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Stages of Alcohol Dependence

Identifying alcohol dependence concerns early can make the difference between changing patterns of behavior and serious intervention, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Understanding the different stages of alcoholism can help you recognize early problems that may cause further issues with alcohol in the future. Genetic, psychological, social and physiological factors all play a role in alcoholism.

  1. At-Risk

    • This involves moving from simply social drinking to drinking for the purpose of a mood alteration. You find yourself more stressed and use alcohol to ease this stress. In the at-risk stage your tolerance level starts to increase, according to alcoholism-and-drug-addiction-help.com. Many people in your life may not notice a change in behavior as you begin to hide your excessive drinking. Basic counseling in this stage can prevent moving to another stage of alcoholism.

    Problem

    • This stage of alcoholism manifests through a desire to start drinking earlier in the day. The American Psychological Association suggests that as you begin to drink more, feelings of depression and anger may worsen. The amount of alcohol you place in your body may not process correctly resulting in hangovers, blackouts and nausea. While many people struggle to recognize a problem in this stage, joining a 12 step meeting such as Alcoholics Anonymous will offer support to deal with emotional problems so the drinking does not cause excessive issues with your relationships and health.

    Complete Dependence

    • This late stage of alcoholism shows a complete loss of control. Drinking becomes an obsession and more important than everything else in your life. You find yourself unable to get through the day without drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggest that you could experience social problems such as divorce, loss of job and health deterioration. Because detoxification during this stage of alcohol can cause delirium tremens (acute delirium) and possible death, finding medical detoxification proves important in this late stage of alcoholism. Checking into a rehabilitation center will provide the necessary support to move out of the complete dependence stage of alcoholism.

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