Alcohol Problems

It has been known for thousands of years that abusing alcohol and excessive drinking lead to a number of social and personal alcohol-related drinking problems.

Depending on the amount of alcohol that is consumed and how quickly the alcohol is ingested, alcohol problems and drinking problems can range from mild headaches and slight nausea at one extreme and traffic accidents, alcohol poisoning, alcohol related traffic fatalities, coma, and death at the other.
An Overview of Alcohol Problems and the Human Body

Alcohol has a biphasic effect on the human body. This means that the effects of alcohol change over time. Initially, alcohol typically elicits feelings of relaxation and cheer.
Increased consumption, however can result in coordination problems, dehydration, blurred vision, and a whole array of social, medical, and health problems.

Quite obviously, higher quantities of alcohol can also lead to intoxication or drunkenness. One of the consequences of intoxication is the lowering of an individual's inhibitions.

Consequently, when people are intoxicated they frequently do things they normally would not do while sober, often ignoring social, legal, moral, and religious norms.

This, then, is a quick overview of some of the alcohol-related drinking problems.

What follows is a more detailed analysis of how alcohol problems escalate and become magnified as an individual suffers through the alcoholism degenerative process.

Perhaps the most logical way to discuss alcohol problems is to first address the classic alcoholic behaviors and problems that appear in the four states of alcoholism.
In the first stage of alcoholism, drinking is no longer social but becomes a means of emotional escape from inhibitions, stress, and problems.

Simply put, early in the illness the problem drinker starts to depend on the "mood altering" capabilities of alcohol.

Another characteristic in the first stage of alcoholism is that a gradual increase in tolerance develops, meaning that more and more alcohol is needed in order to experience a "high" or a "buzz."

The following list features some of the classic alcoholic behaviors and drinking problems experienced by problem drinkers in the first stage of alcoholism:
The use of alcohol as a way to forget problems or to "mellow out"
Boasting and a "big shot" complex
A conscious effort to seek out more drinking opportunities
Gross Drinking Behavior - more frequent drinking of greater amounts
An ability to drink great amounts of alcohol without any apparent impairment
Drinking is not social but a psychological escape from stress and problems
Increasing tolerance
Lack of recognition by the person that he or she is in the early stages of a progressive illness
Alcohol Problems During the Second Stage of Alcoholism
In the second stage of alcoholism, the need to drink becomes more severe. During this stage, moreover, the person with the drinking problem typically starts to drink earlier in the day.

As tolerance increases, however, the problem drinker consumes alcohol not for emotional stress relief but because of his or her dependence on alcohol.

During this stage, while the alcoholic's loss of control has not yet become noticeable on a regular basis, it is, nonetheless, sporadically observed by others such as family members, friends, and coworkers.

It is interesting to note that a key aspect in this stage of the disease is that the problem drinker's physical problems start to become more frequent and intensified.

The following list typifies some of the drinking problems and classic alcoholic behaviors suffered by problem drinkers in the second stage of alcoholism:
Sneaking extra drinks before social events
Feelings of guilt and shame
Drinking because of dependence rather than for stress relief
Increasing physical problems
More frequent blackouts
Blaming problems on others and on things external to themselves
Sporadic loss of control
Unsuccessful attempts to stop drinking
Chronic hangovers
Increasing tolerance
Denial
Alcohol Problems During the Third Stage of Alcoholism

In the third stage of alcoholism, the loss of control becomes more prominent, meaning that the person with the drinking problem is not able to drink in accordance with his or her intentions.

For instance, after the person has had the first drink, he or she typically can no longer control what will happen, even though the intention may have been to have only one of two drinks.

During this stage of the disease, moreover, the individual with the drinking problem usually starts to encounter alcohol-related employment, relationship, financial, and in many instances legal problems (such as multiple DUIs or DWIs).The clinical assessment of current and past alcohol use and alcohol-related disorders should be considered a routine part of all psychiatric or medical evaluations.


Furthermore, during this stage of the illness the person starts to avoid family and friends and exhibits a loss of interest in things that used to be fun or important. "Eye-openers" are also common during this stage.

Eye-openers are drinks that are taken whenever the problem drinker awakens as a way to help lessen a hangover, calm the nerves, or to extinguish the feelings of sorrow the drinker experiences after going through a period of time without consuming a drink.

The following typifies some of the classic alcoholic behaviors and drinking problems that are experienced by problem drinkers during the third stage of alcoholism:
Loss of willpower
The start of physical deterioration
Problems with the law (such as DWIs)
A decrease in alcohol tolerance
Neglect of necessities such as water, shelter, and food
Half-hearted attempts at seeking medical aid
Changes in friendships, such as associating only with friends who drink
Loss of interest in activities that used to be important
Aggressive and grandiose behavior
Serious financial, relationship, and work-related problems
The development of an alibi system - an elaborate system of excuses for their drinking
Frequent violent or destructive behavior
An increase in failed promises and resolutions to one's self and to others
Unreasonable resentments
Loss of control has become a pattern
Eye-openers
Diabetes
Increasing tremors
Avoidance of family and friendsAccording to a 1995 Weekly Reader survey, more than half (54%) of fourth through sixth graders reported learning about the dangers of illicit drugs at school, but fewer than a third (30%) learned about the dangers of drinking and smoking at school.

Alcohol Problems During the Fourth Stage of Alcoholism

The fourth and final stage of alcoholism is typified by a chronic loss of control. For instance, in the earlier stages of the illnessthe person with the drinking problem may have been able to maintain employment.

Now, however, due to the fact that drinking starts earlier in the day and typically continues throughout the day, few, if any, full-time work positions can be maintained once a person reaches this state of affairs.

In the earlier stages of the illness, moreover, the alcoholic had a choice whether he or she would take the first drink. After ingesting the first drink, the alcoholic frequently lost all control and would then continue drinking.

In the last stage of alcoholism, however, problem drinkers who are alcoholics no longer have a choice: they simply need to drink in order to make it through the day.
The following list characterizes some of the classic alcoholic behaviors and drinking problems that manifest themselves in the fourth stage of alcoholism:
The collapse of the alibi system
"The shakes"
Nameless fears and anxieties such as feelings of impending doom or destruction
Indefinable fears
Devaluation of personal relationships
Auditory and visual hallucinations
Impaired thinking
Loss of tolerance for alcohol
Persistent remorse
Vague spiritual desires
The possibility of alcoholic psychosis
Moral deterioration
Continual loss of control
Benders, or lengthy intoxications
Unreasonable resentments and hostility toward others
The realization of being out of control
The "DTs"
An obsession with drinking