Alcohol is a drug, it’s just that the period of its effect on the body is more extended than that of other illegal drugs. The mechanism of the effect of alcohol on a person is similar to drug addiction: the addiction is so mild and imperceptible that a person does not feel his attachment, but at a certain moment he is sharply aware of the mental and physical dependence on alcohol, which is a difficult task for narcologists to overcome. It should be noted that alcoholism cannot be completely cured, and even after many years of abstaining from drinking alcoholic beverages, patients often have breakdowns.
Stages of alcohol addiction
Alcoholism is not just a bad habit, but a terrible disease, which is the most common today both among young people and among middle-aged people. Addiction occurs imperceptibly for the drinker and those around him, and in the case of continued systematic drinking ends with chronic alcoholism, creating an unhealthy psychological environment in the patient’s family, which has an irreparable negative impact on children and their mental health.
For an adult man to develop alcoholism in all stages, it is enough for 10-15 years of systematic regular intake of alcohol in small doses, with a frequency of several times a week. The addiction to alcohol in children and adolescents occurs three times faster – a child is 2-3 years old, which is why it is very important not to allow children and adolescents to be attracted to drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol addiction can be divided into three main stages.
The initial stage of alcoholism
The initial stage of alcohol addiction is called neurasthenic. It is characterized by a constant attraction to drinking alcoholic beverages, the use of which becomes systematic. This stage is characterized by the following features:
- loss of the gag reflex with a large amount of alcohol drunk;
- a decrease in the quantitative control of what was drunk, in which a person ceases to inhibit himself in drinking alcohol until he falls into a state of strong alcoholic intoxication;
- mental dependence, manifested in a systematic desire to drink and in the inability to refuse a drinking company;
- palimpestet – periodic memory impairment during alcoholic intoxication, when an alcoholic cannot remember part of the event during a binge;
- asthenic syndromes: irritability, lethargy, unstable mood and others.
The duration of the initial stage of alcoholism is from 1 to 6 years.
Middle stage of alcoholism
The middle stage (narcotic) is characterized by the beginning of a change in relations with others, mental disorders and changes in the human body. The symptoms of the second stage of alcoholism are:
- attraction to alcohol of an obsessive and compulsive nature: the patient is obsessed with the idea of drinking, in a sober state he has negative thoughts, the mood rises after taking alcohol;
- withdrawal symptoms – a hangover-like condition that lasts for a day or several days after drinking alcohol again;
- maximum tolerance during withdrawal symptoms;
- altered forms of intoxication;
- a strong decrease in situational and quantitative control while drinking alcohol;
- pseudo binges – a short duration of binge states (from 2 days), which can systematically happen to a person;
- transition from light to strong alcoholic drinks;
The middle stage of alcoholism is the period when alcohol intake superficially “improves” the physical condition of an alcoholic, relieving severe long-term hangover syndromes. During this period, a person’s sense of duty is dulled, deceit, irresponsibility, a rude and harsh attitude towards insignificant pressure from loved ones appears.
Severe stage of alcoholism
At this stage of alcoholism, the patient has developed binge drinking, the duration of binges increases each time. The alcoholic has severe neuropsychiatric disorders, profound changes in the internal organs. The main signs are:
- hard drinking;
- decreased tolerance;
- falling mental and deepening physical dependence;
- alcoholic psychoses;
- the transition to less strong drinks – for an alcoholic, less weak drinks are enough to quickly achieve a state of intoxication.
At a severe stage of alcoholism, a person loses morality and gradually there is a complete social, mental and physical degradation of the personality.