The alcoholic may stop after one or two drinks on many occasions, but he or she cannot guarantee his or her behavior. This means that the person no longer has a choice. Alcoholics are usually able to delude themselves that they have not lost control, because on some occasions they seem to be able to control their drinking or stop for periods of time. It is often obvious to people around them, however, because they inevitably return to excessive drinking patterns. A person experiencing a blackout is awake and functioning during the time they are having a blackout, but is unable to partially or fully recall events later, when sober.
Physical craving disappears within a few days.
But alcoholics have, for a long time, used alcohol as a way of meeting certain problems in their lives. The temptation to fall back upon the use of alcohol often crops up when these problems arise even after a long time of abstinence. The alcoholic doesn't crave the drink itself, he or she craves the results of the drink. The process of addiction is usually gradual, and it may take anywhere from six months to 20 years to make the transition depending upon the individual. Dependence is indicated when behavior no longer matches his or her value system.