Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
In this article
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the proper term for alcoholism or alcohol addiction.
It is a chronic relapsing brain disease. It occurs when a person abuses alcohol or their body becomes dependent on alcohol.
Someone with AUD continues to drink despite the negative effects on their mental or physical health, relationships, or work.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are three traits of alcohol use disorder:
Alcohol can significantly change someone’s behavior and overall well-being. It changes your brain chemistry.
Someone with alcohol use disorder may exhibit the following:
There are some major warning signs of alcoholic behavior. These include the following:
There are four stages of alcoholism that you should be aware of:
Stage 1 alcoholism is considered the pre-alcoholic phase. These are the people who drink to dull pain, forget, destress, escape reality, etc.
While they don’t yet have a full-on addiction, their drinking behavior could quickly spiral into one. It’s important to take the warning signs seriously because this is the easiest stage to create change.
Stage 2 alcoholics are those who are:
Their alcohol consumption has become a serious cause for concern.
Stage 3 alcoholics are deemed “middle alcoholics” who may be missing work, forgetting family obligations, and showing physical signs of alcohol abuse (weight gain, facial redness, etc.).
They may also be more irritable and show obvious signs of struggle to those who are close to them.
Stage 4 alcoholics are those who have let drinking come in the way of everything that’s important in their lives. Alcohol has taken a toll on their physical and mental health, it’s affected their personal and professional relationships, and it’s caused them severe psychological damage.
This is the most severe stage of alcoholism.
Whatever stage you or someone you know is at, support is available to help you or them take back control. Quitting is possible.
Alcoholic behavior can take a serious toll on all types of relationships. Because someone who struggles with alcoholism tends to exhibit irritability, this can create tension in relationships.
Since many alcoholics lie about their behaviors, distrust in relationships can develop.
And, because late-stage alcoholics may prioritize drinking over their work and family obligations, it’s obvious how this can affect their partners and other family members.
If your loved one is struggling with alcoholism and it’s hurting your relationship, reach out for help as soon as possible.
Helping an alcoholic can be tough on your own, but there are options that can help your relationship as well.
Often, loved ones are responsible for the alcoholic to self-assess and begin to ask themselves, "Am I an Alcoholic?"
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder, get help. The sooner you start, the easier it’ll be to take back control. Here are a few treatment options available:
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