If you or someone you know is in end-stage alcoholism, it is not too late to get treatment. Call an addiction specialist such as SAMHSA today to get advice and support with seeking treatment for alcohol addiction. Alternatively, visit our rehab directory to get help near you today. End-stage alcoholism is deadly because it causes severe health complications. It can cause the liver to gain fat and become inflamed; this leads to liver damage. Also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, wet brain is a neurological condition found in end-stage alcoholics.
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease
Late-stage alcoholism requires comprehensive medical care, detox, rehab, and ongoing support to manage these conditions and recover from addiction. Late-stage, or end-stage alcoholism, is a full-blown addiction to alcohol, almost always requiringalcohol detoxto start recovery. The person now spends the bulk of their time servicing the disease by drinking.
End-Stage Alcoholism: Symptoms, Side Effects, and Recovery
- The liver is responsible for metabolizing or processing ethanol, the main component of alcohol.
- Successfully treating you during this stage requires professional help to manage both the addiction and the long-term health complications.
- Major organ damage and failure often occur during this time, as well as interpersonal consequences like isolation and job loss.
When they do attempt to stop drinking, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. The body can become distressed even when a person stops drinking for a short time. The primary way a person with early-stage alcoholism differs from someone in middle-stage alcoholism is that alcohol is no longer leveraged for a quick high. In the middle stage, drinking may become a staple of daily life. The nuances of treatment evolve, and any program should be catered to an individual’s unique needs. Understanding what the stages of alcohol addiction look like can help you or a loved one decide whether rehab treatment is necessary.
What is the Final Stage of Liver Damage From Drinking?
For males, this often means consuming 5 or more standard drinks over a 2-hour period. For females, it means consuming 4 or more standard drinks over the same time frame. As alcoholism progresses, the cells in the body become more and more resistant to the short-term effects of alcohol. As a person continues drinking excessively, the cells will continue to adapt. Eventually, the presence of alcohol becomes the norm for the body, and the long-term damage continues.
When alcohol enters the bloodstream, one of the central impacts isslowing the rate of communication between nerve cells. The rate of communication returns to its typical levels once alcohol life expectancy of an alcoholic leaves the body. If a person drinks frequently or more heavily, the nerve cells in the brain adapt byreducing the number of places they can receive these messages.
- In some cases, supplementation with vitamins may be recommended.
- At Providence Treatment, we understand that end stage alcoholism can be scary and it can be overwhelming for you to admit that you need help for your addiction to alcohol.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism define binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that raises a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08%.
- The longer and more heavily you use alcohol, the more it will affect your body.
Find Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Idaho at Ashwood Recovery
However, if a physician catches the condition in time for treatment, the progression of the disease can be slowed or possibly stopped. Alcoholics develop a severe physical dependency on the drug and psychological dependence, making them particularly hard to treat. This also comes with a host of symptoms unique to the alcoholic in the late stage of alcoholism.