Three Stages of Alcoholism

imageMany experience significant amount of stress during the holidays for a variety of reasons. With the abundance of alcohol that flows during this time of year, it is very easy to rely on drinking as a way to relieve stress. Some people may have a drink or two after work to combat work-related stress, others may have a little extra at a holiday party to combat marital or financial stress.

Over time, alcohol becomes more than just a source of relaxation and slowly becomes a source of additional problems. For South Asians, this phenomena is new as alcohol is not a major part of most South Asian cultures. For these reasons, many South Asians do not recognize the signs and symptoms of beginning, middle and end stage alcoholism, brushing off alcohol intake as a social activity that they are in control of.

Alcoholism is mistakenly assumed by South Asians to be a problem of the lower class. In reality, it affects anyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Especially for younger generations, symptoms can begin at a very young age. Here is a breakdown of common signs of alcohol development.

Early Stage

During this stage, it is not easy to identify drinking alcohol as a problem because it can be masked as social drinking. The key is that for early stage alcoholics, drinking provides emotional relief. The reason to take a drink may be because of stress or because it feels that alcohol is necessary to be able to handle the problem at hand.

Drinking becomes a habit for managing stress and the individual will seek out social situations where drinking will occur. Over time, the alcoholic begins to increase their tolerance, requiring more alcohol to maintain a buzz.

Middle Stage

Anywhere from a few months to a couple of years later, early stage alcoholics begin to show signs of mid-stage alcoholism. Drinking becomes heavier and begins earlier in the day. The need for social events as an excuse are no longer necessary and drinkers may sneak in extra drinks when no one is looking to maintain the high. Drinking to “get wasted”, hangovers and blackouts (temporary loss of memory) become a habit.

During this stage, the drink may begin behaving more recklessly, spending large amounts of money or behaving impulsively. This can lead to further financial troubles and deteriorating relationships. Mid-stage alcoholics may become aware of their problem or be embarrassed by it but very often they blame external circumstances for the effects of their drinking. For example, they will blame their partner for not being supportive or the economy for their dip in finances instead of blaming the drinking.

Late Stage

This stage is classified by loss of control. Drinking is no longer a habit but an addiction. There is a feeling of a loss of control where the rest of life revolves around drinking. Late stage alcoholics will make any excuse to drink – to get out of bed, as a reward for mowing the lawn, after a stressful meeting at work, because it is 3 days before Christmas. Their drinking patterns often cause them to feel guilty or ashamed of their problem which perpetuates the need to make more excuses in order to rationalize their drinking.

It is common to experience job loss, serious financial problems and serious relationship issues. The excessive drinking that has led up to this stage has negatively impacted the mind and body. Many alcoholics in this stage experience numerous mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, hallucinations or paranoia. Malnutrition, liver damage, diabetes and twitching or shaking are also common physical ailments that come with late stage alcoholism.

Alcoholism is especially dangerous for South Asians because genetically the population is at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart attacks. It is important that South Asians become comfortable talking about stress so that alcohol does not become the answer to mental health issues.

Do you know someone who is an alcoholic?

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