alcoholism Alcoholism and alcohol abuse

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse



Introduction
For most adults, moderate alcohol consumption is probably not dangerous. However, about 18 million adults in the United States have alcohol use disorder. This means that their consumption habits cause anguish and damage. This includes alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a disease that causes:

Craving: A strong need to drink
Loss of control: Inability to stop drinking once it is started
Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms
Tolerance: The need to drink more and more alcohol to feel the same effect
With alcohol abuse, you are not physically dependent but have a serious problem. Drinking alcohol can cause problems at home, work or school. It can put you in dangerous situations, or lead to legal or social problems.

Another common problem is excessive alcohol consumption, defined as drinking about five or more drinks in two hours for men and four or more drinks in two hours for women.

Drinking too much alcohol is dangerous. Excessive alcohol consumption can increase the risk of certain types of cancer. It can lead to liver diseases such as fatty liver and cirrhosis. It can also cause damage to the brain and other organs. Drinking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Alcohol also increases the risk of death from traffic accidents, injuries, homicides and suicides.

You may have an alcohol use disorder if you answer affirmatively to two or more of the following questions.

In the last year, you:

Did he end up drinking more or for longer than he had planned?
Did you want to reduce or stop drinking, or did you try to do it and could not?
Did you spend a lot of time drinking, or recovering from drinking a lot?
Did you have a strong need to drink?
Did you find that drinking, or feeling bad about drinking, often interfered with your family life, work or school?
Did he continue to drink even though he was causing problems with his family or friends?
Did you leave or decrease activities that you enjoyed drinking?
Did you put yourself in dangerous situations while drinking or after drinking? Some examples are driving drunk and having high-risk sex
Did he continue to drink even if it made him feel depressed or anxious? Or when it aggravated another health problem?
Should he drink more and more to feel the effects of alcohol?
Did he feel withdrawal symptoms when the effect of alcohol was being passed on to him? Symptoms include trouble sleeping, tremors, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea and sweating. In severe cases, you may have fever, seizures or hallucinations
If you have any of these symptoms, your consumption may already be cause for concern. The more symptoms you have, the more serious the problem. If you think you might have an alcohol use disorder, ask your health care provider for an evaluation. Your provider can help you make a treatment plan, prescribe medication and, if necessary, give you referrals for treatment.