Furthermore, you may become dependent on the feeling you get from drinking and find that these episodes increase in frequency. This is especially true for teens who attend parties where drinking is the primary activity. You might think binge drinking is safe when you only do it occasionally, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The second stage on the curve is marked by symptoms such as blackouts. Other warning signs of this stage include lying about drinking, drinking excessively, and thinking obsessively about drinking. Detoxification is frequently regarded as the initial step in the treatment process.
Medical treatment may be necessary to detoxify the body of alcohol and to obtain a fresh start. Since many people with alcoholism endure psychological problems, individual or group therapy may help in overcoming addiction. The last of the stages of alcoholism is full-blown addiction to alcohol. In this brutal stage, your body has become quite dependent on alcohol. If you try to give it up, your brain lets you know in a hurry that it is not happy.
- Thousands of people find a solution to their drinking through alcohol rehab each year.
- The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
- 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.
- They may appear normal to those around them, other than the perception that they are drinking more.
- This causes them to begin using alcohol to cope with things in their life that aren’t going well.
This stage of alcoholism starts when people experience an increasing tolerance to alcohol and raise their alcohol intake with greater frequency and quantity. Jellinek viewed alcoholism as a chronic relapsing condition that needed to be treated by health professionals and developed a theory on the progression of alcoholism through various stages. If you or a loved one is suffering from alcohol addiction, Nexus can help. Learn more about alcohol addiction treatment at Nexus or contact us today and speak with a trusted recovery advisor to discuss treatment options. An individual battling an alcohol use disorder (AUD) typically goes through a series of five stages. They begin by experimenting with alcohol and then progress to regular drinking, problem drinking, dependence, and finally, addiction.
