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The safest course of action is to seek treatment in a professional environment that is catered to the individual needs, preferably with holistic treatment. When an individual reaches this stage of the cycle, alcohol becomes their sole focus. Everything in their life revolves around drinking at the expense of their health, relationships, and jobs.
- As the stage progresses, the disease takes hold and develops into middle-stage alcoholism.
- Those signs include slurring words, loss of balance and poor physical coordination.
- Many people who are in this stage have had alcohol as a staple in their life for a while now.
Reaching the late-stage of alcohol use disorder poses serious consequences to a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. Many people at this point become unable to maintain a job or function normally in their usual routine. They may experience depression or anxiety as a result of alcohol use and may show less desire or motivation to tend to their hygiene or appearance. Alcoholism is a progressive, five-stage disease that can be treated through professional medical attention.
Stage #4: Alcohol dependence
Changes in your body such as facial redness, stomach bloating, shaking, sweating and memory lapses start to affect you. If you notice they continue drinking heavily and blacking out, you have a right to be concerned. Keep an eye on their drinking behaviors to see whether they progress further. Even if they never progress past this stage, regular binge drinking is not a healthy way to consume alcohol. Binge drinking is characterized by the consumption of around four drinks within two hours for women and five drinks within two hours for men. If this is a normal amount for your loved ones, it’s time for them to seriously reconsider their drinking habits.
- Binge drinking, which involves having multiple drinks within a small window, is a common initial sign of a drinking problem.
- Other times, it can be a serious sign that a person’s alcohol consumption is progressing in a negative way.
- You may start to feel sick from heavy drinking, but enjoy its effects too much to care.
When the normally high level of alcohol in a person’s body begins to drop, they may feel physically ill. They may only feel well when Selecting the Most Suitable Sober House for Addiction Recovery they maintain a consistent level of alcohol in their bloodstream. Unfortunately, for some people, even moderate drinking is not safe.
Stage 3: High Risk Use
However, there are specific criteria that tell us whether a person may be suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD), the medical diagnosis of alcoholism. If the person starts to habitually drink alcohol as a way to cope with the difficulties of everyday life, this is a good sign they may be in the pre-alcoholic stage. People in the pre-alcoholic stage may drink more or more often than others, but it’s not always obvious. You may notice they always have a drink in their hand at events and social functions.
The person in recovery has transitioned through detox and immediate treatment to maintain sobriety. They continue to practice sober living habits to change their lives and support their ongoing efforts to manage their alcoholism and regain their life. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone who drinks is abusing alcohol or will become an alcoholic. In fact, most people are able to handle moderate alcohol consumption and have a low risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
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