Alcohol Addiction:
 Symptoms
of Alcoholism:
- Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
- Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking
on any given occasion.
- Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea,
sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use
is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
- Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol
in order to “get high.”
General
Facts:
Alcoholism has little to do
with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful
craving, or uncontrollable need for alcohol that overrides
their ability to stop drinking, which can be as strong
as the need for food or water. The majority of alcoholics
require assistance to recover, involving treatment and
support. The tendency for some individuals to develop
alcoholism is strongly associated with genetics. Scientists
have found that having an alcoholic family member increases
the likelihood of and individual developing alcoholism.
There are environmental factors that contribute to alcohol
dependency as well, such as where and how he or she lives,
family, friends, culture, peer pressure, and availability.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism. (2001, January 1). Alcoholism: Getting the
Facts (NIH Publication No. 96-4153)[Brochure]. Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September
04, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/booklet.htm
Statistics:
- Approximately 14 million Americans—7.4 percent of the
population —meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse
or alcoholism.
- More than one-half of American adults have a close family
member who has or has had alcoholism.
- Approximately one in four children younger than 18 years
old in the United States is exposed to alcohol abuse or
alcohol dependence in the family.
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