But when alcohol consumption gets out of control, you may find yourself on a dangerous path toward addiction. Most addiction professionals agree that an at-home detox or “going cold turkey” is never advisable. The best practice would be to talk with an addiction counselor or mental health professional about safe options to detox from alcohol. A person with AUD will drink alcohol excessively despite knowing the occupational, health, and social consequences. It is important to know the signs that develop during each stage to ensure your loved one seeks treatment for their addiction early on.
It may sound backward, but the person may feel that they function better when they are intoxicated. This is because they only feel the negative effects of alcohol when they stop drinking. In early-stage alcoholism, the person maintains and may increase their alcohol use.
The Jellinek Curve & the Stages of Alcohol Addiction
For some people, AUD has hurt their relationships, careers, health, finances, self-esteem, and other aspects of their lives. Your body has acclimated to quitting drinking over the past couple of years. With advanced-stage alcohol misuse, a person’s body stages of alcoholism may feel as though it physically needs alcohol in order to function as it usually would. In this stage, a person may begin to experience cravings for alcohol. An individual’s dependence on alcohol may also become more apparent to those around them.
By this stage, their drinking is taking an obvious physical toll as well. They may appear red in the face or look bloated and generally unwell. The alcoholic probably isn’t sleeping or eating well at this point and may not be keeping up with personal hygiene. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is delirium tremens (DTs), characterized by altered mental status and severe autonomic hyperactivity that may lead to cardiovascular collapse.
Alcoholic Recovery Stages
Theoretically, at this stage the addiction is conquered completely. The alcoholic is sober and has no cravings for alcohol, and there is no threat of relapse. At this point, people are committed to change and are preparing to take action within the next several days or weeks. Although they are still drinking, they’ve likely begun telling friends and family members about their plan to change their behavior — but they may still feel some ambivalence about their choice. While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease.
Those biological changes pave the way for the second stage, which is marked by a physical dependence on the drug. Drinking at this point isn’t about feeling good — it’s about not feeling bad and avoiding the uncomfortable sensations that accompany acute withdrawal. Treating the alcohol use disorder, along with the health problems caused by chronic, heavy https://ecosoberhouse.com/ drinking, may be possible. The first step will likely be a medically supervised detox, which will help rid your body of toxins and manage the symptoms of withdrawal. The damaged liver can cause other complications in the body since it is a vital organ. The liver is responsible for over 500 tasks to ensure the body is functioning as healthy as possible.