Stages of Alcoholism: Early, Chronic and End Stage

As alcoholism progresses, the cells in the body become more and more resistant to the short-term effects of alcohol. As a person continues drinking excessively, the cells will continue to adapt. Eventually, the presence of alcohol becomes the norm for the body, and the long-term damage continues. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, one of the central impacts is slowing the rate of communication between nerve cells.

But for a person who drinks heavily, the body adapts the majority of the time. Eventually, their tissue cells may become dependent on alcohol to function normally. Early-stage alcoholism is the beginning of the person’s chronic use and pathway to abusing alcohol. Between 90 and 100 percent of alcoholics develop a fatty liver, https://g-markets.net/sober-living/5-steps-to-breaking-your-after-work-drink-habit/ which can progress to cirrhosis. Up to 35 percent of alcoholics develop liver inflammation known as alcoholic hepatitis, and 8 to 20 percent will develop cirrhosis, a severe scarring of the liver that hinders the organ’s ability to function normally. By this stage, their drinking is taking an obvious physical toll as well.

How Alcohol Affects Aging

Many people refer to alcoholism as a “family disease” because it can have a major impact on all members of the family whether they realize it or not. A number of cancers are also linked to long-term alcohol abuse, including head and neck cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and liver cancer. In stage one, your drinking behavior may be what many people consider “normal.”  You might have a few drinks with friends, enjoy a couple of beers after work or drink a glass or two of wine with your dinner. What makes this behavior dangerous is the motivation behind your alcohol use. In early stages, if you’re drinking to deal with stress or anxiety and you’re progressively drinking larger amounts of alcohol to get intoxicated, you could be in the pre-alcoholic stage. The paper also found a significant interaction between the age of study subjects and their mortality risk.

• Intoxication occurs when the blood alcohol levels rise faster than the rate at which the liver can metabolize the alcohol.
• This leads to a dangerous amount of swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that can disrupt proper digestion.
• Other health complications, like heart problems and stroke, stem from chronic alcohol abuse in end-stage alcoholism.

As a person with a high tolerance continues to drink heavily, their body adapts to the presence of alcohol. A person with a dependence may go through withdrawal symptoms without a certain level of alcohol in their body. When the normally high level of alcohol in a person’s body begins to drop, they may feel physically ill.

Alcohol may contribute to weight gain

Another study limitation was that alcohol consumption per capita was determined from aggregate data and not from alcohol exposure for individuals. However, the World Health Organization data used in this study were supported by similar results from population 14 Reasons Being Sober Makes Your Life Better surveys in Denmark, Finland and Sweden (17–19). In the aggregate data, neither age- nor sex-specific alcohol consumption data were available. The results based on aggregated data were exploratory and may not be used to draw definitive causative conclusions.

However, the risk is significantly higher in individuals with long-term and heavy alcohol use. Having a strong support system is crucial for individuals seeking to recover from alcoholism. Support can come from various sources, including family, friends, support groups, and healthcare professionals.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Inland Detox

For example, if your loved one passes out in the yard and you carefully help them into the house and into bed, only you feel the pain. The focus then becomes what you did (moved them) rather than what they did (drinking so much that they passed out outside). Often, in trying to “help,” well-meaning loved ones will actually do something that enables someone dependent on alcohol to continue along their destructive paths. Make sure that you are not doing anything that bolsters their denial or prevents them from facing the natural consequences of their actions.

• It is never too late to seek help and start on the path to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
• The liver is responsible for filtering the toxins from substances such as alcohol out of a person’s body.
• Remember that change is possible, and seeking help is a vital step towards recovery and improved quality of life.
• She obtained her Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Yo San University in 2008 and began her private practice in 2009.

John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Information and support for those affected by alcoholism/Alcohol Use Disorder.

She began her journey in the addiction field working as a detox medication nurse shortly after graduation. She spent 10 years on the nursing floor working with a team of doctors and nurses to get patients safely through the detox process, where they then could continue to pursue sobriety. She started to further her knowledge in the Utilization Review Department in 2013. In 2017 she became the Director of Utilization Review Services where she is the liaison between the patient and the insurance company to ensure the best level of care is authorized. Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term.

Treatment can help individuals understand the root causes of their addiction, develop coping strategies, and learn healthier ways to manage stress and emotions. A 2015 study of people with mild Alzheimer’s, for example, found that moderate drinkers were less likely to die during the study’s follow-up period than teetotalers. A large 2017 study also found that light and moderate drinkers were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who never sipped.