How to Know When It's Time to Seek Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
If you have a physical injury or illness, for the most part, people will offer much more sympathy than blame. In the realm of addiction, however, stigmas remain. Even well-meaning souls will view alcohol use disorder (AUD) as a choice people make. Everyone knows alcohol is addictive; what did they expect to happen? Meanwhile, our collective culture celebrates “social drinking.”
At least 14 million U.S. adults struggle with AUD. Another half-million adolescents (ages 12–17) are also caught in the web of alcohol addiction. It’s long overdue that we challenge the misperceptions and help the people who need our love and support.
The 3 Stages of Alcohol Addiction
When drinking transforms into an addiction, it’s categorized as a brain disorder (AUD). This condition causes changes in a person’s brain. If they are not addressed, these changes can become more serious and enduring. Obviously, this is a very important factor when deciding about getting treatment.
To give this process a sense of chronology, here are the 3 stages of alcohol addiction:
1. Binge/Intoxication
This is the period when “social drinking” transitions into a crutch of sorts. It appears to be helping you be more comfortable in social settings. That vague sense of anxiety that might plague you gets replaced with feelings of euphoria. Unfortunately, before long, you start to miss these shifts. You feel triggered into the habit of seeking out the perceived “positive” outcomes of drinking.
2. Negative Affect/Withdrawal
You move from stage 1 to stage 2 when you experience withdrawal. You liked something about how drinking makes you feel. Then you sought out more of that experience. Now, when you’re not drinking, you feel negative physical and emotional symptoms that push you into drinking more. The changes in your brain become more pervasive.
3. Preoccupation/Anticipation
The part of your brain called the prefrontal cortex is what keeps you organized. Now, you’ve given it a new assignment. It aims its formidable skills toward the task of connecting you with your next drink so you can get more of that euphoric confidence you desire. Over time, you need more alcohol, more often, to satisfy the craving.
How to Know When It's Time to Seek Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
This crucial step transcends the familiar signs of being “drunk.” They can be minor and temporary — but still not recommended. When someone is addicted to alcohol, the red flags are more pervasive and insidious. For example, here’s what your day might look and feel like:
You have responsibilities like work, family, and more, but your mind is far more focused on having your next drink. Simultaneously, you’re either dealing with the cravings or trying to recover from the inevitable outcomes of drinking.
As a result, other obligations suffer, and the people in your life begin to notice.
You can identify how this cycle is taking a huge toll, but you can’t stop. You try to quit, but rapidly backslide and grow discouraged.
The negative feedback loop and escalating brain changes bring you to a point where you almost always choose activities that relate to drinking. You give up trying to keep up with your responsibilities and will engage in increasingly risky behaviors to satisfy the addiction.
The withdrawal symptoms worsen, so you up the ante and start drinking to a point where it’s all you do.
If only one of the above descriptions sounds familiar, you’re already at the point to seek help.
Treatment Is Always Available
Everyone deserves a chance to heal and recover. Don’t let shame and stigma keep you from asking for the life-saving help you need. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please make the phone call to learn more about addiction treatment today.