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“Prodrome” is a medical term for a symptom that indicates the onset of a disease before other signs appear. The establishment of a pattern in alcohol abuse marks this transitional stage, which introduces cyclical abuse. The cycle begins when the individual’s drinking starts to cause problems in everyday life. As treatment progresses, the focus will turn from learning about the sober life to practicing recovery techniques and healthy coping strategies every day. A person in this stage will be discovering freedoms in their new life that they may have never thought they could experience. They’ll likely still feel the temptation to drink, but they’ll be focused on their goal.
They will be able to be a responsible and trustworthy friend, partner, colleague, and parent. In this phase, financial distress from job losses and loneliness due to damaged relationships are also prevalent. These symptoms become increasingly stages of alcoholic recovery more difficult to experience as the subject progresses through the stages of Alcohol Use Disorder. For example, if drinking is becoming a priority and a requirement for most social events, or when you leave the house, there may be a problem.
Stage 4: Action
The preparation stage takes a person from “I should” to “I will.” Loose timelines tighten up, and the prospect of entering treatment becomes real. People in this stage benefit from opening up to friends and family about their decision to seek treatment, as it fosters accountability and helps with follow-through. People in the preparation stage are usually still drinking, but actively planning to stop with treatment. They should prepare a detailed plan of action to improve the chances of successfully entering treatment. Relationships with family and friends begin to deteriorate as the person’s focus shifts more toward drinking.
Seeking treatment during the pre-alcoholic stage is possible but is highly unlikely. It’s often difficult to determine whether someone is in the pre-alcoholic stage. People in the pre-alcoholic stage may enjoy drinking more frequently than those around them but it isn’t overtly noticeable in most people.
Should You Be Concerned About Your Drinking?
During this stage, you have effectively used the tools and coping skills you learned over the years to live a life free of addiction. In addition to sobriety, you are also a productive member of society, developing healthy relationships you lost or were unable to achieve during your addiction. These stages were created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and have helped countless individuals recover from addiction.
- Early into the study of alcohol abuse, a theory was proposed that described the decline into full-blown alcoholism.
- However, many people who are on track to develop an alcohol use disorder do need to drink more to reach their desired level of intoxication.
- As clients reluctantly sever their ties with substances, they need help managing their loss and finding healthy substitutes.
- Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are both categorized as alcohol use disorders—affecting people of all ages and stages of life.
As a result, the individual will have to consume a larger quantity of alcohol to experience the desired effect. Similarly, when a person increases their alcohol intake, they also increase the risk of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ damage to their body. Also, one of the main characteristics of alcohol dependence is withdrawal. Alcohol withdrawal occurs when a person becomes sober from alcohol after a long period of drinking.
