Question 1.

Describe what happens during the third stage in the

development of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is commonly referred to as alcohol use disorder (AUD) ad it is a disease,

which gradually develops with time, and it takes over the life of an individual and can affect

every aspect of it from one’s physical health to their finances and finally mental health. It is

not easy to identify alcoholism in one’s life not even a loved one. However, there are clear

red lights, which communicates that one has been addicted to alcohol. Many people ignore

alcohol on its addiction nature ad assume that people do not really get addicted and that it is

easy to get out of it. Some signs are common on the life of an individual at every stage of

addiction and it is very easy for one to identify them without going to school. There are three

stages of alcoholism. These stages are denial, loss of control, and emotional and physical

weakening.

The three stages of alcoholism

1. Denial

The early stages of alcoholism is often characterised by the symptoms below:

a. Drinking occasionally so as to release stress or for other reasons.

b. Increasing alcohol intake gradually and attaining more tolerance to
a alcohol
c. One’s thoughts get more focused on consuming alcohol
d. Rationalising alcohol intake
e. Other people are not aware of the drinking problem

The main primary alcohol addiction sign in the early stages is when one resolves to

drinking alcohol in order to solve some life stressors such as relationship issues, daily stress,

joblessness, financial crisis, and sadness as well as other negative emotions. However, there

is nothing wrong with occasional binge drinking at social gatherings, and the problem of
alcohol abuse can be seen when one begins to abuse alcohol as a treatment for emotional and

stressful situations. As one relies on alcohol on daily basis, you will likely find yourself

getting more and more fixated on the next drink, with thoughts such as ‘ after work I will

head to the bar ad get one for the road’. Some people rationalise their drinking by saying that

they are just getting some glasses to take them through the rough days. At this stage, people

think that the drinking is not such a big deal. As long as one is not going out for a drink every

day, that should not be a problem for many people who are in the first stage of alcohol

addiction.

During the first stage, your close relatives, friends, and co-workers are not likely to

realise that you are addicted. Sometimes they may not realise when your drinking habits are

getting more and more frequent. The victim is often in denial that they are not taking too

much alcohol and that it is not daily. They will deny that alcohol is controlling their life.

2. Loss of control

Loss of control for alcohol consumption is the second stage of alcoholism.

Common symptoms of this stage include:

a. A strong desire to drink

b. Regular alcohol consumption is caused by shutdown
c. Severe withdrawal symptoms
d. Losing control over one’s drinking habits
e. Other people close to the victim starts realising that one has a drinking problem
f. The victim begins hiding the drinking from other people
g. The victim has evidenced relationship issues, and social isolation also intensifies.
h.

At this stage, the victim is accustomed to drinking and consuming large amounts of

alcohol without any side effects. The victim may still function properly despite his heavy

drinking. They are very focused on the next drink. Gradually, alcohol becomes the only thing
that the victim has in mind.Alcohol induced blackouts become more evident and will often

lead to more time wastage up to one day. During such blackouts, the victims may not

remember where they went and the things that they did. Such leads to issues like human

harassments.

While other people start to realise your drinking habits, you realise it too although you

still experience scenarios of denial. The victim will then start hiding their drinking scenarios

from the people around them. You find yourself spiking tea, coffee, water, or soda with

alcohol to lie to the society that you are not drinking.

3. Physical and emotional deterioration

This is the final and most severe level of alcoholism and it consists of symptoms

listed below:

a. Drinking obsession

b. One cannot function without alcohol

c. One losses interest in other things

d. Anxiety, insomnia and depression

e. Financial, relationship and legal problems continue to function

f. Start of serious health problems

At this stage the victim has developed full blown addiction and n most cases, their

health deteriorates. Some could even be hospitalised as body organs are affected by alcohol.

The victim lives on alcohol and often will drink without food. Some spend the whole day

drinking.

It is quite common that the person requires alcohol for them to survive through the

day. In most cases people loss jobs as they cannot work without alcohol which is not legal.
 Conclusion

Alcoholism is the addiction to alcohol. The journey to one becoming alcoholic is

gradual. One undergoes through three steps of addiction. These are: denial, loss of control

and the last one is physical and emotional damage. One can control their drinking habit at

stage one. However, it is unlikely that one can control himself once they are at stage three.