Drinking occasionally at parties is a common phenomenon. What’s uncommon is when this occasional drinking habit turns to a regular one. Unfortunately, that is where the problem occurs, and soon people label this habit as alcoholism. Almost 64% of men and 57% of women in Minnesota suffer from alcoholism, as reported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
If one wants to get rid of alcohol, one needs to acknowledge that it cannot be possible overnight. However, alcohol addiction treatment center have come up in Minnesota to help people trade back to everyday life. In this blog, the various stages of alcoholism are discussed to assess the stage they belong to.
Four stages of alcoholism
As reported by the various alcohol addiction treatment centers in Minnesota, alcoholism can be divided into four stages, namely:
- Stage 1: Pre-alcoholic stage
- Stage 2: Early-stage alcoholism
- Stage 3: Middle alcoholic phase
- Stage 4: End-stage alcoholism
Given below are the details of each stage of alcoholism. Also, the way they can be spotted are discussed here:
Stage 1: Pre-alcoholic stage
This stage is the most difficult to spot as it can be barely recognizable whether the person is getting into alcoholism. When alcohol enters the body, two essential components – GABA and glutamate – are produced. While the former helps one to relax, the latter makes one more active and excited. At this pre-alcoholic stage, one takes the alcohol to be a part of the social situation and enjoy a relaxing feeling.
Although alcoholics at the pre-alcoholic stage are difficult to spot, at this stage, people take to drinking more often than others. At almost all social gatherings, these alcoholics prefer to have a drink in their hands.
Stage 2: Early-stage alcoholism
At the early-stage alcoholism, one is sure to practice binge drinking and fall prey to blackouts. Binge drinking is characterized by the consumption of four or five drinks consecutively within two hours. If this appears normal to one, it is time to address the drinking habit and control oneself.
People in early-stage alcoholism are into binge drinking regularly and never stop until the point of suffering a blackout. They are likely to crack jokes about their drinking habits and eventual blackouts.
Stage 3: Middle alcoholic phase
During the middle alcoholic phase, the drinking habits become noticeable to all. One cannot survive a day without drinking, as one feels that alcohol can be a good way of escape from the realities that one doesn’t want to face. One of the easiest methods of noticing people in this phase is they lose control of drinking. As a result, the health is affected severely that needs serious medical attention.
Stage 4: End-stage alcoholism
In this stage, the results of using alcohol for a long time are evident. Here, the habit of drinking affects one’s health and family, career, professional life, social being, and economy. In addition, during this phase, an alcoholic suffers from paranoia.
Conclusion
Now that the stages of alcoholism are known, it will be easy to detect and get treated. One can contact an alcohol addiction treatment center in Minnesota to get back to normalcy and lead a happy life.
