Addiction usually follows several predictable stages. The Jellinek Curve is a U-shaped chart that describes the typical phases of addiction and recovery.
Addiction and recovery often follow a predictable pattern. The Jellinek Curve is a visual representation of the stages many people go through when grappling with a substance use problem. While the Jellinek Curve was originally created as a tool for explaining the trajectory of alcoholism, the visual arc has been modified and applied to many types of addiction.
In the early stages of addiction, it may be difficult to recognize that a person has a drug or alcohol problem. But as a person progresses further into addiction, the disease often develops in a predictable way.
The Jellinek Curve is a useful way to identify and understand where someone is along the progressive path of addiction. The U-shaped chart highlights notable symptoms through several common phases of addiction and recovery.
Origins of the Jellinek Curve
The Jellinek Curve as we know it today is largely based on the work and findings of Elvin Morton Jellinek, a Yale University physiologist and one of the founders of the field of addiction science.
Throughout the 1940s, Jellinek headed up the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies. As part of his work, he surveyed thousands of people addicted to alcohol about their personal experiences. When he analyzed the results, he spotted a number of trends and patterns — including progressive changes that resulted in distinct behavioral patterns.
He used this information to delineate four phases of alcohol addiction. These phases — and the ever-worsening various physical and mental characteristics that accompany them — comprise the left, downward part of the U-shaped Jellinek Curve.
They also convinced Jellinek that alcoholism was a disease, not a moral shortcoming, and helped revolutionize the way alcoholism was approached and treated.
Several years later, Max Glatt, another pioneer in the field of alcoholism treatment, noticed that patients in recovery also had common experiences as they progressed through their recovery. He added his findings to Jellinek’s, creating the right, uphill slope of the U-shaped chart.
Though the research that contributed to the Jellinek chart originally applied just to alcoholism, today, it’s applied more broadly to addiction in general.
Phases of Addiction
According to Jellinek, people addicted to alcohol tend to pass through four progressive sequences. These include the “pre-alcoholism” phase, the “prodromal” phase, the “crucial” stage and finally, the “chronic” phase.
Stage Two: Prodromal (Early Alcoholic)
Stage Three: Crucial Phase (Middle Alcoholic)
Stage Four: Chronic Phase (Late Alcoholic)
Recovery Phases
According to the Jellinek Curve, the road to recovery starts with an “honest desire for help.” Early in the rehab process, a person will learn that addiction is a treatable disease. They’ll also begin the crucial task of quitting the substance.
As they progress uphill, they’ll meet others who’ve recovered from addiction and are living “normal and happy” lives. Eventually, when the foggy thinking that accompanies drug and alcohol abuse subsides, healthy thinking will return.
The individual will perform an honest self-assessment of their life and of their own character. In Alcoholics Anonymous, a 12-step program for overcoming alcoholism, this is Step 4. This sort of inner reflection is not easy, but confronting your failures and shortcomings is a necessary step if you want to break out of old, unhealthy patterns and embrace a new life.
As the individual moves from rehabilitation into recovery, more positive physical and emotional changes typically emerge. The individual’s self-esteem will return, or even begin to form, and they’ll begin to appreciate their new way of life. They’ll develop new circles of friends who are stable and supportive and develop new interests.
Eventually, their desire to escape through drugs and alcohol will diminish and they’ll find contentment in sobriety.
While the recovery curve goes uphill, people can and do slip backward. It’s important, though, to remember that addiction is a chronic disease and relapse does not mean failure. If someone does experience a relapse, it is often just a temporary setback and doesn’t mean the recovery process has failed.
As for the Jellinek Curve, the chart is not an exact depiction of everyone’s experience. Rather, it’s more of a guideline to help people who are struggling with addiction and recovery. The visual arc of Jellinek’s Curve is a powerful educational tool that can help people better understand the disease they’re fighting and recognize that recovery is possible.
Sources
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Healthline. “Drug Dependence.” Accessed April 5, 2019.
in.gov. “Addiction and Recovery: The Jellinek Curve.” Indiana Judicial Branch. Accessed April 5, 2019.
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Miller, P.M. et al. “Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive A[…]d Disorders Volume 1.” May 17, 2013. Accessed April 5, 2019.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Treatment and Recovery.” Accessed April 6, 2019.
Venner, K. et al. “Course of Recovery from Alcoholism.” July 28, 2010. Accessed April 6, 2019.
Ward, J.H. et al. “Re-Introducing Bunky at 125: E.M. Jellinek’s Life and Contributions to Alcohol Studies.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. May 17, 2016. Accessed April 5, 2019.
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