Alcohol Use Disorder: What It Is, Risks & Treatment

A number of these therapies, including cognitive-behavioral coping skills treatment and motivational enhancement therapy, were developed by psychologists. Additional therapies include 12-Step facilitation approaches that assist those with drinking problems in using self-help programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Drinking problems also have a very negative impact on mental health. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism can worsen existing conditions such as depression or induce new problems such as serious memory loss, depression or anxiety.

Today, we know that the symptoms of alcoholism can vary from one person to the next. Because the condition is progressive, these symptoms may increase over time in terms of the number of symptoms, their severity, and their impact. Relying on alcohol to reduce daily life stressors can impact the likelihood of developing alcoholism. Since alcohol is a depressant and a sedative, drinking produces feelings of pleasure. However, frequent drinking builds tolerance, requiring you to consume more alcohol in order to achieve the same effects. You don’t have to suffer from alcohol addiction in silence.

Providing National Leadership

CDC works with other federal agencies to prevent excessive alcohol use. CDC’s Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application provides state and national estimates of deaths and years of potential life lost from excessive alcohol use. CDC collects data that states and communities can use to inform public health strategies to reduce excessive drinking and related harms. People who binge drink are more likely to have unprotected sex and multiple sex partners. These activities increase the risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

• While the exact causes of alcoholism are not known, a number of factors can play a role.
• Alcohol use disorder includes a level of drinking that’s sometimes called alcoholism.
• People who binge drink are more likely to have unprotected sex and multiple sex partners.
• Also, AAFP recommends teaching teens between 12 and 17 years old to avoid alcohol.

Alcohol withdrawal can usually be treated outside of the hospital, but some severe cases do require hospitalization. Simply put, alcoholism is having a problem with your drinking. You spend a lot of time drinking, thinking about it, or recovering from its effects. You have few if any interests or social involvements that don’t revolve around drinking.

Medical Definition

It’s also called alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse. If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider. Other ways to get help include talking with a mental health professional or seeking help from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar type of self-help group. Despite the potentially lethal damage that heavy drinking inflicts on the body—including cancer, heart problems, and liver disease—the social consequences can be just as devastating. Alcoholics and alcohol abusers are much more likely to get divorced, have problems with domestic violence, struggle with unemployment, and live in poverty.

As an addiction tends to get worse over time, it’s important to look for early warning signs. If identified and treated early, someone with an alcohol addiction may be able to avoid major consequences of the disease. Alcohol addiction, also known as alcoholism, is a disease that affects people of all walks of life. Experts have tried to pinpoint factors like genetics, sex, race, or socioeconomics that may predispose someone to alcohol addiction. Psychological, genetic, and behavioral factors can all contribute to having the disease.

Alcoholism

Seeking help for alcoholism sooner rather than later gets you back on track to living a healthy, fulfilling life. An informed minority opinion, especially among sociologists, believes that the medicalization of alcoholism is an error. Unlike most disease symptoms, the loss of control over drinking does not hold true at all times or in all situations.

Even though it is illegal, about 8.7 million people 12 to 20 years of age have had a drink in the past month, and this age group accounted for 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. Among underaged youth, alcohol is responsible for about 189,000 emergency-room visits and 4,300 deaths annually. If you are the one suffering from alcohol abuse, the first step is recognizing you need help. Many studies show that people struggling with alcohol abuse can benefit from some form of treatment. The sooner a person seeks treatment, the better the outcome. People who have serious AUD may need to live in a treatment facility staffed by medical professionals who have experience treating the disorder.

Understanding the problem is the first step to overcoming it and either cutting back to healthy levels or quitting altogether. Drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind, including wine, beer, and liquor, can contribute to cancers of the mouth and throat, larynx (voice box), esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, and breast (in women). For some cancers, even less than one drink in a day can increase risk. The less alcohol a person drinks, the lower the risk of these types of cancer. A small percentage of adults who drink account for half of the 35 billion total drinks consumed by US adults each year. CDC estimates that 1 in 6 US adults binge drinks [PDF – 171 KB], with 25% doing so at least weekly, on average, and 25% consuming at least 8 drinks during a binge occasion.

Health care professionals use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), to assess whether a person has AUD and to determine the severity, if the disorder is present. Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). It’s a significant cause of deaths and injuries because of accidents. It can damage your baby’s health if you drink alcohol during pregnancy. It can cause a bleeding ulcer and irritate the lining of your stomach. Alcohol also can cause you to gain weight, feel sick or dizzy, cause you to have bad breath, and make your skin break out.

What Is Alcohol Use Disorder?

Regardless of the type of support system, it’s helpful to get involved in at least one when getting sober. Sober communities can help someone struggling with alcohol addiction deal with the challenges of sobriety in day-to-day life. Sober communities can also share relatable experiences and offer new, healthy https://www.excel-medical.com/5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-living-house/ friendships. And these communities make the person with an alcohol addiction accountable and provide a place to turn to if there is a relapse. Using one or more of several types of psychological therapies, psychologists can help people address psychological issues involved in their problem drinking.