in alcohol may seem like a harmless bit of fun, a person must always be mindful of how much they have consumed. When drinking alcohol becomes a problem, it is not the act of drinking but the volume and frequency that one drinks.

An end-stage alcoholic will experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. This is why detoxing should be done with a medical professional’s supervision at an addiction treatment center. Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Seek medical assistance if your physical symptoms last for a week or longer. The symptoms you’re experiencing may not be the result of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.