What Is Alcoholism and How Do You Know If You Have It?
The American Medical Association first recognized alcoholism as a disease in 1956. It’s a disorder that affects a person’s drive and capacity to make healthy decisions by altering the brain. Without any help, it can be challenging to break free once it has taken hold.
Alcohol Use Disorders: Predicting Factors
When assessing who might have an alcoholism problem, there are a few factors that come up again. One element is a person’s age when they first start drinking (the younger they start drinking, the more likely they are to continue drinking heavily). The other factors are heredity and environment. It doesn’t take much to become hooked to alcohol or drugs if you’re in the “at-risk” group.
Chronic alcoholism is the most harmful type of alcoholism, a condition that damages a person’s mental, social, and physical well-being. Alcoholics frequently continue to drink despite unfavorable consequences, which is known as alcohol abuse. A person suffering from an alcohol use problem, such as alcoholism or alcohol abuse, can be of any age or stage of life. The disorder, often known as chronic alcoholism, ranges in severity from mild to severe dependency (although even a mild condition can get out of hand if left untreated). Alcohol can be consumed by many people without getting addicted to it. However, alcoholism can develop in some people.
Alcoholism’s Different Stages
1st Stage
When you are feeling down, do you turn to alcohol? Are you turning to alcohol to ease your discomfort? Do you use alcohol to forget, to stop worrying, or to get rid of anxiety? If this is the case, your drinking may spiral out of control if you don’t take action.
2nd Early Alcoholic
The signs of this stage include blackouts caused by excessive drinking, lying about alcohol consumption, drinking excessively, and thinking about alcohol constantly.
3rd Stage: Middle Alcoholic
At this point, your close friends and family can see you’re struggling. Alcohol abuse may manifest physically as irritability, skipped work, eating disorders, weight gain, sluggishness, and stomach bloating (facial redness, weight gain, weight loss). A support group can prove to be very helpful at this point.
4th Stage: Late Alcoholic
Drinking has taken over your life at this point, even if it means sacrificing your livelihood, health, and relationships. When you’re trying to stop drinking, you may experience tremors and hallucinations, but counselling, rehab, and detox can help you reclaim your life.
Recovery Stage
To achieve long-term sobriety, the first step is detox, followed by treatment, maintenance, transcendence (altering your life to practice sobriety), and finally recovery.
Alcoholism signs and symptoms
- A rapid increase or decrease in weight
- Staggering or slow walking
- Inability to sleep
- Marks or bruises that are unexplained
- Red or glazed eyes
- Hands that are cold, sweaty, or trembling
Alcoholism Support is Available at Alcoholism Treatment Center.
At Skyward Treatment, we provide help to addicts and their families. We understand that addiction impacts the entire family, so we’ve put in place a system to help patients’ families heal, mend connections, and get the help they need.
