What is Alcoholism ?

• Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence,is a disabling

addictive disorder.
• It is characterized by compulsive and uncontrolled
consumption of alcohol despite its negative effects on the
drinker's health, relationships, and social standing.
• Like other drug addictions, alcoholism is medically defined as
a treatable disease.The term "alcoholism" is a widely used
term first coined in 1849 by Magnus Huss, but in medicine the
term was replaced by "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol
dependence" in the 1980s.
 Symptoms
• Alcoholism is characterised by an increased tolerance of and
physical dependence on alcohol, affecting an individual's ability to control
alcohol consumption safely.
• Alcoholism can have adverse effects on mental health, causing psychiatric
disorders to develop and an increased risk of suicide.
• In pregnant women, alcohol can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.
• Examples of long term complications include brain, heart, and liver damage
• heavy drinking over time has been found to have a negative effect on
reproductive functioning in women. This results in reproductive dysfunction
• Alcohol damages almost every organ in the body, including the brain; because
of the cumulative toxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse, the alcoholic risks
suffering a range of medical and psychiatric disorders.Alcoholism has
profound social consequences for alcoholics and the people of their lives
 Physical symptoms

• physical effects include an increased risk of

developing cardiovascular disease,
malabsorption, alcoholic liver disease, and
cancer. Damage to the central nervous system
and peripheral nervous system can occur from
sustained alcohol consumption.
• Psychiatric disorders are common in alcoholics, with as many as 25 percent suffering severe psychiatric
disturbances. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms are anxiety and depression disorders.
Psychiatric symptoms usually initially worsen during alcohol withdrawal, but typically improve or
disappear with continued abstinence.[49] Psychosis, confusion, and organic brain syndrome may be
caused by alcohol misuse, which can lead to a misdiagnosis such as schizophrenia.[50] Panic disorder can
develop or worsen as a direct result of long term alcohol misuse.[51][52]
• The co-occurrence of major depressive disorder and alcoholism is well documented.[53][54][55] Among
those with comorbid occurrences, a distinction is commonly made between depressive episodes that
remit with alcohol abstinence ("substance-induced"), and depressive episodes that are primary and do
not remit with abstinence ("independent" episodes).[56][57][58] Additional use of other drugs may increase
the risk of depression.[59]
• Psychiatric disorders differ depending on gender. Women who have alcohol-use disorders often have a
co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis such as major depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bulimia,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or borderline personality disorder. Men with alcohol-use
disorders more often have a co-occurring diagnosis of narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder,
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, impulse disorders or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.[60] Women
with alcoholism are more likely to have a history of physical or sexual assault, abuse and domestic
violence than those in the general population,[60] which can lead to higher instances of psychiatric
disorders and greater dependence on alcohol.
• Social effects
• See also: Drug-related crime
• The social problems arising from alcoholism are serious, caused by the pathological
changes in the brain and the intoxicating effects of alcohol. [47][61] Alcohol abuse is
associated with an increased risk of committing criminal offences, including
child abuse, domestic violence, rape, burglary and assault.[62] Alcoholism is associated
with loss of employment,[63] which can lead to financial problems. Drinking at
inappropriate times, and behavior caused by reduced judgment, can lead to legal
consequences, such as criminal charges for drunk driving[13] or public disorder, or civil
penalties for tortious behavior, and may lead to a criminal sentence.
• An alcoholic's behavior and mental impairment, while drunk, can profoundly impact
those surrounding them and lead to isolation from family and friends. This isolation
can lead to marital conflict and divorce, or contribute to domestic violence.
Alcoholism can also lead to child neglect, with subsequent lasting damage to the
emotional development of the alcoholic's children.
• Alcohol withdrawal
• ][67]
• Acute withdrawal symptoms tend to subside after
one to three weeks. Less severe symptoms (e.g.
insomnia and anxiety, anhedonia) may continue as
part of a post withdrawal syndrome gradually
improving with abstinence for a year or more.[68][69][70]
Withdrawal symptoms begin to subside as the body
and central nervous system restore alcohol
tolerance and GABA functioning towards normal
• Causes
• A complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors influence the risk of the development of
alcoholism.[73] Genes which influence the metabolism of alcohol also influence the risk of
alcoholism, and may be indicated by a family history of alcoholism.[74] One paper has found that
alcohol use at an early age may influence the expression of genes which increase the risk of
alcohol dependence.[75] Individuals who have a genetic disposition to alcoholism are also more
likely to begin drinking at an earlier age than average.[76] Also, a younger age of onset of drinking
is associated with an increased risk of the development of alcoholism,[76] and about 40 percent of
alcoholics will drink excessively by their late adolescence. It is not entirely clear whether this
association is causal, and some researchers have been known to disagree with this view. [77]
• Severe childhood trauma is also associated with an general increase in the risk of drug
dependency.[73] Lack of peer and family support is associated with a increased risk of alcoholism
developing.[73] Genetics and adolescence are associated with an increased sensitivity to the
neurotoxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Cortical degeneration due to the neurotoxic effects
increases impulsive behaviour, which may contribute to the development, persistence and
severity of alcohol use disorders. There is evidence that with abstinence, there is a reversal of at
least some of the alcohol induced central nervous system damage.[78]
• Genetic variation
• See also: Human genetic variation
• Genetic differences exist between different racial groups which affect the risk of
developing alcohol dependence. For example, there are differences between
African, East Asian and Indo-racial groups in how they metabolize alcohol. These
genetic factors are believed to, in part, explain the differing rates of alcohol
dependence among racial groups.[79][80] The alcohol dehydrogenase allele ADH1
B*3 causes a more rapid metabolism of alcohol. The allele ADH1 B*3 is only
found in those of African descent and certain Native American tribes. African and
native Americans with this allele have a reduced risk of developing alcoholism.[81]
Native Americans however, have a significantly higher rate of alcoholism than
average; it is unclear why this is the case.[82] Other risk factors such as cultural
environmental effects e.g. trauma have been proposed to explain the higher
rates of alcoholism among Native Americans compared to alcoholism levels in
caucasians.