Does the typical alcoholic tend to alter their drinking habits during any of these stages? Or is the intake somewhat consistent throughout the cycle?
Big PL here but having grown up around a great many alcoholics.... the cycle tends to go something like this (This loop doesn't always happen in this order or include all the steps, but roughly)...
Craving/Ritual: Often a Party/Gathering/Depressing Anniversary/Bad Day causes some drinking, not a lot for the person in question, but usually what a normal person would consider a binge. Usually the person has managed to not drink/only drink casually up until this point.
Using/Acting out: Knowing that the drinking has started again, the person unconsciously (maybe) creates situations that are dramatic/more excuses for them to drink. They often lash out at people around them. Drinking is maxxed the fuck out.
Shame/Guilt: They wake up, maybe in a dingy room, but in some state of disrepair and feel contemplative and bad. A healthy person would realize that they're in a bad place and reach out. Sometimes there's a brief moment of "I'm quittng" but it usually doesn't last in the negative spiral of thoughts or consequences.
Secrecy/Isolation: The momentary awareness of consequences is drowned out by alcohol to numb out feelings, the person can become paranoid and angry, but spend more time alone. They drink continuously if they have the privacy to do so, though they probably don't "feel" drunk. The person has pushed away the people around them and uses the fact that "everyone leaves"/"no one cares"/"this is proof of how fucked up I am" to kamikaze themselves into more opportunities to wallow and drink. This is often when they drink the most, and when parasuicidal/suicidal behaviours generally appear.
At this point there's occasionally some "wake up call", a grandiose attempt to quit/turn one's life around/attend a few AA meetings. If they do, they no longer see themselves as alcoholics, they've turned a new leaf. This also often means denying the consequences of their actions while they were drunk (missing work, being abusive, etc) because they're a whole new person. This brings out the unwarranted self-important narcissistic qualities as they see themselves as someone who is succeeding.
That lasts however long until there's another craving or opportunity for a ritual and the cycle begins anew.
With JY, we could make parallels between the alcoholic cycle and also his need for attention. They probably run in tandem.
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