The 5 Stages of Drug & Alcohol Addiction (2024)

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Summer is often filled with fun activities, like cookouts, pool parties, and family road trips. The last things you may

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Summer is often filled with fun activities, like cookouts, pool parties, and family road trips. The last things you may be keeping an eye out for are the stages of a drug or alcohol addiction in yourself, a friend, or a loved one.

In fact, the events of the summer can easily disguise an addiction problem. Therefore, it’s important that you’re aware of the different stages of addiction so you can recognize if a drug or alcohol addiction is developing.

5 Stages of Addiction

The five stages of drug and alcohol addiction that you should be aware of include:

  1. Experimentation:This first stage of drug or alcohol addiction can be difficult to recognize, especially if a loved one is trying a substance for the first time. It can be hard for you to determine if this experimental use will turn into something more serious. If a loved one is experimenting with drugs or alcohol, you should watch out for the reasons they’re experimenting, how much they’re experimenting with, and how often they experiment with new substances.
  2. Regular Use:During this stage, individuals will have incorporated their substance abuse into their everyday lives. For some, this might be difficult to recognize, especially if they are “functioning” in their regular use. During this time, you may begin to notice if their regular use is becoming problematic, and if they go through periods of time where they use, they stop using, and then they use again.
  3. Risky Use: Risky use can be difficult to recognize, especially since your definition of risky may be different than someone else’s definition of risky. However, as an individual keeps using, you will notice significant changes in their behavior that may be alarming. At this point, you should look into getting them treatment for their risky use before it escalates.
  4. Dependence:By the time an individual is dependent on their substance(s) of choice, both their body and mind are reliant on the substance(s). During this stage, a loved one’s use can result in serious behavioral changes that are obvious and dangerous. At this time, it’s important to help your loved one by providing them with substance abuse treatment options to address their dependency.
  5. Addiction. The continual abuse of substances may lead to a drug or alcohol addiction, especially if an individual continues to progress through the stages listed. If a drug or alcohol addiction develops, it’s vital that the individual changes their behaviors surrounding the abuse, which is where professional addiction treatment comes in.

What to Watch For

Each one of these stages includes symptoms of substance abuse and addiction, but it’s only noticeable if you know what to look for. The most important symptoms that you should watch for include excessive experimentation, consistent use in daily life, changes in behavior, physical side effects that represent a growing dependence, and, of course, a loved one’s inability to stop using.By remembering all five stages of addiction, you can keep a watchful eye and work to intercept an addiction from developing in yourself or a loved one before it’s too late.

If you or a loved one are struggling withsubstance abuse and addiction, we can help. At Clearview, our clinicians have experience with and expertise in treating substance abuse and addiction at ourWomen’s Treatment Center, ourDual Diagnosis Treatment Center, and ouroutpatient treatment centers. Call us today at855.714.7192or fill outour contact form.

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The 5 Stages of Drug & Alcohol Addiction (2024)

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What are the 5 stages of change for addiction? ›

The model describes five stages that people go through when changing their behaviour: precontemplation (not ready), contemplation (getting ready), preparation (ready), action and maintenance. The model assumes that everyone goes through a similar process when changing a behaviour (Prochaska & Prochaska, 2009).

What are the 5 stages of the recovery process? ›

The five stages of addiction recovery are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Read on to find out more about the various stages.

What are the stages of change in addiction worksheet? ›

The stages of change (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse) depict the typical course of recovery when dealing with addictions, but they can be used with any difficult change.

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One of the widely recognized frameworks to understand addiction is the 4Cs – Craving, Compulsion, Control, and Consequences. In this article, we delve into these components, shedding light on how they define addiction and what can be done to address them.

What are the 5 core domains of the recovery model? ›

There is no single description of recovery because recovery is a different experience for everyone, however central to all recovery paradigms are five core aspects or domains, namely hope, self-determination, self-management, empowerment and advocacy.

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4 things you can't recover in life: • Words after they're said. Moments after they're missed. Actions after they're done. Time after it's gone.

What stages of recovery is life is limited? ›

MS: The second stage in the recovery process is Life is Limited. In this stage, the person feels that life is limited, and the person has given up to the disabling power of the illness. They think that their psychiatric diagnosis means that their future is full of doom and gloom.

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What behavior may occur when someone abuses alcohol? ›

Alcohol intoxication causes behavior problems and mental changes. These may include inappropriate behavior, unstable moods, poor judgment, slurred speech, problems with attention or memory, and poor coordination.

What are the stages of change addiction harm reduction? ›

The stages of change model identifies six stages that a person will experience when making any change: precontemplation (not ready), contemplation (getting ready), preparation (ready), action, maintenance and relapse.

What are the stages of change and harm reduction? ›

1 There are five official stages as described in DiClemente and Prochaska's Stages of Change Model, including pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. (defined as within the next 6 months). People are often unaware that their behavior is problematic or produces negative consequences.

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