Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (cont.)
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
In this Article
- Alcoholism and alcohol abuse facts
- What is alcohol abuse?
- What is alcoholism?
- What differentiates alcohol abuse from alcoholism?
- What are risk factors for alcoholism?
- What causes alcoholism? Is alcoholism hereditary?
- What are alcohol abuse and alcoholism symptoms and signs in teenagers, women, men, and the elderly?
- How is alcoholism diagnosed?
- What are the stages of alcoholism?
- What is the treatment for alcoholism?
- What medications treat alcoholism?
- How can you tell if someone has a drinking problem?
- Can an alcoholic just cut back or stop drinking?
- Is there a safe level of drinking?
- Is it safe to drink alcohol while pregnant?
- How can someone find more information or get help or support to treat alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
- What are the long-term physical and psychological effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
- What is codependency and what is the treatment for codependency?
- Can alcoholism be prevented?
- What is the prognosis of alcoholism?
- Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
What is alcohol abuse?
Alcohol abuse is a disease. It is characterized by a maladaptive pattern of drinking alcohol that results in negative work, medical, legal, educational, and/or social effects on a person's life. The individual who abuses this substance tends to continue to use it despite such consequences. Effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism on families can include increased domestic violence. The effects that parental alcoholism can have on children can be significantly detrimental in other ways as well. For example, the sons and daughters of alcoholics seem to be at higher risk for experiencing more negative feelings, stress, and alienation as well as aggression. There are a multitude of negative psychological effects of alcohol dependence, including depression and antisocial behaviors.
Statistics about alcohol abuse in the Unites States include its afflicting about 10% of women and 20% of men. Other alcohol abuse facts and statistics include the following:
- Most people who ever have an episode of drinking too much tend to do so for the first time by the time they are in their mid teens.
- Symptoms tend to alternate between periods of alcohol abuse and abstinence (relapse and remission) over time.
- Most people who develop dependence on alcohol do so between 18 and 25 years of age.
- The majority of individuals who abuse alcohol never go on to develop alcohol dependence.
- Alcohol-use statistics by country indicate that among European countries, Mediterranean countries have the highest rate of abstinence and that wine-producing countries tend to have the highest rates of alcohol consumption.
- In many European countries, beer tends to be the alcoholic drink of choice by teenagers, followed by distilled spirits over wine.
Next: What is alcoholism?
Patient Comments
Viewers share their comments
- •
- Submit »
http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_abuse_and_alcoholism/article.htm
Women's Health
Find out what women really need.
Updated & New
