Symptoms of alcoholism in men and women

We note right away that in the USA and many countries in Europe and Asia there are criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), and according to them, people are diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder. In our country, according to the ICD-10, the diagnosis of “alcoholism” is still accepted and the degrees of its severity are distinguished, and in each degree they are still divided.

Experts distinguish signs and symptoms of alcoholism, which are typical for people who have problems with drinking alcohol. These are a number of typical changes in appearance, behavioral characteristics, as well as a psycho-emotional state, a number of physical disorders and health problems that directly or indirectly indicate the formation of a pathological addiction to alcohol.

According to the American Medical Association, the definition of alcohol dependence is “a primary chronic disease characterized by the development of uncontrolled cravings for alcohol”, with the loss of control over their use, there is a distortion of thinking regarding the condition. It is also important to note that craving for alcohol and its uncontrolled intake occurs, even with the awareness of all the negative, and often deadly, consequences for both the physical health and the psyche of an addicted person.

Symptoms of addiction to alcohol can manifest themselves in different ways, and this largely depends on the sex and age of onset of use, as well as the duration of alcoholism. The process has a certain staging, and it is important to identify its signs and typical symptoms as early as possible, at the initial stage, when it is possible to fight the disease more actively and help will be most effective.

The first signs of alcoholism

In many countries in Europe and the USA, this phase is called alcohol abuse, but not yet a running problem. But without timely intervention, addiction progresses and passes into a more serious and difficult stage.

To better understand the process of diagnosing excessive drinking, consider the following four possible symptoms:

• interference with work, school, family and/or other responsibilities as a result of drinking;
• continued drinking despite the negative impact it has on relationships and health;
• engaging in risky behavior after drinking, such as fighting, drunk driving, swimming, unprotected sex, or operating machinery where there is a high risk of injury or injury;
• over time, the addict needs more alcohol to achieve the desired intoxicating effect.

In general, experts have identified 11 factors that relate to both the physical and psychological components of an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism in men or women):

• feeling powerless, unable to control your level of drinking;
• refusal to participate in social activities or hobbies that were previously of interest;
• wanting to quit or reduce alcohol consumption but unable to do so;
• drinking alcohol in high-risk situations, such as while swimming or driving;
• too much time is devoted to drinking and an excessive amount of resources is spent;
• development of alcohol tolerance (i.e. the need for more alcohol over time to match the sensations of previous drinking);
• craving for alcohol when a person does not drink;
• withdrawal symptoms when the person is not drinking (eg, food cravings, sweating, trembling, and nausea);
• encountering problems at work, home or school due to drinking;
• in response to the discomfort associated with the withdrawal of alcohol, there is a need to drink in order to feel better (“improve health” as alcoholics themselves say);
• continued drinking, even if it leads to social, physical, personal and personal problems.

The term “alcoholism” is clinically ambiguous and is not currently used as a diagnosis in many countries. According to our ICD-10, patients are exposed to various stages of alcoholism, which have their own clinical signs. They are quite difficult for the perception of people far from medicine.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), the new term is Alcohol Use Disorder, which is explained in the Substance Use Disorders and Addiction section of the book.

To be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder, a person must meet certain criteria outlined above. A mental health professional or addiction specialist must determine that the person meets at least two of the 11 criteria identified within the same 12-month time period. Depending on the number of criteria, a person will be diagnosed with a mild, moderate, or severe alcohol use disorder. The more criteria present, the more difficult the classification of the disorder.

Types of alcohol addiction

It is important to understand the difference between physical and psychological addiction. As world experts explain, physical addiction is a component of, but not synonymous with, alcohol addiction. In other words, a person can be physically dependent on alcohol or another drug without being psychologically dependent on it.

There are two main signs of physical dependence.

First, the body will develop tolerance (tolerance), which is a natural process – the body gradually gets used to the poison. As tolerance builds, a person who consumes alcohol will need more and more alcohol to experience the familiar effects (drunk).

Secondly, withdrawal symptoms will occur in the body if alcohol intake is stopped or if there is a significant reduction in the usual amount of alcoholic beverages. When a chronic alcohol abuser stops drinking, signs of withdrawal will appear – withdrawal. Dependent people can continue to drink to avoid these unpleasant symptoms.

People with an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) are more likely to experience physical dependence symptoms as well as psychological effects.

Withdrawal symptoms include:

• anxiety;
• confusion;
• tremor (trembling of hands and body);
• cardiopalmus;
• nausea, vomiting;
• insomnia.

The psychological component of addiction does not refer to the effect of alcohol on a mental state, such as a thought disorder. Rather, it refers to the way in which a person’s thoughts and actions are oriented towards obtaining and drinking alcohol, even if the important responsibilities that a person does not perform due to alcoholism are not taken into account.

Stage 1 alcoholism (initial)

As far as certain initial symptoms are concerned, “lovers” of alcohol may have 0 – 2 of the 11 symptoms discussed. The difficulty is that no one knows whether excessive drinking or relatively frequent drinking will lead to the development of an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism).

In the early stages of alcohol abuse, a person is usually introduced to different types of alcohol and experimenting with alcohol in various forms. Most often, these experimenters are either high school students or young people, such as students, youth. Drinking is usually part of the recreational activities among this group, and young people often drink alcohol together and in large quantities. They may not drink regularly, but a lot, and such occasional drinking still puts them at risk of developing an alcohol disorder. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking occurs when a person reaches a blood alcohol content of 2 ppm or higher within 0,08 hours.

Women, depending on body weight, usually require four drinks (50 g of spirits or 300 ml of beer or wine), and men – 5 drinks in 2 hours. However, many drunks exceed the mark of 4 or 5 drinks and experience higher levels of intoxication, as well as many unpleasant physical and mental side effects.

Some drunkards or party goers will not progress beyond the experimental phase and begin to use regularly. Those who do continue to drink may do so because they are environmentally or genetically predisposed. For example, children of people with an alcohol disorder are 4 times more likely to suffer from alcoholism themselves.

Research shows that certain elements of family life can lead a child to alcohol abuse, such as watching a parent abuse alcohol or drugs, or become depressed due to parental behavior, conflict, or domestic violence. In addition, some people have an underlying mental disorder and may shift from drinking in society to drinking more often alone as they find it relieves some of their mental symptoms.

In addition to environmental and genetic factors, the large amount of drinks (alcohol mixing) consumed by people over a period of time can put them at risk of developing alcoholism.

Women who drink more than 3 drinks per day or more than 7 drinks per week are at risk for alcoholism. Men, due to their physiological differences from women, are considered at risk if they consume more than 4 drinks per day or more than 14 drinks per week.

According to domestic criteria, these signs are attributed to the 1st stage of alcoholism. Its main features:

• loss of control over the dose (amount) of the drink;
• tolerance to alcohol decreases (in order to “get to the condition” you need to drink more and more);
• the gag reflex is lost due to an overdose of alcohol and poisoning;
• there is no critical attitude to his drunkenness.

Stage 2 alcoholism (medium)

Moderate drinking is associated with two key characteristics: the frequency of drinking and intentions, the desire to drink and the ability to control one’s desires and

intentions.

A person who has an emotional or psychological attachment to alcohol may be at a higher risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) than a person who regularly drinks a glass of wine with meals. As a rule, problem drinking is associated with a loss of control over the dose of alcohol and / or the appearance of signs that drinking is interfering with normal life (family scandals, problems with work, personal life, communication). In such a case, in terms of the DSM-5 factors discussed, the person begins to show more symptoms (described above), perhaps 3 to 5 or more. At this stage, the person may already be physically dependent on alcohol. In other words, giving up alcohol will lead to a withdrawal syndrome (hangover and an acute desire to get drunk in order to alleviate one’s condition, which leads to binge drinking).

If a person is addicted to alcohol, such as relying on it to “have a good time,” they may develop problematic drinking habits and eventually develop a severe addiction. If alcohol dependence sets in, it will most likely be more difficult to stop drinking due to withdrawal symptoms and possibly pathological and irresistible cravings for alcohol.

Most narcologists agree that under no circumstances is it recommended to detox at home or hangover in order to “treat”. Your best bet is to talk to experts (optionally anonymously) about safe ways to detox from alcohol. The need for medically supervised detox depends in part on how long you have been drinking and how much you usually drink. In some cases, avoiding alcohol can pose increased health risks and even death. Individuals at risk of withdrawal require medical detoxification under the supervision of a narcologist. As a result, anyone who wants to get rid of alcohol is advised to first consult a doctor.

In domestic narcology, this process of moderate dependence corresponds to the 2nd stage of alcoholism. His criteria according to domestic canons include:

• a significant increase in tolerance to alcohol (a lot of alcohol is consumed);
• an abstinence syndrome appears (some of it needs to be removed by doctors);
• there are episodes of binges for several days;
• drunken episodes may culminate in the development of alcoholic psychosis (delirium, delirium tremens);
• during the examination, there are signs of damage to the organs of the body (liver, “alcoholic” heart, brain damage, alcoholic pancreatitis, etc.).

Stage 3 alcoholism (severe)

The presence of most of the 11 factors outlined in DSM-5 refers to the stage of severe alcohol use disorder (i.e., the presence of 6 or more factors) and provides additional information about this condition. The presence of 6 or more symptoms of an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) indicates the need for treatment intervention to address the addiction.

There are negative consequences associated with alcohol: its possible devastating consequences for a person’s life, including poor health, relationship conflicts, financial problems and other troubles.

The development of negative health conditions and diseases is a major problem associated with alcohol abuse. Health problems can vary in severity, but chronic alcoholism can cause the following conditions and illnesses:

• cardiovascular pathologies;
• anemia;
• dementia;
• cirrhosis;
• cancer;
• convulsions and epilepsy;
• depression;
• high blood pressure;
• nerve damage (neuritis and neuropathy);
• pancreatitis;
• gout;
• infectious diseases.

In some cases, alcohol abuse can exacerbate an existing condition, but not cause it. In other cases, one of the causes of the disease may be alcohol, and continued use of alcohol can cause exacerbations. For example, alcohol abuse can be one of the causes of gout and make it worse.

Alcohol has been found to be directly linked to certain diseases and conditions, such as oral cancer in a person who has previously been drinking heavily. In the event that a chronic alcoholic develops a serious disease or pathology, the attending physician can explain whether alcohol was a direct or indirect cause. Your healthcare provider can also explain how continued alcohol use will affect the specific condition(s).

Stage 4 alcoholism (final)

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, famed writer Ken Kesey spoke astutely of the high price a drinker can pay. Chief Bromden described the last time he saw his father: “He was blind and sick from alcohol. And every time he brought the bottle to his mouth, he didn’t suck from it, she sucked everything out of him.”

This quote artistically conveys the truth about alcohol abuse – in the terminal stages of alcohol abuse, a person loses control over drinking and actually becomes controlled alcohol. The end stage can be considered as the most serious stage of all possible problems associated with alcoholism.

It is life in reverse: instead of living to drink, the end stage person is more likely to drink to survive. At this stage, people have lost the ability to give up alcohol. After a long enough period of heavy chronic drinking, withdrawal symptoms can be so painful that a person becomes motivated to drink constantly to prevent pain.

At this stage, a person may develop a serious disease, such as cirrhosis of the liver. It occurs as a result of long-term damage to the liver by alcohol and its metabolic products. Because people constantly drink alcohol, their livers form scar (cirrhotic) tissue instead of new healthy tissue. Over time, scar tissue in the liver blocks the necessary blood flow. The presence of scar tissue also reduces the body’s ability to detoxify the blood, control infections, process nutrients, and absorb cholesterol and certain vitamins.

In addition to chronic diseases and conditions, people in the final stages of alcoholism may be at increased risk of falls and other accidents due to problems with balance and coordination. Most often, death occurs after a fall and a blow to the head and due to bleeding in the brain, and not due to the fall itself.

A person who is in the final stages of alcohol abuse is also at risk of intentional self-harm. Loss of control over alcohol consumption can literally “break” a person. As already mentioned, withdrawal can be excruciating and painful. The final stage of alcohol abuse is a kind of “swamp”. The depression associated with alcohol abuse gets worse and worse and can lead to death.

According to our classification, this stage corresponds to the 3rd degree of severity of alcoholism. Typical for her:

• unmotivated, constant cravings for alcohol;
• complete loss of control over its consumption;
• prolonged binges, from which the patient cannot get out on his own;
• drinking can lead to death;
• the psyche is irreversibly changed;
• severely suffer and refuse internal organs;
• there is a social, personal degradation.

Popular questions and answers

Answered typical questions about the symptoms of alcoholism neurologist of the highest category Evgeny Mosin.