Awal….here is a general path that addiction takes.....at first, the alcoholic drinks to feel "good". This stage can last for a very long time...could be many years.
As the brain chemistry (neuroreceptors) become used to...acclimated, to the alcohol...more is required....
At this point, the alcoholic requires alcohol to just feel normal....the feel good stage has passed by...
As the alcoholic drinks to feel normal...the body requires m ore and m ore of the alcohol to feel normal...if they don't get it, painful and dangerous withdrawl sympotoms will set in (within hours)….
Finally, the body begins to break down due to the damage to the body and nervous system and brain....The person may suffer from any number of illnesses--including those of the nervous system and brain....
For some people...this late stage may be what leads them to reach for abstainence/recovery....because, it is at this stage that drinking actually feels so bad, to them, that sobriety may look better.....
Every person is different, but this long progression may take years and years....several decades.....