Occasional consumption of alcohol rarely leads to alcoholism, but understanding the progressing nature of alcoholism is vital for the prevention of a life-long condition. Excessive consumption of alcohol has been the cause of death of many individuals in all corners of the globe. If you want to learn more about this condition, click here.
Always bear in mind that alcoholism is considered as a lifestyle-related condition. During the early stages of the condition, there are preventive measures that can be done in order to make a difference in the progression of the disorder or living a sober life. There are indications during the early stages of alcoholism which affects the individual physically, personally and socially.
Heightened tolerance
Initially, the indications of excessive drinking can appear subtle but the body is already developing tolerance to routine use of alcohol. Take note that tolerance refers to the progress of drinking a few alcoholic beverages in order to achieve a buzz to drinking several beverages to attain the same level of intoxication.
There are two forms of tolerance – function and metabolic. When it comes to metabolic tolerance, it results to the increase of enzyme production by the liver in order to metabolize the alcohol at a quicker rate, resulting to faster elimination of alcohol out of the body. The fast elimination signals the need for more alcohol to achieve the desired effect. As for function tolerance, it refers to the diminished level of sensitivity from the effects of alcohol use to chronic consumption. The blood alcohol increases with every drink yet the sensation of intoxication is different than when drinking was started.
Changes in social drinking
It is important to note that social drinking can precipitate alcoholism. A social drinker can consume alcohol or not during social events and there is no preoccupation linked with drinking. The changes develop during the beginning phase of alcoholism that is reflected in the social drinking patterns. The individual will have obsessive thoughts about drinking or even verbalize the need to unwind with alcohol.
When it comes to social events, alcohol consumption is more excessive but the individual might not acknowledge any changes in the drinking. After some time, the individual will lose interest in social drinking and progresses to isolated drinking. Once social drinking no longer occurs, the individual will opt to join an accepting group of drinkers to associate with.
Changes in the routine and personality
When based on the personal level, alcoholism can be difficult to accept. In most cases, there is denial of having a problem which commonly occurs during the starting phase of alcoholism which leads to irritability and compulsions to drink just to take the edge off. Shame and guilt are linked with early stage alcoholism as the individual attempts to battle to recognize the alcohol issue. The starting phase of alcoholism often leads to the disruption in the daily routine such as hangovers from excessive drinking and being late for work. This is the time when family members often vocalize concern but the individual might not be willing to listen and further isolate from those who care.