Your friend or family member in early-stage alcoholism will regularly binge drink or drink to the point of blacking out. They’ll likely joke about their blackouts or mention they won’t drink that much again. However, they’ll inevitably drink that much again not long after. Over time it becomes a cycle of binge drinking, blacking out, swearing to cut back, and then starting again. 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.

Facing the possibility of alcoholism can be overwhelming, and it feels much easier to act like you’re perfectly fine. Unfortunately, addiction causes more harm in the long term than pleasure in the short term. While each person is unique, there are some typical stages that many struggling with drinking go through. Morton Jellinek in the 1950s, the Jellinek Curve describes and details these, illustrating how alcoholism progresses for most of those with the disease. The chart also shows how alcohol addiction becomes a vicious cycle that continually repeats unless the person attempts to break the cycle by seeking help.

Stage Four: Sever Alcohol Abuse and Dependence

It also includes the journey of alcohol addiction and into recovery. He outlines the ways people can recover from their problematic drinking behaviors. And you can shift from the downward spiral of alcoholism and toward the upward trajectory at any point. The stages of alcoholism are a helpful tool to help determine the progression of alcoholism but they are by no means a rule.

Their brain is changing—and without help, there can be serious long-term consequences. 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 (AUD), took months or years to reach that point.

Stage 2: Euphoria

Recovery will not be easy at this point, but it will be worth the work. Now is the time to line up support from addiction specialists, mental health professionals, friends and family, and others living with an alcohol use disorder. However, before the onset on problem drinking, there is social drinking in which people 5 stages of alcoholism begin to experiment with alcohol. Some people begin these stages of alcoholism early on, in adolescence. They may drink to be part of the crowd or self-medicate underlying symptoms of mental health issues or a serious mental health disorder. Drinking to cope with emotional pain can easily become a pattern.

• However, they need to consume more alcohol in order to produce the same effect they experienced in the beginning.
• People with alcohol addiction physically crave the substance and are often inconsolable until they start drinking again.
• While these individuals may not be daily drinkers, they do consume large amounts of alcohol at once.

Treatment plans and programs include inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, aftercare programs, sober living, and 12-step support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Consequently, this can profoundly influence one’s moods, conduct, and even temperament. Even though some of the harm done to the brain due to alcohol misuse may be reversible, the possibility of a lasting and disabling mental condition known as Korsakoff’s psychosis remains. This form of memory impairment usually comes before Wernicke encephalopathy. Friends and family are usually the first to notice that something is wrong.

Dissociation and Anxiety: How Are They Connected?

A female, meanwhile, would consume four or more within two hours. Teenagers and young adults make up a large percentage of the binge drinking crowd. While many of them end their binge drinking behaviors as they grow older, some of them will progress to later stages of alcoholism. Drinking is considered “problem drinking” when it begins to impact one’s life.

• In addition, medications may be able to help ease or stop drinking and guard against relapses.
• Aftercare helps you stay on track and keep practicing what you learned while in rehab.
• They may feel as if they are failures and may have no idea what to do.
• For example, alcoholics will continue to drink despite it causing them negative consequences.

Any stage of the Jellinek Curve is considered dangerous 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 (CDC). Some don’t notice that they’ve been increasing their consumption. Others are unaware of how dangerous their drinking practices are. Alcoholism can damage your mind and body and make your relationships difficult.

Action Stage

Excessive or chronic use, for purposes of the study, was considered eight or more drinks for women and 15 or more for men. Children with substance use disorders may drop out of school, lie, steal, or risk their safety in their pursuit of getting drugs. Others become homeless, as they are unable to maintain jobs or go to school. In extreme situations, women may resort to unhealthy relationships.

Help is available for you no matter which stage of alcoholism you’ve reached. Thousands of people find a solution to their drinking through alcohol rehab each year. Alcohol addiction treatment teaches you more about the nature of your condition and provides you with the tools you need for long-term recovery.

Treatment for Late-Stage Alcoholism

6 or more criteria denote a chronic alcohol use disorder, otherwise known as alcoholism. 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. Mental problems such as dementia or delirium tremens (DTs) occur, and they face an increased risk of developing cancer.

• Middle-stage alcoholics might deny their drinking problem or try to hide their alcohol use from others.
• With all alcoholic beverages, drinking while driving, operating an aircraft or heavy machinery increases the risk of an accident; many countries have penalties for drunk driving.
• The individual’s use of alcohol becomes a standard method for them to address these issues, and even though they are beginning to develop disordered behavior, it will not look like that to others.
• Additionally, no two individuals have identical reasons that lead them to develop alcohol use disorder.