Advanced alcoholism follows early stages that include developing a tolerance to alcohol so that more is required to become intoxicated. Advanced alcoholics also have experienced loss of control over drinking and continued to drink despite problems it created within the family, at work or with their health. Alcohol dominates thinking, emotions and actions for the alcoholic, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. During advanced alcoholism, the central nervous system has become severely affected from prolonged exposure to alcohol.
Mental Effects
Brain damage develops during advanced alcoholism. Long-term alcoholics often suffer from poor nutrition that results in a thiamine deficiency, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The brain needs thiamine, or vitamin B1, as an essential nutrient. Many alcoholics with severe mental disorders have a thiamine deficiency. Advanced alcoholism causes mental confusion and difficulty with muscle coordination during the later stages of the disease. Chronic learning and memory problems result from the brain damage in advanced alcoholism. Cirrhosis of the liver also harms the brain because liver function involves areas throughout the body, including the brain.
Physical Warnings
Although mental difficulties often become apparent in the last stages of alcoholism, serious illness can alert some alcoholic patients. Alcoholic-related liver disease warns alcoholics that their drinking must stop or they will face fatal consequences. Signs of liver disease might not show up until the later stages. Sometimes doctors can detect liver damage when patients undergo blood tests or physical examinations for illness. A fatty liver indicates damage and the potential for worsening conditions.
Inflammation
Hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, can develop after long-term drinking, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever and jaundice, a condition that causes yellowing of the eyes, skin and urine. Alcoholics can often reverse the effects of hepatitis if they abstain from alcohol. Continued drinking can lead to death.
Function
Alcoholic cirrhosis might become a final stage for many people with advanced alcoholism. Cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, is irreversible, but people can improve the condition if they stop drinking. Abstaining can improve liver functioning and prolong the lives of alcoholics. Liver transplantation may become necessary for some patients. Many alcoholics die before receiving a liver transplant. Others might survive several years or more after transplantation.
Other Disease Signs
Other diseases can arise during the advanced alcoholism stage. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Cancers of the esophagus, mouth, throat, voice box, colon and rectum can also result from excessive drinking for a prolonged period. Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, can cause severe abdominal pain or weight loss and death from long-term drinking. The pancreas no longer produces insulin necessary for blood sugar levels in the body.
