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Alcoholism - Last Stage

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image: young man in grief over loss of alcoholic parent There are four alcoholism stages.  The fourth and last stage of alcoholism is characterised by a chronic loss of control regarding drinking behavior.  In the earlier stages of alcoholism, the alcoholic had a choice whether he or she would take the first drink.

In the last stage of alcoholism, however, an alcoholic no longer has a choice: he or she must drink in order to function on a daily basis.

The Regrettable Characteristics of Alcoholism in the Last Stage

Alcoholism Stages.  The fourth and last stage of alcoholism is characterised by an almost total loss of control concerning drinking behavior.  In the earlier stages of the disease, the person may have been successful in maintaining a job.

Now, however, drinking starts earlier in the day and usually continues throughout the day.

image: DWI dice associated with alcoholism Very few, if any full-time jobs can be maintained once a person is in this emotional and physical state.  In the earlier stages of dependency, the alcoholic had a choice whether he or she would take the first drink.

Once the alcoholic had the first drink, he or she usually lost all control and would then continue drinking.  In the last stage of alcoholism, however, alcoholics no longer have a choice:  they must drink.

During the last stage of alcoholism, benders are typical.  That is, in this stage, the alcoholic gets helplessly drunk and may remain in this condition for days at a time.  The unattainable goal for the alcoholic at this time is to find the feeling of euphoria they once experienced.

In this stage, they alcoholic manifests an utter disregard for everything, including food, shelter, family, and job.  These occasional flights into oblivion are best described as drinking to get away from the problems caused by drinking.

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Treatment of the alcoholic can be divided into 3 stages. Initially, the person has to be medically stabilized. Next, he or she must undergo a detoxification process, followed by long-term abstinence and rehabilitation.

In the second or third alcoholism stages the alcoholic's hands may have trembled slightly on mornings after getting drunk.  In the final stage of alcoholism however, alcoholics get "the shakes" whenever they try or are forced to abstain from drinking.  These tremors are an indication of a severe nervous disorder that now affects the entire body. 

A strong family history of alcoholism is a warning that you are at increased risk of becoming an alcoholic. Increased awareness of such a risk may help modify your attitude toward alcohol consumption.

The Shakes and the DTs

image: elderly man with a dark beer When "the shakes" are combined with hallucinations, the result is known as "the DTs" or delirium tremens, a potentially fatal form of alcohol withdrawal if the alcoholic does not receive medical attention.  After an attack of the DTs, many alcoholics promise to never drink again. 

Sadly, most of them do not and can not fulfill their promise, and so they eventually return to drinking, and the process starts all over again.

Once sober, patients can begin rehabilitation. Many enroll in hospital-based or freestanding alcoholism treatment centers. According to a 1991 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 575,000 people were treated in 8,298 facilities in the United States on Sept. 30, 1991. Of those, 12 percent were treated as inpatients, 88 percent as outpatients.

The Need to Hide the Booze

In the final stage of alcoholism, having an easily accessible supply of alcohol close at hand (to avoid "the shakes") becomes the most important thing in the life of the alcoholic.  During this stage, the alcoholic will do almost anything to get the alcohol they require.  Once the alcohol is secured, the alcoholic will usually hide their bottles so that they can get a drink whenever they need it, which usually means any hour of the day or the night.

During the third stage of alcohol dependency, the drinker starts to experience serious relationship, work-related, and financial problems. Additionally, he or she starts to avoid friends and family and experiences a loss of interest in things that used to
be important.

Alcoholism Last Stage Symptoms

female teenager exhibiting extreme alcohol-related anger The following represents some of the key symptoms of the 4th stage of alcoholism:

  • the possibility of alcoholic psychosis
  • indefinable fears
  • the realization of being out of control
  • benders, or lengthy intoxications
  • continual loss of control
  • the collapse of the alibi system
  • obsession with drinking
  • unreasonable resentments and hostility toward others
  • vague spiritual desires
  • "the shakes"
  • auditory and visual hallucinations
  • moral deterioration
  • nameless fears and anxieties such as feelings of impending doom or destruction
  • the "DTs"
  • impaired thinking
  • devaluation of personal relationships
  • persistent remorse
  • loss of tolerance for alcohol  
Acute alcoholism is strongly associated with very serious pneumonia. One study on laboratory animals suggests that alcohol specifically damages the bacteria-fighting capability of lung cells. (Chronic alcoholism also causes changes in the immune system, although in people without any existing medical problems these changes do not appear to be significant.)

Alcoholism - Last Stage:  Conclusion

image: doctor checking status of teen alcohol abuser Alcoholism - Last Stage.  The fourth and last stage of alcoholism is characterised by an almost total loss of control regarding drinking behavior.  In the earlier stages of the disease, the person may have been successful in maintaining a job.  Now, however, drinking starts earlier in the day and usually continues throughout the day.

As a consequence, few, if any, full-time jobs can be maintained once a person has reached the last stage of alcoholism.  In the earlier stages of the disease, the person actually had a choice whether he or she would take the first drink.  Once the alcoholic had the first drink, however, he or she usually lost all control and would then continue drinking.  In the last stage of alcoholism, unfortunately, an alcoholic no longer has a choice: he or she must drink in order to function.

image: female ad for alcohol and drug rehab

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Screening for problem drinking and alcoholism needs to become an integral part of the routine health screening questionnaire for adolescents and all adults, particularly women of child-bearing age, because of the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome.

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