Progression of Alcoholism

The disease alcoholism progresses by three stages, the early, middle and end-stage. It is possible to drink alcohol and not be in any of the three mentioned stages of alcoholism but only if you are a male and drink responsibly which means no more than a drink or two in a 24-hour period or if a non-pregnant woman drinking just one drink in the same period of time. When the frequency of alcohol consumption or the amount of alcohol increases for a male or non-pregnant female so does the risk for developing alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (alcoholism). Physical and mental health deteriorates as the individual increases the amount of alcohol consumed or the frequency at which it is consumed. As a consequence of irresponsible alcohol consumption the individual may advance into the early-stage of alcoholism.

Early-stage alcoholism starts when an individual begins to rely on the drug, alcohol in order to enhance mood or to escape from problems they are facing. The individual begins to look forward to the next alcoholic drink, even planning when that will be. The love of alcohol begins to replace time spent with loved ones and friends. It is at the early stage of alcoholism that the drinker begins to build a tolerance level that gradually keeps increasing, as greater amounts of alcohol are required to achieve intoxification. Typically the person is still able to function without appearing to be alcohol-impaired so it may not be obvious to the individual or to those around him/her that there is a drinking problem at least until the individual moves on to the middle-stage of alcoholism.

In the middle-stage of alcoholism there is an increased need for more alcohol in order to maintain the same level of "feeling good" so the amount of alcohol that is consumed is increasing throughout the day and the drinker is beginning to lose control over how much he/she is drinking. Relationships, work and even finances may be suffering at this point and there may be some brushes with the law that are alcohol-related. The drinker typically outwardly denies having a drinking problem but it is generally quite apparent to everyone around that there is indeed a drinking problem.

The disease of alcoholism has progressed to the end-stage and it is in this stage that hangovers, blackouts, and health-related problems occur. Physical and mental health issues begin to take a toll on the organs of the body, which become increasingly damaged and functionally impaired over time as the drinking continues. The individual is quite often malnourished due to the large quantities of alcohol consumed that interfere with the normal digestive process and nutrients are not able to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  Even if nutrients were to make it to the bloodstream the liver is usually too damaged to be able to convert them into usable forms for the body. Diseases such as alcoholic cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and steatosis are often diagnosed at this time and if the alcoholism is left untreated the body’s organs and systems begin to shut down and death follows. It is in the end-stage that alcoholics often commit suicide, or death comes from organ damage, disease

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