Alcoholism is a condition that becomes progressively worse as time goes on and these alcoholism stages can help you see what stage you are at.
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| Stages of alcoholism |
You may have had your drinking under control when you first started, but as time goes on and more and more alcohol has passed your lips, you may find that your drinking is no longer under control. If you are alive and breathing then you still have a chance to beat this disease and take back control of your life. Knowing where you are in the stages of alcoholism will help in your recovery and also give you a place to look back on to see how much your life has improved.
Drinking first starts out as a social thing but then it may slowly move beyond being social and become a way to cope with your
mood and the stresses of life. This is one of the first stages of alcoholism when you find yourself drinking to be able to handle life. Unfortunately, it isn't long after this stage when it is the alcohol that starts handling your life and controlling it. You cannot hide from problems in your life by drinking; the problems will still be there later.
The next stage is when you find that the amount you drink no longer helps you to cope with life and you need to drink more and more to get the same effect. Your tolerance to alcohol grows and it takes more of it to give you the same effect. When you reach this stage it begins to be dangerous and you may start experiencing some of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.
It isn't long before you may start to think that perhaps you have a drinking problem although you will try to deny it. But just to make sure that you don't really have a drinking problem you will tell yourself that you can control your drinking and that you are going to cut back. When you drink you plan only to have a few because you think a few won't hurt and isn't a problem, but those few drinks will turn into many drinks. You no longer have control over your drinking and you just don't know when to stop.
Drinking first starts out as a social thing but then it may slowly move beyond being social and become a way to cope with your
mood and the stresses of life. This is one of the first stages of alcoholism when you find yourself drinking to be able to handle life. Unfortunately, it isn't long after this stage when it is the alcohol that starts handling your life and controlling it. You cannot hide from problems in your life by drinking; the problems will still be there later.
The next stage is when you find that the amount you drink no longer helps you to cope with life and you need to drink more and more to get the same effect. Your tolerance to alcohol grows and it takes more of it to give you the same effect. When you reach this stage it begins to be dangerous and you may start experiencing some of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.
It isn't long before you may start to think that perhaps you have a drinking problem although you will try to deny it. But just to make sure that you don't really have a drinking problem you will tell yourself that you can control your drinking and that you are going to cut back. When you drink you plan only to have a few because you think a few won't hurt and isn't a problem, but those few drinks will turn into many drinks. You no longer have control over your drinking and you just don't know when to stop.
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The next stage gets a bit scary as this is when the drinking really starts taking control of your life. Now you constantly think about your next drink and getting that next drink becomes more important than anything else in your life. You become obsessed with getting a drink and you may neglect or hurt your family or friends because of your obsession. You may lose your job because you just don't care about it anymore and start to take days off or turn up late. Your family and friends will try to help you but you won't want their help, because you don't admit that you have a drinking problem. You may even get angry at them for interfering and you may soon find yourself alone. This is when you choose alcohol over those you love.
Next, you stop caring about yourself. You don't care about how you look, your health, your future or your life. The only thing you care about is getting your next drink.
The last stage is when your love of alcohol turns into a full-blown obsession. At this stage you have no control over anything, the alcohol has complete control. Your desire to drink may find you homeless or may even be harming your health. You might find yourself in hospital with serious health problems that have been caused by your drinking.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous. You can stop your alcoholism if you make the decision to take back control of your life. It won’t be easy and you will need support, but you can do it! Get help for your alcoholism while there is still time!
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