They may appear normal to those around them, other than the perception that they are drinking more. This means that people living with an addiction Selecting the Most Suitable Sober House for Addiction Recovery are more likely to contract illnesses like the flu or pneumonia. It is important that someone at this stage seeks treatment for their problem.

Eventually, the presence of alcohol becomes the norm for the body, and the long-term damage continues. 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.

The Stages of AUD

Alcoholism is a progressive disease and without the help from a rehab program, it will only get worse and more complex to treat. The third stage is excessive use of alcohol, where both tolerance and frequency of use are considerably high. Physical illness, missing work, social isolation, and an inability to discontinue use without experiencing withdrawal effects occur. This may be because they are scared themselves, embarrassed, don’t feel they have time or resources to put aside regular obligations, or any multitude of reasons.

• During the early stages of the disease, the person may drink heavily and may experience hangovers in between drinking episodes.
• Many may benefit from support groups if they seek help during this stage.
• During the middle stage, a person’s problem with alcohol consumption becomes more evident especially for those around them.
• AUD can, and often does, result in serious physical and emotional consequences.
• It is difficult to tell whether someone is in the early alcohol abuse stage.

Otherwise, they could do irreparable damage to their life, mental health, and physical health. Our society generally accepts mild alcohol abuse, especially among adolescents and those going through hard times. Teens and young adults feel pressure to drink in excess in order to fit in. Adults who did not previously drink as much, may turn to alcohol after a traumatic event or while grieving. A tolerance to alcohol develops, and they end up drinking more to achieve the same level of drunkenness. This behavior is dangerous because it damages neural pathways, setting the body up for the first stage of alcoholism.

What Are the Three Stages of Alcoholism?

You may start to feel sick from heavy drinking, but enjoy its effects too much to care. Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking. It’s evident when someone is at the end-stages of their alcohol addiction. They see severe impacts on their health, relationships, employment, finances, and overall satisfaction with life. The pre-alcoholic stage is a formative stage; people go in one of two directions.

A hit on six or more questions can be considered a severe case of AUD. Finally, support groups, such as AA, can support the individual and give them a sense of accountability. We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible.