It will depend on whom you talk to about how many stages there are of addiction. Some will list anywhere from four to seven. Here is a list of five stages that are considered to be useful. 1- Experimentation is stage one. If you don’t try it, you won’t become addicted to it. That doesn’t mean that trying it will lead you to addiction. If risk factors are present in you before you experiment, then precautions may be a good thing to consider. 2- Regular use can lead to addiction. Some people can incorporate regular drinking into their lives without it becoming an addiction. Others may not be so lucky. Regular use can make it difficult to see if the issue is becoming problematic as the problems may appear slowly and seem minimal, at first. 3- Risky use might be difficult to determine. This is dependent on what each person deems to be risky. Risky behaviors that you may want to watch for are drinking and driving, risky sexual encounters that they wouldn’t have engaged in in the past, and a change in other habits that could cause harm. 4- Dependence is when their body and mind are reliant on the substance. At this point, you will notice serious behavioral changes. 5- Addiction is the final stage. Continual abuse of alcohol will to an addiction that will most likely require professional treatment to change behaviors, or worse to correct serious health issues. If you or a loved one are concerned that alcohol use is getting out of control, come see the caring and compassionate counselors at Best Fit Counseling in Ann Arbor MI. We serve patients anywhere in Michigan. Licensed in Ann Arbor MI, Pittsfield Charter TWP MI, Ypsilanti MI, Saline MI, Dexter MI, Scio TWP MI and surrounding areas.