Becoming addicted to alcohol is not something that happens overnight. In reality, there are stages of alcoholism that start with excessive drinking and lead to serious health complications. Below, learn more about the stages of alcoholism to assess if you or a loved one might be struggling with addiction. Regardless of the stage you might be in right now, recovery is possible and it is something that would change the course of your life.
The 5 Stages of Alcoholism
There is a common misconception that developing an addiction to alcohol is something that happens quickly. The truth is that the stages of alcoholism are not linear. This means that people who struggle with an addiction to alcohol often go through ups and downs when it comes to using. In fact, one of the stages of alcoholism includes making attempts at recovery without being able to see them through.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the stages of alcoholism can look different depending on your personal situation and experiences. This is especially true if you have co-occurring mental health disorders, since they can lead to you using alcohol to self-medicate. Generally, the stages of alcoholism as well as the warning signs of addiction are as follows:
- Binge drinking—Often, the first experience somebody has with alcoholism includes binge drinking. This is where you consume alcohol in large amounts. It can be challenging to detect when you are drinking too much, but a good rule of thumb is to keep track of how many drinks you have within a certain timeframe. At this stage, drinking might not happen as often as in later stages but the dangerous aspect of this is that binge drinkers are not able to put a limit on how much they are drinking.
- Developing a tolerance to the substance—The more you drink, the more your body becomes used to (and dependent upon) the effects of alcohol. Therefore, the second stage of alcoholism is when you find that you need more of the substance to feel its effects.
- Drinking to “cope”—Using alcohol to numb emotional pain is considered problem drinking. Problem drinking often progresses throughout the stages of alcoholism because having an addiction can put significant strain on your relationships, professional life, and your mental health. However, using alcohol to push away uncomfortable emotions only makes the symptoms worse in the long run.
- Dependency—At this stage, your body becomes dependent on alcohol, meaning that if you try to stop drinking, you might feel withdrawal symptoms that can impact you physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is often why people who try to stop drinking end up going back to alcohol again: your body and your mind no longer know what to do without it.
- Addiction to alcohol—This final step in the stages of alcoholism is the complete addiction to alcohol. Addiction is a serious condition that requires professional treatment, a strong support system, and determination in order to recover.
If you feel that you have gone through or are currently experiencing any of these stages, it might be time to find an addiction recovery center. Remember, your journey toward recovery doesn’t have to end with this final stage. Instead, you can heal from addiction and any underlying mental health concerns to get yourself on an upward path once again.
Types of Treatment for Substance Abuse Recovery
There are many different treatment options for alcohol addiction to help you work through these stages of alcoholism. As stated above, one of the most significant stages of alcoholism is when you start problem drinking or using alcohol and drugs to cope with uncomfortable emotions. If this is something you are going through, consider co-occurring substance use disorder treatment.
It is important to treat addiction and co-occurring disorders simultaneously because you need to learn recovery skills for both in order to fully heal and to maintain sobriety and mental wellness after your time in a treatment facility. In a dual diagnosis program, you will have access to various treatment plans, including:
- Mental health assessment
- Individual counseling
- Medication management
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Recovery maintenance resources
Furthermore, if you are currently only experiencing mental health concerns and you would like to prevent the risk of substance use, there are mental health treatment services that could help you manage your emotional wellbeing before you reach any of the stages of alcoholism.
This preventative care could help you live with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, phobias, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, and many others so that you do not have to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking to get through the day.
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FAQ
- What are the five stages of alcoholism?
The five commonly recognized stages of alcoholism include: early experimentation, increased drinking and tolerance, problematic drinking, dependence, and full alcohol addiction. Each stage reflects a progression in physical, emotional, and behavioral dependence on alcohol. - How long does it take to progress through the stages of alcoholism?
The timeline varies widely from person to person. Genetics, frequency of drinking, stress levels, mental health, and environmental factors all impact how fast someone moves from casual drinking to dependence or addiction. - What are early warning signs that someone is entering stage two or three of alcoholism?
Key warning signs include drinking more frequently, needing larger amounts to feel the same effects, hiding alcohol use, blackouts, irritability, and drinking to manage stress or emotions. These stages mark the shift from recreational use to problematic drinking. - What happens when someone reaches the dependence stage of alcoholism?
In the dependence stage, the body and brain rely on alcohol to function normally. Withdrawal symptoms—such as shaking, sweating, nausea, anxiety, or insomnia—appear when alcohol isn’t consumed, making it harder to cut back without help. - How can alcohol addiction be treated once someone reaches the final stage?
Treatment often includes medical detox to safely manage withdrawal, followed by inpatient or outpatient rehab, therapy, and long-term relapse-prevention support. Professional help is strongly recommended, especially for individuals with severe dependence.
