About Alcoholism - Alcoholism Information, Research and Treatment

Based on a questionnaire survey of some 2,000 alcoholics, Jellinek promulgated his now-famous phases of the development of alcoholism, the initial phase of addiction being blackouts. This phase was reported to precede the other two major hallmarks of addiction--loss of control and prolonged drinking bouts--by many months or years, and their occurrence after "medium" alcohol intake was felt to be characteristic of the prospective alcohol addict. In the past 25 years, numerous publications have cited blackouts as the major prodromal symptom of alcoholism.