Content
What starts as leaning on alcohol can gradually grow into full-blown dependency. Choking, seizures, dehydration, circulatory issues, and brain damage are among the health effects caused by alcohol poisoning. Any stage of the Jellinek Curve is considered dangerous https://ecosoberhouse.com/ because the person is not consuming alcohol in moderation, which is the only safe way to drink. Moderate drinking means two drinks or fewer in a day for men or one drink or fewer in a day for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Warning signs include emotional dysfunction , hiding how much or how often alcohol is being used or being unable to maintain personal responsibilities. The early stage of alcohol addiction is characterized by noticeable lifestyle changes. They pick fights with family and friends and choose to drink despite negative consequences.
Problem Drinking
At this point, it’s obvious to those close to you that you’re struggling. You might miss work, forget to pick up the kids, become irritable, and notice physical signs of alcohol abuse . Support groups stages of alcoholism can be a highly effective form of help at this stage. Binge drinking is characterized by the consumption of around four drinks within two hours for women and five drinks within two hours for men.
What starts as casual drinking advances into dependence and addiction over time. The majority of people who struggle with alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder , took months or years to reach that point. The final stage of the Jellinek Curve occurs when the person’s health stabilizes after they stop drinking. The person in recovery has transitioned through detox and immediate treatment to maintain sobriety.
Occasional Abuse & Binge Drinking
The pre-alcoholic stage is a formative stage; people go in one of two directions. Those who begin using alcohol as a tool someone uses to unwind after a long day, bolster themselves in social situations, or help them fall asleep progress into the next stage of alcoholism. Those who find alternatives to drinking either stay in the pre-alcoholic stage or move away from drinking altogether. Jellinek looked at the way alcoholics started in the pre-alcoholic stage, drinking in a casual, social manner. As they continue drinking, though, they move from a point where their reasons for drinking are no longer social but psychological. Whether they realize it or not, they’re beginning to lose control of their drinking.
What are the stages of alcoholism?
If you or your loved ones need help to identify the signs of problem drinking, four stages of alcoholism have been identified: pre-alcoholic, early alcoholic, chronic alcoholic, and end-stage alcoholism.
The alcoholic is rarely without a drink, but thinks no one notices. This stage frequently results in alcohol-related deaths for users who do not enter treatment. After a long period of continuous heavy drinking, alcohol has contributed to the damage and deterioration of vital organs such as the liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas, and brain.