Due to the results of certain studies, it has been postulated that an adult who drinks 1-2 alcoholic beverages per day may live longer than someone who does not drink at all. But we all know alcohol is in no way a safe drug, and alcohol can cause a variety of health problems. These health problems, to name a few, include pancreatitis, cognitive problems, and various afflictions of the liver. So when does having a good time get taken overboard? And just how many drinks are too many? The fact is that although alcohol remains legal, it is comparable in addictive qualities to illegal substances such as heroin and methamphetamines.

Alcoholism is a disease, characterized by the need to drink alcohol in order to maintain normal life. Alcoholism is also a progressive disease, meaning that as time goes by the effects are intensified and the body is harmed even further. Obviously, one has to consume alcohol to become an alcoholic in the first place. Most people who drink don’t binge drink every time they do drink, and if they do then they’re probably well versed in the art of nursing hangovers. When alcoholism starts, one of the first warning signs is that a person may be drinking at totally inappropriate times: while driving, while working, and other instances where it is required to stay sober.

Alcoholism starts as a psychological addiction and can quickly lead to physical dependence. Once a person feels the need to drink to maintain normality within their life, they are already started down the path towards addiction.

Troubles related to alcohol are the first sign of a problem. If someone finds themselves getting into trouble socially, legally, or with their family or employer and continues to drink, then they are an alcoholic. They may disappoint loved ones by their insistence that they keep drinking, and relationships with friends and family may crumble.

This is the make or break stage for alcoholics. If they realize that they are damaging their lives, yet continue to drink then alcohol has become a full-fledged addiction and they are dependent upon getting drunk. People dependent on alcohol manage to incorporate alcohol into normally sober situations. They spend much of their time drinking to excess, and eventually a tolerance for alcohol is built up.

With tolerance comes the need to drink more to stay drunk. A chemical dependency is soon added to the list of the alcoholic’s problems, and in order to feel well, the alcoholic must have alcohol in their system.

After a few more hours without alcohol, a heavy drinker may enter into delirium tremens. They begin to see things that aren’t there, lose control over the shaking of their body parts, and sometimes don’t even know who they are or what day it is. Seizures, strokes, and heart attacks can all take place and kill the alcoholic at this point, and there is no way to stop a delirium tremens after it has begun.

You must simply hope that the person lives through the ordeal and never drinks again. Dropping the bottle and never picking it back up can be difficult, even deadly, but with the aid of support groups or licensed professionals, it can be done.