Are you worried that you or a loved one could be addict to alcohol? If you are, then continue reading as we’ll tell you what you should know about alcoholism and how it develops.
Alcoholism or alcohol addiction is a disease that develops when an individual drinks excessively for a long and continual period of time. The development of the disease can be broken down into 3 stages: The early stage, middle stage and latter stage.
Early Stage Alcoholism
People start drinking for many reasons to relieve stress at work or at home to forget about any problems they might have or even to settle any nerves they might have.
To sum this all up, people drink to change the way they feel. Alcohol is a brain stimulating drug, so the feelings that will be experienced will be pleasurable.
These pleasurable feelings will cause the person to drink regularly to experience it again. Most cases, this stage will often be overlooked by family members and friends as the person will seem normal.
However, should he or she be questioned about their drinking, the individual will try to convince their loved one that there is no problem present.
Early stage alcoholics may lose control of their tongue as well as their posture during this period, which is a clear indication that they are entering the middle stage of alcoholism.
Middle Stage Alcoholism
This period signals the start of full blown alcoholism.
The individual will constantly think about alcohol: when they will be able to drink, how they’ll be able to drink and where will they be able to drink. Any plans to quit drinking will now be almost impossible to achieve, as the cravings to drink will be too powerful.
The alcoholic will now have to drink more to become drunk as their body has now become tolerant to the drug.
Those around the alcoholic and even the individual will be able to pick up that there is now a problem at hand, however the person will continue to drink despite seeing the damaging effects it’s causing.
Latter Stage Alcoholism
The final stage of alcoholism involves constant, heavy drinking and denial to any problem being present. When the person is approached about it and asked to get help, he or she may refuse it or become aggressive towards their loved ones.
The alcoholic’s health will have deteriorated drastically and it may even lead to death if alcoholism is left untreated. Their immune system will be low, becoming more susceptible to picking up illnesses such as liver and brain disease as well as cancer.
Alcoholism Treatment
If you or a loved one is addicted to alcohol, then it’s important to get professional medical help.
The best way to treat this disease is by residing inside an alcohol rehabilitation centre, for a period depending on the severity and nature of the addiction suffered.
Treatment will involve a supervised medical detoxification – which helps remove any cravings or withdrawal symptoms that may be experienced, 24 hour supervised medical care and counselling and therapy – which will help in educating the alcoholic about their drinking problem and how they can avoid using alcohol in the future.
Secondary care is also available for those looking to continue their treatment and this may be done through outpatient treatment (does not require a stay in rehab) or halfway houses (a continued stay in a sober living home). Secondary care serves as a continuation of what was taught in rehab, just in further detail.
Tertiary care is also available for those who want to ensure that they stay on the path of sobriety and is highly effective in achieving this.
We provide access to the best private alcohol rehabilitation centres in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Thailand. Call us now and let one of our qualified addiction counsellors assist in finding the right treatment for you and your loved one.
