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Phase 7: Depression.

During this period, the recovering people become so depressed that they have difficulty keeping to normal routines. At times, there may be thoughts of suicide, drinking, or drug use as a way to end the depression. The depression is severe and persistent and cannot be easily ignored or hidden from others. The most common warning signs that occur during this period are:

7-1. Irregular Eating Habits. They may begin overeating or under-eating. There is weight gain or loss. They stop having meals at regular times and replace a well-balanced, nourishing diet with "junk food."

7-2. Lack of Desire to Take Action. There may periods when they are not able to get started or to get anything done. At those times, they are unable to concentrate, feel anxious, fearful, and uneasy, and often feel trapped with no way out.

7-3. Irregular Sleeping Habits. They nay have a difficulty sleeping or may restless and fitful when they do sleep. Sleep is often marked by strange and frightening dreams. Because of exhaustion, they may sleep for 12 to 20 hours at a time. These "sleeping marathons" happen as often as every 6 to 15 days.

7-4. Loss of Daily Structure. Daily routine becomes haphazard. They stop getting up and going to bed at regular times. Sometimes they are unable to sleep, and this results in oversleeping at other times. Regular mealtimes are discontinued. It becomes more difficult to keep appointments and plan social events. They feel rushed and overburdened at times and then have nothing to do at other times. They are unable to follow through on plans and decisions and experience tension, frustration, fear, or anxiety that keep them from doing what should be done.

7-5. Periods of Deep Depression. They feel depressed more often. Their depression becomes worse, lasts longer and interferes with living. The depression is so bad that it is noticed by others and cannot be easily denied. The depression is most severe during unplanned or unstructured periods of time. Fatigue, hunger, and loneliness make the depression worse. When they feel depressed, they separate from other people, become more irritable and angry with others and often complain that nobody cares or understands what they are going through.

Phase 8: Behavioral Loss of Control.

During this phase, they become unable to regulate personal behavior and daily schedule. There is still heavy denial and no full awareness of being out of control. Their life becomes chaotic and many problems are created in all areas of life and recovery. The most common warning signs experienced during this period are:

8-1. Irregular Attendance At A.A. and Treatment Meetings. They stop attending A.A. regularly and begin to miss scheduled appointments for counseling or treatment. They find excuses to justify this and do not recognize the importance of A.A. and treatment. They develop the attitude that "A.A. and counseling aren't making me feel better, so why should I make them a number one priority? Other things are more important."

8-2. Development of An "I Don't Care" Attitude. They try to act as if they don't care about the problems that are occurring. This is to hide feelings of helplessness and a growing lack of self-confidence.

8-3. Open Rejection of Help. They cut themselves off from other people who can help. They may do this by having fits of anger that drive others away, by criticizing and putting others down, or by quietly withdrawing from others.

8-4. Dissatisfaction With Life. Things seem so bad that they begin to think they might as well begin addictive use, because things couldn't get worse. Life seems to have become unmanageable since drinking has stopped.

8-5. Feelings of Powerlessness and Helplessness. They develop difficulty in "getting started"; have trouble thinking clearly, concentrating, and thinking abstractly; and feel that they can't do anything and begin to believe that there is no way out.

Phase 9: Recognition of Loss of Control.

Their denial breaks and they suddenly recognize how severe the problems are, how unmanageable life has become, and how little power and control they have to solve any of the problems. They experience is very painful and frightening. By this time they have become so isolated that it seems that there is no one to turn to for help. The most common warning signs that occur during this phase are:

9-1. Self-pity. They begin to feel sorry for themselves and may use self-pity to get attention at A.A. or from family members.

9-2. Thoughts of Social Drinking. They realize that drinking or using drugs would help them feel better and begin to hope that they can drink or use normally again and be able to control it. Sometimes they are able to put these thoughts out of their minds, but often the thoughts are so strong that they can't be stopped. They may begin to feel that drinking is the only alternative to going crazy or committing suicide. Drinking actually looks a sane and rational alternative.

9-3. Conscious Lying. They begin to recognize the lying, denial and excuses but are unable to interrupt them.

9-4. Complete Loss of Self-Confidence. They feel trapped and overwhelmed by the inability to think clearly and take action. This feeling of powerlessness causes the belief that they are useless and incompetent. As a result, they come to believe that they can't manage life.