The insidiousness of alcohol dependence is that it takes years to develop, and this goes unnoticed. The thin border between the main stages of the development of drunkenness is erased in familiar companies, collective parties and birthdays, which are an indispensable part of our lives. How to recognize an alcoholic, if the situation has not become dangerous, and provide relevant support to a person?
What are the individual symptoms of alcoholics?
Ethanol compounds are able to penetrate the body and cause physical dependence. However, drunkenness has a psycho-emotional background.
Psychologists believe that there are types of people who are more prone to addictions:
- emotionally unstable people with nervous hysterical reactions to what is happening and having difficulties with motivation;
- people with infantile ways of responding to emerging difficulties, rushing to avoid problems, rather than solve them;
- people with low self-esteem that do not understand how to express their own emotions, and are experiencing difficulties with socialization.
Who are they alcoholics?
In the minds of many people, a drunkard is a deserted individual with trembling hands that is ready for anything to receive a new dose. However, this is not always true. How to recognize an alcoholic?
There are alcoholics, which at first glance are not much different from ordinary people:
- Active alcoholics. In the company, it is these people who are most worried if they don’t have enough alcohol. They like to convince others to drink, and they are very assertive.
- Homemade alcoholics. In the bulk there are a lot of lonely people who are predisposed to depressed conditions. They carefully hide their addiction, preferring to drink only at home.
- Beer alcoholics. These are people who cannot imagine their own life without an evening bottle of beer. Over time, the volume of the foamy elixir increases, but the individual categorically does not want to accept the presence of harmful attachment.
- Secret alcoholics. They are difficult to determine if you do not communicate with them for a long time. They can generally not drink alcohol for several months, and then go into a long bout for a couple of weeks.
Effect of alcohol
Alcohol addiction usually has 3 stages of formation. Due to personal characteristics, changes in appearance and actions may be slightly different. It has been confirmed that among men of a dense physique of dense physique, without difficulties with well-being, drunkenness progresses more slowly. Representatives of the weaker sex and adolescents can reach the 3rd stage of alcohol dependence within 2 years.
Stage of euphoria
This is the initial period of becoming dependent, which lasts from 1 to 5 years. The individual evaluates alcohol as a pleasant addition to dinner or a means to relieve stress. A mental addiction is created. After serving, pleasant warmth spreads throughout the body, and thoughts seem to clear up. The individual ceases to feel tired and is in a mild euphoria. However, this does not last long. After a certain time, the body forms an immunity to small portions of alcohol. In order to once again feel the surge of energy, it is necessary to increase the proportion and increase the degree of the drink.
Changes occur in the nervous system. Guilty feelings are formed, and the patient seeks to suppress him with new doses of alcohol. The individual becomes irritable, especially if it is a woman, and systematically searches for a reason to drink. Medical practice demonstrates that if a person is removed from their native people, drunkenness progresses more quickly.
Stage of despair
The second stage of alcoholism is running in a circle, which lasts up to 10 years. The individual still does not feel the threat, but is not able to live without everyday injections. A physiological dependence similar to drug addiction is formed. A characteristic feature of the second stage of drinking is withdrawal syndrome, which differs from a hangover by a pathological desire to take a dose. The individual begins to drink in the morning, not focusing on the quality of alcohol. The alcoholic’s apartment is untidy, and he’s messy.
Stage of apathy
The final stage of the disease. Changes in the central nervous system are irreversible. The individual is in no way able to solve simple difficulties. How to recognize an alcoholic by behavior? Often patients cannot service themselves. There is a stable physiological and mental dependence on alcohol. The main indicator is the rapid intoxication after taking a small dose of alcohol. Only complex inpatient treatment can bring an alcoholic back to life at the 3rd stage of addiction.
Ways that can help identify an alcoholic by external signs
Drunkards are people who are very dependent on alcohol. How to recognize an alcoholic and distinguish him from an ordinary person? If an individual has shown at least three addiction factors, it is time to consult a doctor.
Here are the key signs:
- A person constantly drinks and trembles in his hands.
- Man drinks a long time.
- A person needs a continuous increase in dose.
How to recognize an alcoholic by external signs? Typically, such a person is sloppy dressed, dirty. He has a swollen face, and his complexion becomes normal after the individual drinks again. Often alcoholics can be found among the fairer sex.
How to recognize an alcoholic when meeting? The first sign is that a person is messy and looks bad.
How to recognize an alcoholic? If we compare the dependent and the normal person, then one can immediately notice one interesting difference. In the morning after the celebration, a normal person, having felt a hangover syndrome on himself, with all his strength strives to put himself in order and for a long time is not yet able to look at strong drinks. And the alcoholic will immediately want to hang out. The horror is that addicted people drink alcohol not only on holidays, but also for no reason. The desire to accept immediately arises from nowhere.
In the event that such an individual decides to quickly give up drinking strong drinks, he has fundamental difficulties with the nervous system, as well as with health. A normal person will be aware that even minor and harmless doses can provoke an addictive position. If people start drinking, they risk losing their invaluable health.
How to determine an alcoholic from a photograph?
Sometimes it is impossible to fairly assess a person’s condition from a photo. But there are a number of signs that allow you to accurately determine the dependent.
In accordance with the following features, in 90% of cases it is possible to determine an alcoholic by photo:
- The skin is red.
- Frozen facial expression.
- Swollen eyelids and bags under the eyes.
- Blue-violet spots on the face and body.
- Lowered eyes.
- Dilated nostrils.
Signs of Female Alcoholism
Alcoholism, which for a long time was considered only a masculine misfortune, acquires female signs. If a woman does not consider alcoholism evil and is disposed to drink at every celebration, she can quietly degrade. It is important to understand the characteristics of female drinking. Understanding the problem is the first step towards overcoming it.
Signs of female alcoholism can be seen in 3-4 years from the onset of dependence. A swollen face is the main one. In old age, problems increase not only faster, they often have more serious consequences. The initial features of drunkenness among the weaker sex have their own characteristics, but they are mainly similar to the hallmarks of alcohol abuse in the stronger sex.
Signs of Beer Alcoholism
With the daily use of beer, to relax and have fun, the development of drunkenness sets in, trembling hands appear. The feeling of joyful high mood from intoxication leads to the desire to continuously experience such a situation. Dependence develops secretly, and here are the initial signs of beer alcoholism on the face. They are the same as taking other alcoholic beverages.
How to recognize and save alcoholics?
Science does not know the situation when an individual suddenly became an alcoholic. The disease forms over time, taking the vitality of the consumer. After a year of constant use of alcohol, brain neurons die irrevocably. This is why alcoholics are distinguished by poor memory and incoherent speech, even when sober. In rare cases, an alcoholic recognizes his dependence, therefore, it is important to learn how to determine the disease by external signs. A patient with alcoholism often dies from cerebral hemorrhage, cirrhosis of the liver or heart attack. Only timely treatment can save a person’s life.