The Jellinek Curve shows how drug or alcohol addiction is a chronic condition that can get worse over time if the right medical care is not given. The Jellinek curve, which was first created to explain the phases of alcoholism and recovery, is now used to represent many types of addiction.
Jellinek Curve’s earliest forms
Elvin Morton Jellinek, a physiologist at Yale University and one of the pioneers of the area of addiction science, is primarily responsible for the development of the Jellinek Curve as we know it today.
Jellinek oversaw the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies during the entirety of the 1940s. He asked hundreds of alcohol addicts about their individual experiences as part of his research. And he observed several trends and patterns after analysing the data, including gradual modifications that led to unique behavioural patterns.
He divided alcohol addiction Into five phases using this findings. The left, downhill portion of the U-shaped Jellinek Curve is made up of these stages and the many physical and mental features that go along with them.
The way alcoholism was seen and treated was also revolutionised thanks to their success in persuading Jellinek that it was a sickness rather than a moral failing.
A few years later, Max Glatt, another forerunner in the field of alcoholism therapy, observed that patients in recovery also shared similar experiences as they advanced in their recovery. He combined his research with Jellinek’s to produce the right, upward slope of the U-shaped chart.
The Jellinek chart, which was initially limited to alcoholism research, is now extensively used to describe addiction in general.
Five Phases of Alcohol Addiction
Initial Stage: Pre-Alcoholic
The person is experimenting with alcohol during the early stages of alcoholism. They could be using alcohol to make themselves feel better or to numb emotional or physical discomfort. The person may believe that drinking alcohol would reduce their anxiety or help them forget.
Stage 2: Adolescent Alcoholic
Symptoms like blackouts are indicative of the second stage of the curve. Other indicators of this stage include lying about drinking, binge drinking, and drinking-related thoughts.
Third Stage: Middle Alcoholic
A person’s alcohol dependence will have been apparent to friends and family by the time they reach the centre of the Jellinek Curve. People close to the person may have seen certain bodily changes caused by alcohol addiction, such as bloating in the stomach, sluggishness, weight fluctuations, and face redness. Other signs might include skipping work and being more agitated or forgetful. If people ask for assistance during this phase, many can gain from support groups.
Fourth Stage: Late Alcoholic
When someone reaches this stage of the cycle, alcohol takes over as their only interest. Symptoms like tremors and hallucinations may occur if the user reduces or quits drinking at this point. With the help of therapy and detox, the individual may safely go over these symptoms and begin to live without alcohol.
Stage 5: Recovering
The Jellinek Curve moves into its final stage once a person stops drinking and their health returns to normal. The sober individual received detox and immediate therapy to keep their sobriety. In an effort to better their lives, support their continuous fight against alcoholism, and reclaim their lives, they continue their sober living practises.
Alcoholism’s Five Forms
1) Alcohol Abuse Alpha
Alpha alcoholics turn to alcohol to relieve their feelings of sadness, stress, or pressure to the point that they become psychologically reliant on it.
2) Alcoholism in beta
Binge drinking brings on severe medical issues that characterize beta alcoholism. Beta alcoholics typically develop blackouts owing to extreme drunkenness, liver damage, and nutritional deficiencies.
3) Gamma Alcoholism
Gamma alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependency, is characterised by an inability to stop drinking and a physical and psychological dependence on it; quitting drinking will result in withdrawal symptoms.
4) Delta Alcoholism
Although comparable to gamma alcoholism, delta alcoholism allows a person to manage how much alcohol they consume. They will be unable to abstain, nevertheless.
5) Epsilon Alcoholism
People with Epsilon alcoholism exhibit alternating binge and abstention episodes. The binge-watching episodes frequently have no relation to external factors and don’t follow a predictable pattern. If the drinker lacks any incentive to binge, intervals can endure for years. Epsilon alcoholics have a chance of developing gamma alcoholic tendencies if binge drinking increases in frequency.
