Like diabetes or heart disease, it’s a chronic condition that requires major lifestyle changes to keep under control. As such, it’s crucial that people in addiction recovery make continuous active efforts to maintain sobriety. Complacency or a sense that the work is done once you reach maintenance is often a one-way ticket to recovery relapse.

Recovery will not be easy at this point, but it will be worth the work. Now is the time to line up support from addiction specialists, mental health professionals, friends and family, and others living with an alcohol use disorder. You don’t have to alone during this difficult and scary time. However, for those suffering from an alcohol addiction, there is hope regardless of what stage of alcoholism you are currently in. Successful treatment for alcohol abuse and addiction typically combines medication, behavioral therapy, and an aftercare program. Alcoholism occurs once a person is mentally and physically addicted.

Stage Four: Sever Alcohol Abuse and Dependence

Support groups can be a highly effective form of help at this stage. In this stage, drinking alcohol has become the way to cope with all emotions. You celebrate good days and cope with sadness or disappointment. No matter how you feel, you think alcohol will make it better. Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder , doesn’t develop overnight. Knowing the stages of AUD could be key to prevention and treatment.

Treatment plans and programs include inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, aftercare programs, sober living, and 12-step support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Detoxification is frequently regarded as the initial step in the treatment process. It can assist you in getting through the arduous task of abstaining from alcohol, but it does not address the mental activities and conduct that lead to alcohol consumption.

Help is Available During Every Stage of Alcoholism

Learn about the signs and symptoms of alcoholism and how to get help. People in the pre-alcoholic stage may enjoy drinking more frequently than those around them but it isn’t overtly https://ecosoberhouse.com/ noticeable in most people. Any stage of the Jellinek Curve is considered dangerous because the person is not consuming alcohol in moderation, which is the only safe way to drink.

• 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.
• Bargaining, in this case, occurs as the addict is trying to mitigate the fears of someone else or to avoid conflict or legal trouble.
• Consequently, in this stage, most addiction professionals recommend detoxing from alcohol under medical supervision.
• If you can identify with one or two stages, please understand that alcoholism is a progressive disease.
• When an individual reaches this stage of the cycle, alcohol becomes their sole focus.

At this stage, drinking becomes everything in your life, even at the expense of your livelihood, your health and your relationships. Attempts to stop drinking can result in tremors or hallucinations, but therapy, detox, and rehabcanhelp you get your life back. AlcoholicsAnonymous.com is a referrer service that provides information about addiction treatment practitioners and facilities. AlcoholicsAnonymous.com is not a medical provider or treatment facility and does not provide medical advice. AlcoholicsAnonymous.com is not owned or operated by any treatment facility.

Stage Two: Alcohol Abuse

“Problem drinker” is a term commonly used in today’s society to describe a person whose drinking has caused them emotional, physical, social, or financial issues. Similarly, this also describes the third stage of alcoholism. In order to be considered a binge drinker, men must consume 5 drinks every 2 hours while women must consume 4.

This deficiency can also cause dementia if not treated immediately. Over time there is a progression of liver disease from hepatitis to fibrosis and eventually to scarring of the tissue . Cirrhosis is the final stage of alcohol-related liver disease. Risky 5 stages of alcoholism use can be difficult to determine, especially since you might think something is considered risky that another person might not. However, as an individual keeps using, you will notice significant changes in their behavior that will likely alarm you.