Alcoholism is a serious disease that affects both men and women. Alcohol dependence has a characteristic course of development, that is, the disease can be divided into the first, second and third (chronic) stages of severity.
It's no secret that alcoholism causes damage to both the physical and psycho-emotional state of a person, and the more severe the stage, the stronger this damage will be.
The only bright spot in this story is that the field of narcology has long known methods of treating alcoholism at any stage, but now they undertake to treat severe degrees of the disease - not all drug treatment centers number 2 and 3.
If you or your relative are faced with the second or even third stage of alcoholism, do not rush to despair and give up! The medical center in Moscow “12st” works with alcoholics of any severity of addiction and health status. You can turn people away from alcohol, instill a desire to lead a healthy and sober lifestyle, and get help in normalizing family and work relationships within the walls of the clinic.
It is not always possible to understand on your own what stage your loved one’s alcoholism is at. Moreover, many relatives prefer not to notice their loved ones’ problems with alcohol at all.
Of course, if you don’t want one of your relatives to put alcohol at the forefront and replace the normal joys of life such as communication with families, improving their financial situation, pride in themselves from success in hobbies, etc., you should think about it. does alcoholism exist? The sooner you identify the existing problem and find out at what stage of alcohol addiction your relative is, the sooner you can begin treatment without causing severe consequences.
How to recognize the second stage of alcoholism:
At stage 2 of alcoholism, the consequences are predominantly mental, since the alcoholic’s health still allows him to drink, and the body, although weak, is holding on.
Consequences of addiction:
— Firstly, the deterioration of family relationships. A husband or wife in their right mind will not tolerate such antics. It is not far from divorce and other “pleasant” accompanying things: division of property, division of children, possibly deprivation of rights, etc.;
— Secondly, there is a high risk of contracting some kind of sexually transmitted disease, because with alcoholism of the second stage, all sense of responsibility and sanity is lost;
- Thirdly, the appearance and behavior of the alcoholic changes, the legal spouse begins to show intimacy. This makes the alcoholic jealous, suspect his spouse of cheating, insult him in every possible way and even beat him, in general, make his partner’s life unbearable.
At the second, as well as at the third stage of alcoholism, it is difficult to take independent measures to combat the deadly habit. Simple self-control and willpower, which most often fall into deep sleep during these stages of addiction, are not enough.
It is imperative that if alcoholism progresses, you should consult a specialist. Residents of Moscow will be able to get help at the 12st drug treatment center in any condition and at any degree of alcohol dependence.
Why is it important to contact a specialist:
Why choose the 12st clinic? For many reasons. But the two main criteria why people turn to us are the following:
Find out more about our work by booking your first free and anonymous appointment. Registration is carried out by calling 8 800 775-6 and 8 495 151-80-45.
Alcoholics- people who, as they believe, have achieved everything in life. True lovers of alcohol will never recognize addiction as a disease, much less that he is sick. They will insist that as soon as they want, they can stop drinking at any time.
There is a small percentage of people who are aware of their problem and want to get rid of it. But, most often, it is relatives who sound the alarm, because they are the ones who suffer the most when there is an alcoholic in the family.
Few people recognize alcoholism as a real drug disease that can easily change the metabolism in our bodies, which is why an alcoholic can simply lose control over himself even after drinking the first 100 grams.
With each glass, a person needs to take another to feel this alcoholic ecstasy, a feeling of lightness in the body.
Over time, the immune system weakens and the person begins to get sick more often.
The second is identical to the first, but with completely different behavior and different symptoms. The disease is already progressing, the person begins to change in appearance. Stage 2 of alcoholism is characterized by an even greater craving for strong drinks and the appearance of a severe hangover.
After any intake of alcohol, the patient is increasingly tempted to get drunk, and over time this desire intensifies.
When a person who is in the second stage of alcoholism drinks alcohol, he develops a feeling of oblivion (when, based on the sensations in the body, you understand that everything is fine, like some kind of euphoria).
A person drinks and feels light; the dose increases each time. But our body is able to take alcohol and process it only in small doses.
This condition appears in cases where the body cannot or does not have time to process all the alcohol taken.
Typical signs of a hangover are:
When a hangover occurs, the process has already started and the disease cannot be stopped. However, it is possible to find a cure for this terrible disease.
There are main six signs:
In the second degree of alcoholism, excitement appears at the thought of alcohol, joy before an event or holiday, and anticipation of drinking.
The second stage is very different from the first:
In an addict, when moving to stage 2, the body becomes very accustomed to strong drinks.
At this stage, the body has already rebuilt itself in such a way that it cannot function normally without drinking alcohol.
Addiction is already visible to the naked eye not only to the patient himself, but also to the society around him. At the second stage, a person feels tired, as a result of which attempts to quit alcohol may slip through.
At this stage, along with manifest psychosis, withdrawal syndrome (physical dependence on alcohol) appears.
It occurs 9-20 hours after the patient stops drinking alcohol and is visible as a complex of such ailments: mental, neurological, somatovegetative abnormalities.
Psychosis manifests itself in sadness, loneliness (which is often the cause of suicide), irritable behavior, dysphoria (aggression), feelings of fear and anxiety (these are signs of developing psychosis).
People complain of poor sleep and headaches. Neurological symptoms manifest themselves in impaired coordination of movements. The somatic status includes problems with heartbeat, tachycardia, shortness of breath, and increased pressure in the arteries.
Alcoholics of the second degree are often concerned about symptoms such as:
The consequences of this syndrome can be alcoholic psychoses:
For most patients, alcoholism in the second stage is already a reason to contact the staff of medical institutions. Uncomplicated withdrawal syndrome upon completion of binge drinking goes away without treatment in 2-7 days.
Since drinking alcohol leads to a softening or disappearance of the previously listed symptoms, the craving for alcohol at stage 2 becomes higher than a person’s willpower.
Without looking at the promises given earlier or the prohibitions (complete lack of self-control), alcoholics continue to take alcohol or surrogates. To buy alcohol, patients are ready to steal, sell family valuables, etc.
Degradation of a person as an individual is observed:
A level 2 alcoholic can drink alcohol every day (it will be a joy for him).
But, as a rule, more often than not, binge drinking for several days is accompanied by periodic breaks associated with a lack of money to buy alcohol, problems at work, long trips, etc.
In the second period of the disease, pronounced somatic consequences from constant drinking of alcohol are almost always noticed:
But, most of these ailments that occur at this stage are reversible. As a rule, due to their causes, premature deaths occur or people become disabled.
In modern medicine, the disease is treated very quickly and effectively. When undergoing the correct course of therapy, out of 100 alcoholics, 80-90 stop drinking alcohol.
Treatment usually includes several stages:
Treatment of alcohol addiction requires not only the use of special medications, but also psychological therapy.
To determine how to get rid of addiction, you need to seek the help of specialists; doctors will help and advise effective methods.
Alcohol-containing drinks pose a hidden threat to the health of everyone who prefers to drink them at the holiday table or in the evening as a means of relieving stress. All this can lead to the development of alcoholism, which can hardly be called a weakness or a bad habit of a person. After all, such a condition is considered a rather serious disease of a chronic nature.
According to statistical studies, almost 90% of people have tried alcohol at least once in their lives. But only 10% of them developed dependence due to the use of these drinks. So why does the disease only affect certain people, and how can degrees of alcoholism be determined?
Alcoholism is a disease that is simply impossible to contract. A person himself takes this path if he begins to drink alcohol frequently on significant dates, holidays and other life events. And every glass of an alcohol-containing drink drunk is a direct road to torment and suffering not only for him, but also for his loved ones.
According to narcologists, not all people can become alcoholics. As a rule, the disease affects those who are weak morally and mentally, as well as those who have weak willpower. For such people, alcohol-containing drinks are a real salvation. After all, when drinking vodka or wine, a drunkard gets real pleasure, feeling a surge of energy and strength. So maybe such people should constantly take an intoxicating product? No!
Such use most often develops into addiction, which, like many other diseases, is very dangerous to health. What are the main reasons for its appearance? According to scientists, alcoholism primarily threatens those who:
Alcoholism develops gradually, passing through certain degrees and manifesting itself with specific symptoms. By observing the existing signs of the disease, a specialist is able to accurately determine the stage of the pathology. This will allow him to offer the patient the most effective treatment regimen.
In order to understand that a person who drinks alcohol has become dependent on it, it is necessary to notice specific symptoms of the disease. And for this it is important to know the degrees of alcoholism and their signs. The latter include the following conditions:
Depending on the degree of alcoholism, a person may experience:
Diseases of internal organs that have close contact with alcohol entering the body;
Sharp development of psychoses;
Depression;
Disturbances in metabolic processes;
Malfunctions of the central nervous system.
The signs and symptoms listed above characterize the development of pathology. That is why, if they are detected, you must immediately consult a doctor. Only timely therapy will allow you to cure the disease within a short time and without complications, restoring the functioning of the body.
With regular consumption of alcohol, the metabolic processes of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which controls the impulsiveness of glutamate, which stimulates the nervous system and the pleasure hormone dopamine, are disrupted in the brain. What follows? Over time, changes affect the metabolism of dopamine, which occurs in the “pleasure” centers. Without these substances, a person ceases to be satisfied with life. This provokes the human brain to consume alcohol, which, when taken, can get rid of unpleasant sensations and begin to feel good.
How many degrees of alcoholism do experts distinguish? The disease has 4 phases. At its initial stages, it is very difficult to judge the presence of one degree or another of alcoholism. Drinking alcohol is often mistaken for everyday drunkenness. It is difficult to determine this even from a test.
This occurs because the drunkard denies or downplays his addiction to alcohol. But it is worth noting that such behavior is one of the symptoms of the development of alcoholism. They call it dissimulation. This symptom is characterized as anonymous alcoholism. The person doesn't just tell lies. He hides the fact of his illness.
It is possible to determine that a person has reached the 1st degree of alcoholism by the most important symptom of this phase of the disease, which is the loss of the gag reflex. And this, in turn, leads a man or woman to exceed the dose of alcoholic beverages, leading to severe intoxication.
How to determine the degree of alcoholism in the initial phase of the disease? The second scientifically proven symptom of this period is memory loss. Moreover, it becomes impossible to restore a person’s previous state even after turning to psychiatry specialists.
The first degree of alcoholism is characterized by a certain regularity and duration of drinking alcohol. This frequency is 2 to 3 times a week. Moreover, in this phase, the aversion to drinking, which previously appeared on the second day, disappears. In the presence of the first degree of alcoholism in men and women, the feast can last more than one day.
The next sign of the first phase of pathology is an increase in the number of strong drinks that are required for intoxication.
This phase of alcoholism is characterized by:
The patient has pleasant memories of being intoxicated, which provokes thoughts about alcohol;
A person’s search for any reason to start drinking, as evidenced by the mention of this topic in conversation with people;
Justifying not only your own behavior, but also the actions of other drunkards;
Increased mood with an approaching feast;
Mental satisfaction from drinking;
The emergence of conflicts in the family and in the work team due to alcohol abuse.
Mental illness leads to poor health. The person becomes irritable. His performance deteriorates. All this clearly indicates the presence of first degree alcoholism.
All the symptoms described above are typical. However, they become even more aggravated and, in addition, new signs appear. They are able to indicate the development of second degree alcoholism.
A person on a mental level is able to partially realize that he is dependent on alcohol. However, he is no longer able to refuse it.
When a person reaches the second degree of alcoholism, he or she becomes fully productive only after taking a small amount of strong drink. In addition, the dose of alcohol that he needs to become intoxicated becomes 6-10 times greater than the amount that a healthy person would drink.
In psychology, the second degree of alcoholism is called a pseudo-drunken period. After all, the patient can go on a binge for several days, and then take a short break. Very often it is difficult for such a person to fall asleep without a glass of strong drink.
At the second stage of alcoholism, memory loss becomes even deeper. A person, as a rule, forgets exactly what is associated with his bad behavior. In addition to mental dependence, physical dependence on alcohol also develops. When drinking a large amount of strong drinks, a person begins to feel:
Trembling in the limbs;
Increased heart rate;
Severe pain in the temples;
Weakness in the body;
Increase in blood pressure level.
At the initial stage of development of phase 2 of the pathology, alcoholics suffer from seizures, similar in nature and course to epileptic seizures. The most difficult for a person are the first 2-4 hours after he has taken an impressive dose of alcohol. This is a period when he does not think well, cannot think adequately and speak clearly.
What symptoms are characteristic of third degree alcoholism? At this stage, withdrawal symptoms begin to develop. It manifests itself in persistent mental and physical dependence and drug delirium. Alcohol blocks the production of various hormones, which does not allow a person to independently give up addiction.
Symptoms of alcoholism of the 3rd degree are expressed in the fact that even when taking an unsafe dose of alcohol, a person completely lacks a gag reflex. To eliminate a hangover, he takes a new dose of strong drinks, which leads to long-term drinking bouts. In case of alcoholism of the 3rd degree, the liver is affected. Pathological disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system begin to appear. When forced, the state of an alcoholic is similar to the withdrawal symptoms of drug addicts. This is the period when the drinker becomes aggressive, violent and unpredictable. That is why this degree of alcoholism is very dangerous for human health, which requires immediate treatment.
This degree of development of the disease is characterized by loss. This is due to the occurrence of dysfunction of many organs that are of vital importance. In order to become intoxicated, such a patient needs a small amount of strong drinks.
In the fourth phase of the development of alcoholism, the gastrointestinal tract and liver are damaged. They begin to develop malignant tumors. Pathological changes also affect blood vessels.
At this last stage of alcoholism, a person completely loses all interest in the life around him. All his thoughts and actions are aimed at finding the next dose. Women who have reached this state stop worrying about their natural destiny. They are not at all concerned about pregnancy. Teenage female alcoholism, which has reached the fourth stage of its development, poses a particular danger. Medicine is practically powerless against this condition.
Very often, this stage of pathology is characterized by indifference to the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. Such people have the same attitude towards alcohol, cologne and windshield cleaner. Physical dependence becomes very strong. If such patients are abruptly and forcibly forced to give up strong drinks, they may simply die.
In addition to the symptoms of the fourth phase of alcoholism described above, its signs are manifested in impaired coordination of movements and incoherent speech. In addition, muscle shrinkage occurs. That is why alcoholics are distinguished by pronounced thinness.
Alcohol addiction is a serious illness that develops gradually and goes through three stages. The patient usually does not notice how one of them replaces the other, and in the meantime his health gradually worsens. If the first stage of alcoholism can still somehow be hidden from the eyes of others, then the state of a person at the second stage of the disease begins to raise fair concerns. The average degree of drunkenness is characterized by an increased craving for strong drinks and the appearance of a severe hangover. At this stage, the drinker increasingly goes on binges, the duration of which increases from 2-3 days to several weeks. It is important not to waste time and start treatment on time, as well as convey to the alcohol addict the need to give up this harmful habit once and for all.
Most experts consider the second stage to be the “point of no return,” because once this line is crossed, only a few will be able to return to a sober life. Up to 90% of patients treated in drug treatment clinics suffer from 2nd degree alcoholism, many of them women.
At this stage, the psychological dependence on drinking has not yet fully formed, but each time it becomes more and more difficult for the patient to overcome it. He is overcome by obsessive thoughts about alcohol, he looks for any excuse to drink.
Physical dependence on ethanol at this stage reaches its maximum - the alcoholic drinks from 0.5 to 1 liter of vodka per day. Such large doses are explained by the emergence of tolerance - resistance to the influence of alcohol.
At this stage, the symptoms of the first stage persist, and new ones are added to them:
The amount of alcohol consumed depends on the well-being and mood of the alcohol addict. During periods of sobriety, he may not experience a strong desire to drink, but after consuming a critical dose of strong drinks, the craving for alcohol reaches a maximum and the patient is no longer able to limit himself.
As the disease progresses, the dose leading to loss of control over alcohol consumption decreases. A pathological desire to get drunk may be accompanied by lethargy, apathy or irritability.
Sometimes the attraction to drinking appears against the background of obsessive thoughts about drinking alcohol during holidays and feasts. It can also arise as a result of external stimuli - conversations on an alcoholic topic, communication with people who abuse alcohol. Episodes of desire may come and go spontaneously.
A person at this stage is not always aware of his dependence, since periods of craving for alcohol can be replaced by times of complete indifference to it. The development of alcoholism is also influenced by the psychological characteristics of the addict. For people with increased excitability of the nervous system, the attraction to strong drinks can be very strong, so much so that they are unable to restrain themselves and satisfy their desire immediately.
Loss of control over alcohol consumption is explained by an increasing increase in the desire to drink and the development of pathological personality changes due to prolonged drunkenness. A person is rapidly sliding down the social ladder.
The second stage of alcoholism can last up to 10-15 years before it progresses to the third, most severe stage. In women it is somewhat shorter, because they are more likely to get used to alcohol due to their physiological characteristics - ethanol is absorbed in their bodies faster than in men.
The disease at this stage of development is characterized by a significant increase in alcohol consumption, while its tolerance increases significantly. The volumes drunk are 5-6 times higher than normal. In healthy people, this amount of ethanol in the blood would cause a coma. 
At this stage, alcohol is consumed not at once, but in small doses throughout the whole day, and after the onset of a state of severe intoxication, everything starts all over again.
A characteristic sign of second stage alcoholism. It begins to form at the initial stage of addiction. The symptoms of a hangover appear after each episode of drinking and can be described as follows:
In order to alleviate these symptoms, the alcoholic drinks a certain amount of alcohol and cannot stop. He goes on a binge for several days or even weeks, begins to suffer from insomnia, and concentration and performance decrease.
The plateau of tolerance is one of the main manifestations of chronic alcoholism. This term is used to define the maximum level of alcohol tolerance that is observed over a long period of time.
An alcoholic can consume from 1.2 to 2 liters of alcohol per day, especially men. Such high doses are dangerous for a healthy person, but an addict needs to drink a lot to feel intoxicated. Typically, such volumes of alcohol are consumed without episodes of sobering up, within one day.
When the patient has reached a plateau of tolerance, a hangover becomes unknown to him, since alcohol withdrawal syndrome does not work in a series of continuous drinking. A person does not feel tired, on the contrary, he feels a surge of energy. He can work productively all day and then get drunk again in the evening. 
The danger of this state lies in the fact that a person does not feel his dependence on alcohol and believes that nothing prevents him from quitting drinking if he wants to.
Alcoholism of the 2nd degree can be characterized by two forms of drinking strong drinks:
In appearance, this may resemble normal behavior without manifestations of addiction, but for an alcoholic, the second part of life, where there is an opportunity to drink alcohol, is a priority.
Its behavior becomes cyclical:
It is noteworthy that the period of sobriety can last up to two months. This explains the fact that the second stage of alcoholism lasts longer than the others.
Long-term consumption of strong drinks provokes changes in the human psyche and behavior. Anxiety and depression appear, and the alcoholic begins to engage in self-abasement in order to arouse the pity of loved ones.
There are often cases when the behavior of alcohol addicts becomes dangerous. They begin to blackmail relatives with suicide attempts so that they give them money for drinking. Other methods can also be used, because social and moral norms for an alcoholic become unimportant when it comes to alcoholic beverages. 
Worsening anxiety can cause fear of death. Being in such a state of panic, the patient is afraid of dying from a stroke or heart attack, calls an ambulance or demands the help of relatives.
Mental signs of personality change:
There are several types of disorders:
Manifests itself in a general decline in personality level. The second stage of alcoholism is characterized by the appearance of psychopathic-like disorders - a person loses interest in all activities, he spends time doing meaningless activities, not thinking about anything. His horizons are rapidly narrowing, his previous hobbies do not bring him joy. 
Increasing doses of alcohol gradually lead to the formation of a psychoorganic disorder, which, in the absence of adequate treatment, can develop into alcoholic psychosis, pseudoparalysis and dementia (acquired dementia).
This stage of the disease can be called a turning point in the life of an alcoholic - if he does not find the strength to fight it, he may lose everything. At this stage, treatment should be carried out only in a medical institution, under the supervision of a doctor who will study the patient’s medical history and prescribe an individual course of therapy.
A feature of the disease at this stage is that you cannot stop drinking at once. Abrupt withdrawal of alcohol can provoke severe somatic, mental and neurological disorders in the body, problems with the functioning of the musculoskeletal system and internal organs.
Psychological symptoms of the second stage of alcoholism: decreased intelligence, personality degradation, the formation of the beginnings of alcoholic psychosis, or the so-called delirium tremens.
The result of long-term drinking bouts is hepatitis, cardiovascular diseases, swelling in the muscles of the thighs and shoulders and other diseases.
The second stage of alcohol addiction is not a death sentence, but a serious reason to think about your health. The patient needs to realize the danger of this condition and urgently begin to treat his illness.
In this article you will learn everything " Stages of alcoholism" Once you have the information, you can easily identify alcohol addiction in both yourself and another person.
According to recent research, it is the model presented below, where you will see the stages of alcoholism, that should be considered as a new standard.
And perhaps alcoholism will be much closer than you previously thought.
And this is good! Because the sooner you recognize what specific stage of alcoholism you are at, the sooner you can do something about it.
I wrote about the signs of alcoholism in a previous article.
The following signs are characteristic of the second stage of alcoholism:
Alcohol consumption becomes constant and periodic. For example, once a week a person necessarily gets drunk to a “good” state, accompanied by a complete loss of control. The presence of alcohol in life becomes a necessity.
If at the first stage of alcoholism a person could still choose to drink or not, then at the second stage a person is deprived of this opportunity. Addiction itself dictates how much and when a person drinks alcohol.
To check whether you have freedom of choice, try, for example, not drinking alcohol for at least a year.
Consciously or unconsciously, a person comes up with reasons to defend his drinking. He believes that he is just relaxing on the weekend, relieving stress, and so on.
Also, the second stage of alcoholism is characterized by an increase in tolerance to alcohol.
Alcohol tolerance means that a person now needs to drink more alcohol to feel the same way. The old norm ceases to bring the same effect of pleasure.
The body adapts to alcohol, the natural reflexes of alcohol rejection are removed. The body stops resisting.
The person again thinks that he can drink alcohol without serious consequences.
Increasingly, people are losing control over their alcohol consumption.
It is the loss of the ability to control what you drink that is the main sign of the second stage of alcoholism.
On the outside, everything looks good in a person's life. He leads a social lifestyle; he has friends who, by the way, also drink.
The third stage of alcoholism is characterized by several signs:
At the third stage of alcoholism, a person’s entire life begins to be built around drinking alcohol. Other matters lose their importance and fade into the background.
Even if a person continues to go to work and engage in external affairs, he is in a “waiting mode” for use.
He is waiting for the day when he can drink to relieve stress.
Drinking alcohol becomes the only desired goal, a source of pleasure.
A person begins to form and intensify other dependencies.
A person begins to use various types of drugs more, watching porn, fantasizing about “indecent” topics, overeating, drinking coffee. Often he uses addictions simultaneously to get a greater “high” effect, since using them separately stops “inserting” the person.
A person’s real life, when he is deprived of the opportunity to use, becomes uncomfortable. A person begins to experience internal pain, constant anxiety and irritation.
Only when a person drinks, he becomes unreasonably cheerful and hyper-energetic for a while.
In life, problems that did not bother you before begin to manifest themselves more and more. due to the fact that a person ignores other areas of life in favor of drinking alcohol.
At this stage of alcoholism, a person does not recognize his addiction; he believes that new problems have arisen due to the ill fate of fate, external reasons, but not because of addiction.
A person zealously defends his drinking, considering alcohol to be the only source of joy.
At the third stage of alcoholism, changes occur in:
Selfishness, pride, and harshness appear in communication with loved ones.
Aggression towards other people also appears.
The desire to isolate from society.
The person begins to get annoyed by other people.
The frequency of alcohol consumption increases.
A person can use several days in a row, for example, on Friday and Saturday.
Drinks in the middle of the week.
It is at the fourth stage of alcoholism that the consequences end, when a person is still able to get out of addiction on his own.
If you notice that you or your loved one is on one of the stages of alcoholism- this is already a signal to sound the alarm.
It is at these stages that you need to stop denying yours as soon as possible. You need to admit to yourself that you are at one of the stages of alcoholism and start doing something about it.
These were the 4 stages of alcoholism.
Already, being at these stages, it is quite difficult to stop drinking.
Alcoholism is only scary when you don't know what to do with it.
But in this case there are specific things to do and how to win forever
