I guess death would qualify as a 'Final' stage somehow, in alcoholic terms of course. But I wouldn't know Closer, being in sobriety that is. I'd rather abstain altogether from any train of thought that would classify our alcoholism in any other light than sobriety. The 'sober stage' I'm currently enjoying is altogether real, and a fast flight from the days of reckless abandon. So, for myself and my family, I'll keep remembering it as such and pray that others will as well. I'm sorry if this seems harsh Closer, but I mean well, okay. Your too valuable a person for us not to care, so don't linger around those foggy pastures any longer sir, it will only complicate things further.
P.S. If this is for some research project of yours than I do apologize.
-- Edited by Mr_David on Wednesday 14th of March 2012 01:24:41 AM
Closer, it would be like drinking around the clock, to keep from going into DTs. Having to wake up every hour or two at night to drink. Throwing up the first couple drinks, and blood, in the morning, having to mix your vodka with milk to try and keep it down. Not much food in the diet. Most organs in your body ready to or already shutting down. Total madness, paranoia, delusions, and isolation. Wanting very much to die but to scared to commit suicide.
n stage IV, the final stage of alcoholism, the drinker suffers from mental and physical complications. Because of the calories coming from alcohol, he or she is likely to have no appetite for food. Personal appearance often suffers, and a formerly fastidious person may become a complete slob. The liver, which is responsible for metabolizing alcohol, suffers damage, which may include fatty degeneration, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cancer. The heart muscle may suffer damage as well. In addition, prolonged heavy drinking increases the risk of blood pressure, breast cancer, cancer of the mouth and esophagus stroke, and impotence. The digestive system suffers from consumption of large amounts of alcohol and responds with gastritis, pancreatitis, and ulcers. Heavy-drinking may lead to kidney failure. Facial flushing, including that characteristic red-nose, can become permanent condition for heavy drinkers. http://www.doc20.com/disease/alcoholism/
My wife and I clean houses for a living. We had a customer who was in the process of drinking himself to death.
We'd go to his house at 9 o'clock in the morning. He'd already be drunk, laying in bed sucking on a bottle of vokka. He got crazier and crazier. He almost shot us one morning when we went there to clean because he thought we were breaking in.
A.A. was not for him, he said. He tried in once but no one wanting to listen to his whining so he never went back.
After a few years we couldn't stand being around him anymore and he became the only customer we ever fired.
We live in a small town and we've heard he died from complications from drinking a couple years later. I don't know what 'stage' he was in when we were going over there but I can tell you it wasn't a pretty picture.
Aloha Closer...not an invitation to try it however I have met several stage four alcoholics who got and stayed sober and one even founded the ARC in the town I lived in. Alcohol Recovery Center...I eventually went to work in its programs of recovery and after 7 years of solid sobriety he did die at a relatively young age of the cirrotic affect on his liver.
The human body is a miraculous and awesome creation...often when the drinking ceases (total abstinence) it will return to health. I don't know if I qualified for a stage four evaluation and I did reach toxic shock several times without having any idea I was heading for it. Alcohol is many things including anesthetic...ever see the old westerns where they poured a bottle of rot gut down some cowboys throat as they dug a dozen or so arrows out of his body with some rusty ole fork or spoon? Anesthesia that was!!
Dean paints a pretty real picture of 4th stage (end stage) alcoholism.
Closer, it would be like drinking around the clock, to keep from going into DTs. Having to wake up every hour or two at night to drink. Throwing up the first couple drinks, and blood, in the morning, having to mix your vodka with milk to try and keep it down. Not much food in the diet. Most organs in your body ready to or already shutting down. Total madness, paranoia, delusions, and isolation. Wanting very much to die but to scared to commit suicide.
That's about me when I came in except I put tomato juice in the vodka. No food, very nervous underpants. Quite a bit of brain damage, atrophy of muscular tissue and skin. Physically and mentally I am much better these days but I still feel the presence of the damage I did to myself. Might explain why I am such a slow learner!
