Alcoholism is addiction to alcohol. People who have alcoholism are called alcoholics.
Alcoholism is a disease. It often gets worse over time and can kill a person. However, alcoholism can be treated.
Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the world. Around the world, there are at least 208 million people with alcoholism.
Alcoholism is a condition with a social stigma. Because of this, alcoholics often feel ashamed of their drinking. They may try to hide their drinking, avoid getting help, or refuse to believe that they are alcoholics because they are too ashamed.
Diagnosis
Being an alcoholic does not mean that a person just drinks a lot of alcohol. It means that they cannot control how much alcohol they drink. No matter how badly they want to, once they take one drink, they cannot stop drinking.
To be diagnosed with alcoholism, a person has to have three of these symptoms in the past year: They feel like they have to drink alcohol. They cannot control when they start drinking, when they stop drinking, or how much they drink. They get alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. They have to drink more and more alcohol to feel drunk (this is called tolerance). They spend less time doing things they used to enjoy because they are spending so much time drinking. They spend a lot of time getting alcohol, drinking alcohol, or feeling sick from drinking too much. They keep drinking even though they know it is causing serious problems in their life. Drinking or being sick from drinking interfered with work, family responsibilities, school, or social engagements. They continue to drink despite changes to mood, such as depression or anxiety or drinking too much much began to affect other aspects of their mental or physical health. Alternately, the person suffered more than one memory blackout. They drank even though doing so increased the chances of getting hurt, such as drinking before driving. There is no medical test, like a blood test, that can say whether a person is an alcoholic. There are some questionnaires (lists of questions) that can help tell whether a person may be an alcoholic. These questionnaires include the CAGE questionnaire (for adults) and the CRAFFT Screening Test (for teenagers).
Alcoholism causes many problems
Problems in the body
Alcoholism can cause many health problems. For example, it can cause: Brain damage Liver disease (like cirrhosis) and liver failure Many types of cancer, including mouth, throat, esophageal, breast, and liver cancers Heart problems, including a weak heart muscle; abnormal heartbeat; high blood pressure; and stroke Problems with the pancreas A weak immune system, which makes it harder for the body to fight off diseases Depression and anxiety Deaths from drunk driving accidents or other injuries
If a person drinks too much at one time, they can get alcohol poisoning. This can cause breathing problems, coma, and even death.
In 2012, alcohol use caused 3.3 million deaths around the world. This means that in 2012, about 3 out of every 50 deaths in the world were caused by alcohol use.
Problems in life
Alcoholism can also cause many problems in alcoholics' lives. These include: Not doing well at school or work Having family problems Not having enough money, because the alcoholic is spending so much money on alcohol Being unemployed Abusing or neglecting their children Abusing their wives or husbands Living in poverty or being homeless
Alcohol withdrawal
If an alcoholic stops drinking suddenly, they can get alcohol withdrawal.
The most serious form of alcohol withdrawal is delirium tremens (often called "DTs"). Delirium tremens is a medical emergency. Many people who get the DTs die from them.
This does not mean that alcoholics should not stop drinking. It means that alcoholics should talk to a doctor or go to a hospital before they stop drinking. Doctors can give medications to make sure that a person is safe while they stop drinking.
Epidemiology
In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 208 million people with alcoholism around the world. (This is 4.1% of the world's population over age 15.) In 2001, the WHO estimated that there were about 140 million alcoholics around the world. This means that in the nine years between 2001 and 2010, about 68 million people became alcoholics.