Until they have reached this point, the alcoholic has had a choice:
to drink or not to drink - the first drink. Once they took that first drink,
they then lost all control; but in the last stages of alcoholism they have no choice:
they must drink.
"Benders"
At this stage, the alcoholic may stay drunk for days at a time; in
search of that feeling of alcoholic euphoria they once appreciated. They can disregard
everything - job, family, food, even shelter. In an ironic twist, these periodic flights
into oblivion may also include drinking to escape the problems caused by
drinking.
Tremors
In the past, their hands may have trembled a bit on the morning
after, but at this stage the alcoholic will get the shakes when they are forced to
abstain; a serious nervous reaction that racks their whole body. When combined with
hallucinations this condition is known as the "D.T.'s" (delirium tremens) and is often
fatal if medical care is not available.
Protecting the Supply
Having an immediate supply of alcohol available becomes the most
important thing in their life to avoid the shakes, if nothing else. They will spend their
last cent or give the coat off their back to get it.
Unreasonable Resentments
The alcoholic often shows unwarranted hostility to others. This can
be a conscious attempt to protect their precious supply of alcohol, or a mechanism to
hold others away from them, to forestall any discussion or criticism of their drinking or
to make others feel responsible for their drinking.
Nameless Fears and Anxieties
Alcoholics become constantly fearful of things they cannot pin down
or describe in words. It is a feeling of impending doom or destruction. This adds to
their nervousness and further underscores their paranoia and compulsion to drink. These
fears frequently come in the form of hallucinations, both auditory and visual.
Collapse of the Alibi System
The alcoholic finally realizes that they can no longer make excuses
nor put blame on others. They have to admit that the fanciful reasons they have been
fabricating to justify their drinking are preposterous to others and are now ridiculous
even to them. This may have occurred to them several times during the course of their
alcoholic career, but now it is different. They have to admit that they are licked. They
have to admit that their drinking is out of control and is beyond their ability to deal
with it by themselves.
Surrender Process
Now, if ever, the alcoholic must give up the idea of ever drinking
again and be willing to seek and accept help. If at this point the alcoholic is unable to
surrender, all signs point to eventual custodial care or death, through devastating
health issues, accidental death, suicide or incarceration.
The good news is that the disease of alcoholism is treatable.
Although as a chronic disease it cannot be "cured", it can be arrested and has a good
response rate to treatment.
More than 700,000 people receive alcoholism treatment on any given
day. While there is no uniform statistic regarding treatment "success" rates, it is clear
that alcoholism treatment works for many people. However, just like any other chronic
disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment and the treatment
itself is a process, not an event. Some people stop drinking and remain sober
for life. Others have long periods have with bouts of relapse, which is not uncommon with
this disease. And then there are those who cannot stop drinking for any sustainable
length of time and may experience multiple treatment episodes in order to experience
hard-won periods of quality sobriety.
Factors that influence the course of treatment for an individual can
include many things, with spirituality and the social support of self-help groups like
Alcoholics Anonymous, being two important ones. With treatment, however, one thing is
clear; the longer a person abstains from the use of alcohol, the more likely it is that
they will be able to achieve long-term sobriety, no matter the treatment approach they
have experienced.
