If the alcoholic overdrinks his tolerance, the cells will be overwhelmed, and he will get drunk. If he stops drinking, the addicted cells will suddenly be thrown into a state of acute distress. They have become unable to function normally without alcohol. The cell’s distress when alcohol is no longer present in the body, or when the BAL is falling, is evident in various symptoms known as "the withdrawal syndrome." Withdrawal symptoms demonstrate that physical dependence exists; they are the visible signs of addiction.
Craving: Craving is the overwhelming need for a drink. Like everything else in alcoholism, craving is progressive. In the middle stages of the disease, craving becomes a need—the alcoholic needs to drink because his cells are physically dependent on alcohol. As tolerance increases and physical dependence sets in, the alcoholic gradually loses psychological control over his physiological need for alcohol. Finally, will power, self-restraint, and the ability to say "no" have no power over alcoholic craving. The physical need for alcohol overshadows everything else in the alcoholic’s life.
Loss of Control: As the alcoholic progressively loses control over his drinking, he is no longer able to restrict it to socially and culturally accepted times and places. He often drinks more than he intended, and the drinking continues despite extremely punishing consequences. He may drink in the morning, at lunch, in the middle of the night; he may drink in the car, the bathroom, the garage, or the closet as well as the tavern. His drinking behavior can no longer be disguised as normal or even heavy drinking. His inability to stop drinking—despite his firm resolution that he will stop after one or two—is striking confirmation that he is physically addicted to alcohol.
The alcoholic loses control over his drinking because his tolerance decreases and the withdrawal symptoms increase. The alcoholic’s tolerance, which was so high in the early stages of the disease, begins to decrease because his cells have been damaged and can no longer tolerate large amounts of alcohol. While tolerance in lessening, the withdrawal symptoms are increasing in severity. The alcoholic is now in the dangerous position of needing to drink because he suffers terribly when he stops drinking but being unable to handle the high levels of alcohol needed to relieve the symptoms. He has also lost the ability to judge accurately how much alcohol his body can handle. As a result, he often overmedicates himself with alcohol, drinking to the point where he either loses consciousness or becomes so violently ill that he is forced to stop drinking.
The Late, Deteriorative Stage of Alcoholism
The late-stage alcoholic spends most of his time drinking, since otherwise his agony is excruciating. During the late stages of alcoholism, the alcoholic’s mental and physical health are seriously deteriorated. Damage to vital organs saps the alcoholic’s physical strength; resistance to disease and infection is lowered; mental stability is shaken and precarious. The late-stage alcoholic is so ravaged by his disease that he cannot even understand that alcohol is destroying him. He is only aware that alcohol offers quick and miraculous relief from the constant agony, mental confusion, and emotional turmoil. Alcohol, his deadly poison, is also his necessary medicine.
