This describes the symptoms and signs of each phase in addition to exploring treatment alternatives.

Early or Adaptive Stage
Middle Stage
Late Stage
Dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction
Regression to drinking or using drugs

1-- The Adaptive or early Stage of Alcoholism and Addiction

The early or adaptive phase of alcoholism and addiction is marked by increasing tolerance to alcohol and physical adaptations in the body which are mainly unseen.

This increased tolerance is marked by the alcoholic's or addict's ability to take in greater quantities of alcohol or drugs while appearing to suffer couple of effects and remaining to operate. This tolerance is not created simply since the alcoholic or addict beverages or utilizes excessive but rather due to the fact that the alcoholic or addict has the ability to drink muches because of physical changes going on inside his or her body.

The early stage is challenging to discover. By appearances, an individual may be able to consume or abuse a large amount without ending up being drunked, having hangovers, or suffering other noticeable ill-effects from alcohol or drugs. An early stage alcoholic or addict is commonly indistinguishable from a non-alcoholic or addict who happens to be a relatively heavy drinker or drug user.


In the office, there is most likely to be little or no apparent influence on the alcoholic's or addict's efficiency or conduct at work. At this stage, the alcoholic or addict is not likely to see any problem with his/her drinking or substance abuse and would scoff at any attempts to show that he or she might have a problem. The alcoholic or addict is simply not knowledgeable about exactly what is going on in his or her body.

2-- The Middle Stage of Alcoholism and Addiction

There is no clear line between the middle and early phases of alcohol addiction and dependency, but there are a number of attributes that mark a new stage of the condition.

Many of the pleasures and advantages that the alcoholic or addict gotten from drinking or abusing drugs during the early stage are now being replaced by the devastating aspects of alcohol or substance abuse. The drinking or drug use that was done for the purpose of getting high is now being replaced by drinking or drug using to combat the discomfort and anguish caused by prior drinking or drug use.

One basic attribute of the middle stage is physical reliance. In the early stage, the alcoholic's or addict's tolerance to higher quantities of alcohol or drugs is enhancing. Together with this, nevertheless, the body becomes used to these quantities of alcohol and drugs and now struggles with withdrawal when the alcohol or drug is not present.

Another fundamental characteristic of the middle phase is yearning. Addicts and alcoholics establish an extremely powerful desire to drink or utilize drugs which they are ultimately not able to control. As the alcoholic's or addict's tolerance enhances in addition to the physical dependence, the alcoholic or addict loses his/her capability to control drinking or drug use and craves alcohol or drugs.

The alcoholic or addict simply loses his or her ability to restrict his or her drinking or drug utilize to socially appropriate times, patterns, and locations. alcohol dependence or addict can not manage as much alcohol or drugs as they once could without getting intoxicated, yet needs increasing amounts to avoid withdrawal.

Another feature of middle stage alcoholics or addicts is blackouts. Contrary to exactly what you might assume, the alcoholic or addict does not really pass out during these episodes. Instead, the alcoholic or addict remains to operate but is unable to remember exactly what she or he has actually done or has been. Basically, the alcoholic or addict merely can't bear in mind these episodes due to the fact that the brain has either stored these memories poorly or has actually not kept them at all. Blackouts may also take place in early stage alcoholics and addicts.

The alcoholic or addict battles with loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, and cravings. This is the point where the alcoholic or addicted staff member might be facing disciplinary action.

3-- The Late Stage of Alcoholism and dependency

The late, or deteriorative stage, is very well identified as the point at which the damage to the body from the harmful effects of alcohol or drugs is evident, and the alcoholic or addict is suffering from a host of conditions.

An alcoholic or addict in the lasts may be destitute, incredibly ill, psychologically baffled, and drinking or usage drugs virtually constantly. The alcoholic or addict in this phase is dealing with numerous physical and psychological problems due to the damage to essential organs. His or her immunity to infections is decreased, and the worker's mental condition is extremely unstable. A few of the very major medical conditions the alcoholic or addict faces at this point consist of heart failure, fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, lack of nutrition, pancreatitis, breathing infections, and brain damage, some of which is reversible.

Why does an alcoholic or addict continue to drink or abuse drugs regardless of the recognized facts about the illness and the apparent negative effects of continued drinking and drug use? In the early phase, the alcoholic or addict does not consider him or herself ill since his or her tolerance is increasing. In the middle phase, the alcoholic or addict is unconsciously physically dependent on alcohol or drugs.

An alcoholic or drug addict will certainly deny that he or she has an issue. If an alcoholic or drug addict did not deny the existence of a problem, he or she would most likely look for help when faced with the overwhelming problems caused by drinking or abusing drugs.

4-- Treating Alcoholism and Addiction

An alcoholic or drug abuser will seldom stop consuming or utilizing drugs and continue to be sober without expert aid. Likewise, she or he generally will not stop consuming or abusing drugs without some sort of outdoors pressure. This pressure might come from household, good friends, clergy, other health care experts, police or judicial authorities, or a company. For example, a spouse might threaten divorce, or the alcoholic or drug user may be arrested for driving under the influence.

One Can Quit Anytime in the Cycle
There was at one time a widespread belief that alcoholics and addicts would not get assist till they had actually "hit bottom." This theory has actually usually been rejected as many early and middle stage alcoholics and drug user have given up drinking or making use of drugs when faced with repercussions such as the loss of a job, a divorce, or a convincing warning from a doctor relating to the potentially fatal repercussions of continued drinking or drug use.

Early Treatment
There are obvious benefits to obtaining the alcoholic or drug abuser into treatment earlier instead of later. One benefit is that, the earlier treatment is started, the likelihood of having less costly treatment, such as outpatient care, is increased. There is likewise a higher possibility of success in treatment with an individual who has not yet lost everything and still has a supportive environment to return to, consisting of an intact family, health, and a task. In addition, the company has a stake in the early treatment of alcoholism and dependency, because the worker will have a higher chance of returning earlier to complete operating on the job if the condition is arrested at an earlier point. Early treatment is just less disruptive and can help the alcoholic avoid future misconduct and bad performance. There may have been irreparable damage done if an alcoholic or drug addict doesn't get assist till very late in the illness.

Duty for Treatment
The alcoholic or drug addict does not initially have to want to get assist to go into treatment. Companies are an extremely powerful force in getting the alcoholic into treatment.

Some alcoholics and drug addicts do stop drinking on their own, this is unusual. A lot of alcoholics and drug addicts need some type of professional treatment or assistance.

5-- Relapse

A discouraging and vital element of dealing with alcohol addiction and addiction is relapse or a return to drinking or abusing drugs and prevails. An alcoholic or addict commonly regressions due to a range of elements including:

• Inadequate treatment or follow-up
• Cravings for alcohol and drugs that are hard to manage
• Failure by the alcoholic or addict to follow treatment directions
• Failure to change lifestyle
• Use of other mood changing drugs
• Other unattended mental or physical illnesses
Relapses are not always a return to continuous drinking or drug usage and might only be a onetime event. Relapses should be dealt with and seen as a sign to the alcoholic or drug addict that there are areas of his or her treatment and recuperation that need work.