Three Toast – Three Stages of Alcoholism

How strange this world is arranged: everything in it threes. As a child, a man is telling stories “of the three heroes” and the golden witch, who fulfills three wishes. The man is growing up, and he is introduced the “three sisters” of a classic. Then it’s necessary to find out, “Do you respect me?” Coax to “figure for three” and told that should be consumed at least three toast and a drink should be drunk to the dregs: “For us!”, “For those who are in the sea!” and of course “For the love!”.

Pointless love for someone not personified translates into love for “green snake.” In the process of “reincarnation”, it turns to a certain period of time, and then the rest of life into the bad habit. It has a name – alcoholism, which ironically also has three stages.

Surely, there is a great irony in the described transformation of the body of a little man from a romantic start to a critical point in his life. The only thing that has been invented and visible between the lines is such disease as alcoholism, there is not the first meal, and then, when they are, feasts, gets bigger and eventually alcohol begins to host in the body.

There is no harm in “yes”?

Agitators of “green snake” convince that alcohol is useful because it is present in many medicinal tinctures, “stack” warms up during the frost, uplifting at holidays, and dampens pain and stress in peak situations. And anyway, how can “one hundred grams’ hurt body of a hundred kilos, and even more!

Some, of course, “comes under the influence” or embarrassed to refuse. Americans have conducted a series of experiments and found that the human brain does not perceive alcohol as a beverage. Forcing himself to take the poison, the man himself is paving the path to a diagnosis of chronic relapses.

The body categorically does not want to accept the so-called “mix”, a mixture of different types of alcohol. In any case, the most affected are kidneys and liver, and there is no difference whether they pass through themselves ready cocktails in bottles or cooked directly in front of visitors bars. There is a firmly rooted opinion that the beer – is a noble and harmless drink. Scientists and doctors in one voice say: you can’t drink it often and much. The drink from malt produces “beer belly” and disrupts the work of pancreas, and, again, of the same liver.

Wanting to please his girlfriend, a young man is trying to treat her by a women’s drink – champagne. Meanwhile, scientists have also added it to the list of the most dangerous drink for the body. Alcohol quickly accelerates blood through the vessels; a girl quickly gets drunk and wakes up with a headache. A morning headache after a feast – is a messenger with bad news. You know what were done with such messengers in ancient times? Come to the conclusion yourself, to drink or not to drink alcohol, is it harmful or not.

At first glance, there is nothing wrong if one person will treat a friend or even a stranger. But if such a “communication” becomes a habit, the body begins to react and adapt to change. “Reforms” of the body will take place without radical external manifestations. But, in fact, they will get the new state.

Inebriety – the brink of alcoholism, but not the disease

We may say without impropriety that this is the second name of one of the bad habits that still is not a disease. Domestic drinking – is a consequence of improper upbringing and suggestions.

There is another side of the figure: the modern pace of life sometimes pushes to a “relaxation.” I want to lose the stress and strain of the past days, disconnect from the accumulated problems. The simplest and most readily available method is a bottle of vodka.

First, joking, and eventually with good reason, a man seen in the frequent “contact” with a glass, they call a drunkard and alcoholic. This is not quite the same thing.

If the body has developed a resistance to alcohol, and the man does not seek to overcome the “upper limit”, so inebriety as a bad habit, it can be accompanied by a person for life without the threat of development. But it can easily go to the disease. This becomes evident by the constant and insatiable desire to drink again and again: if a person can’t stop himself, consider that this drinker is already stood on the threshold of the disease. The patient is not capable of self-control and the amount of consumed alcohol. Delay or lack of regular drink is called “breaking.” Not man dictates conditions anymore, but the body makes demands – to pour! Among domestic syndromes, this is not observed.

If inebriety is accompanied by a relative indifference, there is a glass on the table or not, the symptoms of alcoholism progresses constantly. To determine this, a subtle distinction between the vestibule of the disease and the disease itself can only be done by an expert. It is important to experience this, the transition point, because at this time the symptoms still behave “modestly”, drinking man does not give them the proper “attention”, hiding his cravings for addictions. By experts, this period is called dissimulation, which is regarded not merely as self-hypnosis with the help of lies, and the first wake-up call at the door, followed by the master – alcohol.

Still not too late to stop, turn back and leave

Here, on the verge of disaster, drinking man does not know what awaits him there, in another life. There are few people, who capture that moment. And he still lives with illusions that timid hints of trouble do not belong to him and he tries to get away from unpleasant conversations. He hides from strangers or something unsuspecting eyes anything that might trigger an occasion to discuss his current state and hopelessness of future with a glass. The situation bears a resemblance to the behavior of the child who has done something bad and knows that, but not confessed to the crime because he is a shame for an act, he knows that will be condemned. He believes that the excuses sound like a lame excuse:

1. “Why do you think that I have drunk too much – usual indignation of a drunk –we have drunk with a friend just for a glass of beer!” But the appearance evidence that there was not one glass and not only beer that is easy to test and refine.
2. Craving for alcohol becomes as much a natural phenomenon, like the morning coffee. Only refreshing beverage are not overseas grain but bottle of vodka.
3. Drinking person knows that there is an “upper limit” of alcohol consumed, followed by a disappointing diagnosis – alcoholism. But he doesn’t want to avow any symptoms and denies even the possibility of disease.
4. Alcohol is not afraid of the loss of an explicit sign of alcoholism – the gag reflex, but rather underwhelming, as a positive quality of the organism in adapting to alcohol. But, as the medical practice evidence, it is not so.

For beautiful ladies!

The toast is mandatory for all companies, it’s never passed, pour and drink to the dregs, not leaving “tears”.

Men drink standing. It’s real thrill to women. Of course, they also consume. Those who do it with harmful constancy, are easy to pick out among friends: look older, no make-up will help to hide the swelling on the face, they have under the eyes “hang” treacherous bags, voice becomes more rude and abrupt. Laziness wins the desire to care for them, appearance becomes untidy.

Feminine coquetry is replaced by insincerity and duplicity, irritability and aggressiveness, egoism is firmly settled in nature. The second category of women, on the contrary, feeling of guilt from their current position, turns into obsessive caring and worldly ladies.

As a rule, the basis of female alcoholism is psychological: the problem of loneliness, family breakdown, loss of loved ones, etc. Especially “impressionable” Housewives who have donated work to a team and career, one day decided to devote themselves to children and the family. Children grow up and go away in order to build their own lives. The husband is constantly at work, or “play away” … The only female companion becomes loneliness and a sense of bitter disappointment, as in Pushkin near the grandmother with nothing: and now it was all – nothing, useless. A bottle of favorite drink is becoming a companion at this stage of life. And there is one step from this to the logical diagnosis.

The female body is much faster prone to the dependence on alcohol than men. Therefore, its symptoms, as a rule, are not so easily caught the eye:

• a woman is hiding her addiction to alcohol for a long time;
• drink alcohol alone, or with the same “unhappy” friends;
• there is no the object analysis of his craving;
• they go to the doctor too late, as a rule, at the difficult stages of the disease: with the presence of heavy drinking and strong alcohol withdrawal syndrome;
• female alcoholism is usually not accompanied by antisocial traits, scandals, and fights;
• “domestic” woman is not an active participant in the formation of the family budget, therefore, its participation in the feasts do not attract as much attention as “meeting with a friend” among men.

The next toast, as in all ages – for the man!

Who has drunk standing up for the ladies, as a rule, feels obliged to respond the same for and the next toast – to drink also for a strong half of mankind. A mankind is watching for consequences of a male drinking for a long time and that is why clearly defined symptoms of male alcoholism:

• irrepressible need to drink;
• lack a sense of limits of the drinking;
• uncontrollability start, end and the number of drunk alcoholic beverages;
• the absence of memory of the events during the feast;
• hangover, which is “treated” by the next glass of vodka;
• binges;
• adaptation to the portability of a large amount of consumed alcohol;
• alcohol precedence over other interests in life;
• life turns into existence on principle –the more to drink, the longer to restore health.

Let’s see whether or not beyond the domestic alcohol drinking person there are three consecutive satellites.

1. The characteristic features of alcohol at the first stage

Pay attention that the absence of gag reflex – is a clear sign of the start, the first stage of alcoholism. The body not accustomed to shocks with high doses of alcohol reacts to them by the gag reflex. With the increase in alcoholic “time”, the body stops responding to overload. Repetitive peak loads blunt the protective functions of the body, and they begin to “fail”, stop working. As a result, the poison getting into the human internal organs is not processed: severe intoxication leads to short-term memory failures.

Have you noticed the loss of the gag reflex? This means, the “finest hour” of drinking human has come: now he can drink five traditional norms and, without stopping, to go on the record and win the dispute. Catch the moment; it is not a long time!

After the disappearance of the gag reflex, there is an increasing of stability not only in high doses, and frequency and abandonment “by the collar.” The organism has successfully adapted to the presence of alcohol in the body in the morning and does not show his displeasure presence of poison.

Those who had to lose the sense of limits in the evening, in the morning felt the aversion to alcohol, did not want to hear even the smell of it. People and aptly described this state with the sunrise in the proverb: “Better to die last night than in the morning to cure a headache.” First, there is no any desire to freshen the nip. The more active the body will be loosened under the impact of alcohol, the more quickly it breaks the protection mechanism at this level and raise it above adapted one. The alcoholic does not feel the improvement of strips, he believes that capacity of the organism has increased and to reach a complete buzz, therefore, seeks to overcome the bar, not knowing that it is already higher than level and it goes to the “next record”.

Increase in tolerance

This period of the first stage of alcoholism, some experts also call an increase in tolerance.

External signs of intoxication vary. When low doses of the muscles relax and the person is immersed in a relaxing, pleasant sedation world – a benign condition when nothing annoying.

A sedative state in alcoholic disappears and there is increased activity: he doesn’t want to sit in one place; there is a desire to do something.

Teens stranger pointless through the streets and “cling” to passers-by, start a fight, as the saying goes, from scratch, make thoughtless offense, bordering or exceeding the norm of law. The chief traits of a person’s character become sharper and manifest:

• hot-tempered guys “get turned into a half-turn,” irritably react to the comments, may respond violently to any action;
• “Philosophers” become restless verbose, it is difficult to out tell them and stop in the reasoning of the problems through the mirror, life on Mars and other meaningless matters;
• shy turn into sullen, closed, closed and laconic;
• “soul of collective” begins to “play to the public” more and more and to show off highly questionable success, jokes and does not allow others to insert into the conversation “his two cents”.

Palimpsest

There is characteristic for all “fad” – memory lapses:

1. A human doesn’t remember any specific moments or nothing or recalls something to a certain prostration. This condition is called a palimpsest.
2. At a deeper immersion into the world of Bacchus, there is a more severe condition, amnesia or black-out: the patient can’t remember long-lasting episodes. An alcoholic can remember who was pouring, and what was then – the blackout. This symptom indicates the beginning of the destructive action of alcohol on the nervous system.

Early memory lapses – is a dangerous alarming signal. For the first phase of amnesia, there is need a good push with heavy avidly. If nothing is done, then later attacks become a permanent consequence of any booze.

Mental dependence

The second type of alcohol syndrome causes everything – and the presence of alcohol in the body, and its absence. Originating at the starting stage of alcoholism, it will exist as long as the disease will disturb.

The syndrome of psychic dependence has several symptoms:

• mental craving for alcohol;
• the ability to sense the psychic comfort only by being drunk.

Any clinical picture of the disease is manifested in the plane of these symptoms. In later stages, they are different, even with the greater complications.

The condition of discomfort

Mental attraction grows during the accumulation of alcohol in the body.

There is only one thought in a sober mind – to drink. Man constantly strives to realize it: invents various reasons and does not miss the slightest reason. And if not, takes offense as a child – not satisfied permanently, nothing makes him happy, irritated over trifles. This condition is called mentally uncomfortable: everything is bad, till he hasn’t drunk. Everything goes wrong with a sober mind, and, sensing the smell of alcohol, he can give up everything. And having drunk – became more cheerful.

Former hobbies fall by the wayside, and their place is taken by all associated with alcohol.

Overdose

Conquest a regular height of ceiling amount of drunk is accompanied by severe intoxication. There is so called by specialists overdose in the body. If you do not connect the medicine, the situation may reach a deadlock. The faster alcoholic conquers one top of possible after the other, the sooner there are new signs of disease, respectively, the speed, “the conquest of peaks”.

This is the time when it is not too late to stop. And during this time, despite the complexity of the situation, he can “pull the stop-cock.” Worse, if the poison struck the body of a teenager. It is more difficult to overcome the “herd mentality” drinking peers, and if the company of classmates, the problem develops into a discharge or intractable deadlock with problematic exit.

In any case, a patient needs help from the outside.

If there is no help, in three to five years the first stage of alcoholism in adults will pass smoothly to the next. As concerns adolescents, their transition to the second stage is half shorter.

2. Characteristic symptoms of alcoholism in the second stage

Pseudo Drunken

At the next stage of alcoholism, the drinker is already aware of his psychological dependence on alcohol. He has the unstable desire not to drink. But it does not bring results. With moderate intoxication, there is retained the desire to work. Craving for alcohol increases and rises to the individual upper limit. Dose increases at times and can reach the level of 10-fold compared with the average healthy person. Drinking becomes mandatory final of the day. Doctors call this condition pseudo-drunken. The patient drinks more often than works. He falls asleep only after a glass of alcohol. Episodes, which the drinker remembers after drinking, are becoming shorter or permanently disappear from the memory, especially when it comes to negative emotions in the behavior of the pseudo-hero.

Psychic alcohol dependence finds another companion – physical. The control over the amount of consumed alcohol is set to zero, the person constantly drinks too much and the next morning even a hangover “visits” him, but with a more complex, three ones attendant:

• alcohol poisoning;
• energy dependence;
• psychic dependence.

Compulsive desire

During this state, craving for alcohol occurs under any condition – and drunk and sober. Already there is no hesitation in choosing to drink or not to drink. He is not going to fight with a bad habit. The patient tries to find companions with great “experience of drinking”.

The upper limits of consumed alcohol, conquered at the first stage of alcoholism, are becoming the norm. Therefore, this time, the period is called steady tolerance. The state of alcoholic intoxication is changing even more: peace disappears and alcohol pushes for action. The ability to fall asleep is coming only with the help of a solid dose of alcohol. Amusement notes are replaced by irritability, frustration and wanton aggression.

Dysphoric state of intoxication

Doctors call it the opposite of what it was in the first stage of alcoholism. The patient may be unjustly attacked with fists on relatives and even strangers. He can hit companion. This very moment, about which people say “drunk man feels equal to anything”: he can boldly attack the physically stronger than himself, and senseless fight with employees of internal organs.

Teens are seeking, by all means, “to drink to the brim”: if they have money, then drink unconscious, if there is no money, go on cheap “intoxicating” beverages. Premonition of a morning headache during a party does not care. The task is to carouse in the evening, even in spite of the risk of losing health due to surrogates of doubtful quality.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Surrogates and alcohol poisoning can lead to tragic consequences. At this stage there is manifested a hangover, there is irrepressible thirst hangover. The body adapted to prolonged binges, can’t exist without a “dose”, i.e. there is a physical need for alcohol. The body rapidly requires replenishment of “stocks”.

The condition of physical dependence syndrome characterized by distinctive symptoms and syndromes:

• an irresistible craving for alcohol;
• the need for physical comfort;
• alcohol (withdrawal) of a hangover syndrome.

The behavior of the alcoholic becomes dependent on the desire to drink. The patient is not able to stop under any circumstances. He can be “tipsy” goes to work, and “to the people.”

Alcohol is perceived by alcoholic as a lullaby for the baby. Sleep is heavy and strong that it is difficult to interrupt. But the nearer the dawn, sleep becomes not so deep, and more – and disturbing nightmare. In the predawn shadows, alcoholic perceives light as the images that came to pick him up. Restless dawn dream ends by alarming waking up with a severe headache. The man is difficult to feel “loose” floor, get rid of black circles under his eyes, he does not inspire a traditional breakfast: he wants only to pour as much as possible brine, or, at least, mineral water.

This state does not stimulate a fruitful work. It seems that the whole body, as a rebellious mob chanting “Pour! Pour! “. If there is nothing to pour or no money, there is a start of the active search of alcohol: he still has forces for that.

A full glass, sometimes – a little smaller dose (everything depends on the quality of the drink, the severity of a hangover and some other conditions) is able to ease hangover symptoms, or let the alcoholic on the next circle complete “blackout”.

Binges

This severe form of alcoholism lowers to “zero” an indicator of quantitative and situational control. In a case of termination “supply the body” with alcohol may have severe mental illness in the form of hallucinations and delirium tremens, which people called “delirium tremens”. Sometimes the reason for the sudden interruption of drinking is external causes:

• lack of money for buying alcohol;
• insulation in the apartment or in special institutions of internal affairs agencies;
• lack of physical capabilities of the patient to be “treated” with the help of a bottle.

First Delirium usually occurs a few days after the forced termination of the binge. Subsequently, attacks can occur even after short-term heavy drinking.

Delirium tremens, it’s …

Foreplay lasts a few hours, sometimes for several days. As a rule, at the end of the day, there are anxiety and depression. Anxiety gives is changed by apathy, hallucinations occur. The dream is short, accompanied by nightmares with the “participation” of different chimeras and turns into insomnia. The patient begins to “fight” with the “monsters” and makes the characteristic movements. Visions are “voiced” by auditory hallucinations and relevant screaming. The most difficult time of day – is during the night. In the morning and afternoon, attacks are weakening, sometimes completely disappear. These intervals between bouts are called lucid and doctors use them to learn about the patient’s vision.

During an attack the fever is alternating with sweating, the heartbeat quickens, fever and blood pressure rise, there is yellowness of the eyes and skin pallor. Because of this, the attacks got the popular nickname of “delirium tremens”. Severe forms of delirium – is musicians, when the patient mumbles incoherently. With a relatively favorable course of the disease, it can last from a few up to five days or a few weeks.

A clear consciousness can return a long sleep for a human. Just fatigue and depression will remind of the recent attacks. In this state, the patient can get remember everything and tell his terrible vision.

This is perhaps the only thing that you can listen to with some degree of confidence. The rest of the changes in nature are manifested externally: the alcoholic begins to lie constantly. He became selfish and rude, and sometimes violent. The expectation of booze can get from the condition of apathy. There is observed degradation of personality from a distance: weaken intellectual abilities and memory, the patient is not able to intellectual loads and studying.

The second stage of alcoholism can last from eight to 13 years for adults and no more than five years for adolescents.

It is with the successful course of the disease if the word “failure” is appropriate in this situation. Because the second stage can end the biography of an alcoholic. If the alcoholic is “lucky”, he will have another test.

3. Testing with the third stage of alcoholism

The patient in this state is like a gymnast on a rope, balancing between life and death. The third stage of alcoholism at any moment could be the last:

• from delirium tremens;
• of heart failure.

If he can get around the tragic end, the degradation waits for patient:

• psychic;
• physical;
• social.

There is the final, stage of encephalopathy

The patient becomes coarse, cynical, aggressive and angry. Hangover becomes severe. Tolerance to alcohol decreases, the patient is no longer drinking on the dispute because doesn’t become drunk even from small doses.

Pseudo heavy drinking take real characteristics, the patient lost appetite, and he visibly lost weight. Alcohol affects the brain, liver, kidneys and heart, a zest for life disappears and even a glass of vodka does not give the slightest satisfaction. The patient is completely degraded in all directions.

In order to “make peace” with the rebellious from alcohol abundance body and satisfy the needs of alcoholic poisons, many alcoholics compromise and move to fortified wine, is not rare – in the surrogates. The gaps between the feasts are characterized by weakness, loss of mood with a dominant causeless anger or sadness. A waiting period of the upcoming binge – dreams on drunken subjects.

There are confusing, revived from the intoxicating fumes, gag reflex, but already at the stage of trying to drink. There are spasms, very reminiscent of epileptic seizures and alcoholic psychoses.

Finally, there comes a time when the patient can’t drink. But it does not because of the victory over the alcoholic poison! Simply there comes absolute intolerance to alcohol drinks. Craving for them weakens, but soon there is a new force.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Abstinence at this stage is heavier than in the previous period. There is a progress in existing changes and alcohol degradation of the individual, as well as signs of alcoholic encephalopathy – brain damage and mental disorders. The patient has frequent alcoholic psychosis, delirium tremens occurs again. Now he can appear during the binge, and after the abrupt pauses.

The body is faltering in all respects, the internal organs are weakening, and the current diseases are aggravating. There is a period of severe depression that can end by suicide.

It’s dedicated to fans of “foam beverage”… Beer alcoholism

There, not the first years are debates about the dangers of beer in society. There are even talks of an impending equating it with strong alcohol.

In memory of the older generation it remained as really low-alcohol. During those years, its strength ranged from half to three incomplete percent. Today, this figure has risen to 14!

Compare with “degrees” of fortified wines: a big difference? For reference, the alcohol content of wines varies between 15-22%. In the foggy Albion in the nineteenth-century the struggle with alcohol was brought to the maximum replacement by beer. Time has proved the fallacy of the campaign, because drunkenness contrary received an unexpected acceleration.

On the other hand, people have received practical confirmation that the beer, as well as other alcohol drinks, affects heart, disturbs hormonal balance, rises blood pressure. During the observation of the beer lovers, we found out the characteristic signs and symptoms of beer alcoholism. Moreover, it repeats all the famous stages of intoxicating disease.

If everything is so bad, why do people drink?

And really, who is right, doctors and researchers or friends of “green dragon”? Watch for drinkers, their behavior after the feasts. Intoxication has several characteristic features:

• after consumption of alcohol a person has a rise of euphoria and mood is lifting;
• alcohol is a good tranquilizer – eliminates stress, anxiety, induces a state of carelessness.

Many people are willing to give up a raised, serene state?

No!

The trouble is that not all are able to assess the situation and to control themselves. Not everyone is reputable or just interested in the person who will tell you or even take the hand and will dare impede, “Stop!”.

In a state of intoxication …

In reports on emergencies, there are often heard the phrase that the accident happened in a state of mild or severe alcohol intoxication – it all depends on the situation.

What does t mean:

1. The condition of light intoxication is accompanied by a sensation of warmth, relaxation of muscles. Reality becomes pink shades. Negativity is perceived as little importance, and positive – in superb colors. The man laughs loud, he is ready to open his soul to anyone, becomes too candid, intrusive and even tactless. All men for him – brothers.
2. In a state of intoxication the average person is worrying everybody with foolish questions “Do you respect me?” The tone can be very unpredictable as interrogative, and meticulously hints at scandal. Human behavior is unpredictable, the feelings of fear are smoothed and he becomes potentially dangerous to others.
3. Condition of strong intoxication is noticeable by slurred speech, a man hardly selects the desired word, and he speaks slowly. Gait becomes similar to the movement of a cabin boy on the deck during a storm. Mental excitation replaced by drowsiness and lethargy. In this condition a person can fall asleep at any time and in any place.
4. The condition of severe intoxication – ideal for deep neurologic disorders, rolling in complex lesions of the central nervous system. It can be easy to go into a deep sleep or alcoholic coma. Thus human intestine and urinary bladder transforms into “autonomous mode” and left on the clothes or in the air and odor characteristic traces. Severe intoxication is characterized by absolute amnesia.

Optimists believe that the person appears in this world not for such sufferings. Not everyone is able to live life, never tasted even a glass of beer or wine. And there are feasts in life, and do not want that someone suspects a hostile attitude towards someone or loved one. But each excess glass does not add health, and begins to take life.

Agree, glass is not worth that!