A Journey Through Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction is prevalent across the UK, with an estimated 600,000 people caught in its grip. Of those, only 18% of people are receiving treatment, as the overwhelming majority suffer in silence. We’re here to listen to your voice.

The cyclical and damaging nature of addiction can be like a wildfire spreading through a dry forest. This blog aims to trace down where the fire’s sparks come from, breaking the addiction cycle down into stages to help you prepare for the perilous journey that you or a loved one might one day face.

When does alcohol use become abuse?

Across the country, most people try their first drink at a relatively early age. A few countries in Europe, including the UK, have laws that allow 16-year-olds to have an alcoholic drink served with a meal while they’re with an adult. Some research shows that the younger the age a person begins drinking, the greater the chance they will develop a clinically defined alcohol disorder later in life.

Nobody ever sets out to become addicted, but addiction can often form without the person even realising it. Alcohol also has a cultural significance for many people in their adolescence to their 30s. A glass of wine after work is seen as a normal and healthy way to wind down and relax, but where exactly is the line between a safe relationship and a dangerous system of dependency?

When abuse forms an addiction – the cycle in stages

Regular abuse of alcohol, like many other drugs, has dire consequences in the long run. As intake increases from occasional to frequent drinking, tolerance builds up, and the gap between feeling high and feeling low grows ever steeper.

One reason a person might start abusing alcohol is to cope with something that stresses them. Many people drink to avoid overwhelming pressures in their personal lives or as a coping mechanism when dealing with grief and loss.

Some research indicates that when a person drinks to cope with something stressful, there are even higher risks of alcoholism regardless of the amount of alcohol they consume.

The journey into alcohol addiction is long, winding and increasingly fraught with dangers the longer someone is in the cycle. The journey can, however, be broken down into smaller stages, providing a reference point or roadmap for someone who feels lost. These stages are:

Stage 1: Bingeing and intoxication

The first stage starts with more frequent drinking and experiencing alcohol’s pleasurable and dizzying effects. A lot of people associate drinking with reducing their anxiety, like in the phrase “Dutch courage.” This confidence is misplaced and laid on shaky foundations. Alcohol effects can create a sense of euphoria and improve a person’s social interactions, making you feel as though you’re being rewarded while intoxicated.

In this stage, the brain’s basal ganglia reward system undergoes massive changes. This is the part of the brain linked with habit formation, reward systems and drug-seeking behaviour. This change also affects your ability to process “people, places and things” and even deeper stimuli like certain glassware or pictures of alcohol. Bingeing and feeling intoxicated impairs your judgements, and through this, powerful urges to drink more can form.

Stage 2: Withdrawing and suffering consequences

The second stage begins when a person who is addicted tries their best to stop drinking. It comes with massive withdrawal symptoms, which can manifest physically or emotionally.

Many symptoms of alcohol abuse feel like the opposite of the positive effects felt in the intoxication stage. Some physical withdrawal symptoms include sleep disturbances, pains around the body and heavy bouts of sickness. The emotional and psychological symptoms you experience include dysphoria (the complete opposite of euphoria), irritability and anxiety.

One defining factor of this stage is that you stop drinking for its pleasurable effects, or the “high,” instead as a way to escape the “low” feelings that came from stage 1. Hangovers become more regular and severe, and after time, drink appears like a ticket out of your pain.

Stage 3: Anticipation and feeling preoccupied

The two earlier stages represent a peak and a troth in the dizzying cycle of being addicted to alcohol. At this point, there needs to be a “way out” or a plan of action to escape the clutches of addiction. The vicious effects of withdrawal preoccupy you to seek alcohol again, even after a period of staying away from drinking.

The prefrontal cortex, part of the brain that organises thoughts and carries out executive decisions, has been affected by alcohol abuse, and so once again, the path winds on and very often, a decision is made to drink again. In this way, the tragic cycle is reset, and the choice is made to binge drink and become intoxicated.

Moments of clarity to escape alcohol addiction

While the three stages model can be a point of reference on the journey, it’s crucial to remember that everyone’s path in life is different. It’s not always clear-cut if and when alcohol addiction treatment is needed. There are, however a few clear signs of alcohol dependence, including:

• An increase in the amount of alcohol you desire
• You feel drinking has become an important tool for feeling happy or confident
• Not feeling drunk after large amounts of alcohol
• You need alcohol to meet your responsibilities, like your job or family commitments

Alcohol in all of its different forms affects people differently, but if you’re dependent on alcohol, you may drink first thing in the morning or every day of the week. The nature of addiction means that you might even stop for weeks, but you lose control when you return to drinking.

I just want to break free of the cycle

If you or someone you love want to break free of the cycle, we’re the right people to call. Here at UKAT we have comprehensive knowledge on the length and depth of alcoholism. Giving up alcohol isn’t easy, but we’re ready to help you break free of its clutches.

Our alcohol rehab programme is specifically designed to support you with the utmost medical and holistic care. Breaking free of the cycle needs ongoing and tailored support to ease your suffering, and we’re with you every step of the way.

We’re only one decision away, so contact us for more information to guide you towards a healthy and sober future.