Alcohol abuse can progress to What is the Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or addiction, but this is not always true. A review of the 11 factors set forth in the DSM-5 regarding severe alcohol use disorder (i.e., the presence of six or more factors) provides additional insight into this condition. Having six or more of the alcohol use disorder symptoms would indicate the need for a treatment intervention to address the addiction. Chronic, heavy alcohol use also wreaks havoc on the brain’s reward system, which can alter the way the brain perceives pleasure and limit a person’s ability to control his or her behavior.

Individuals with an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) will likely experience the symptoms of physical dependence as well as psychological effects. No one sets out to become an alcoholic, but regular, heavy drinking can result in alcohol dependence and alcoholism. The primary role of specialist treatment is to assist the individual to reduce or stop drinking alcohol in a safe manner (National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, 2006). At the initial stages of engagement with specialist services, service users may be ambivalent about changing their drinking behaviour or dealing with their problems. At this stage, work on enhancing the service user’s motivation towards making changes and engagement with treatment will be particularly important.

Who Experiences Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and non-judgmentally discuss alcohol problems with others who have alcohol use disorder. It’s a disease of brain function and requires medical and psychological treatments to control it. Alcohol misuse and the related problems present a considerable cost to society.

Only 30% provide some form of assisted alcohol-withdrawal programme, and less than 20% provide medications for relapse prevention. Of the residential programmes, 45% provide inpatient medically-assisted alcohol withdrawal and 60% provide residential rehabilitation with some overlap between the two treatment modalities. The alcohol withdrawal programmes are typically of 2 to 3 weeks duration and the rehabilitation programmes are typically of 3 to 6 months duration. Around one third of people presenting to specialist alcohol services in England are self-referred and approximately one third are referred by non-specialist health or social care professionals (Drummond et al., 2005).

Learn more about Alcohol Dependence

Therefore, it is helpful from a clinical perspective to subdivide dependence into categories of mild, moderate and severe. People with mild dependence (those scoring 15 or less on the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire [SADQ]) usually do not need assisted alcohol withdrawal. People with moderate dependence (with an SADQ score of between 15 and 30) usually need assisted alcohol withdrawal, which can typically be managed in a community setting unless there are other risks. People who are severely alcohol dependent (with an SADQ score of 31 or more) will need assisted alcohol withdrawal, typically in an inpatient or residential setting. In this guideline these definitions of severity are used to guide the selection of appropriate interventions.

In the United States, most states have low-cost or free rehabilitation programs for those who are uninsured. However, try not to have too many firm expectations, as symptoms can continue for multiple weeks in some people. During the 12- to 24-hour time frame after the last drink, most people will begin to have noticeable symptoms. These may still be mild, or the existing symptoms might increase in severity. Research has shown that the terminology used does, in fact, influence how people with a substance use disorder view themselves as well as how others view them. Research shows that most people who have alcohol problems are able to reduce their drinking or quit entirely.

End-Stage Alcohol Abuse

Knowing the difference between the disorders can help you take stock of your situation and decide what you must do next. Essentially, these are the questions you should be asking if you want to want to tell the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Still not sure about the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence? Alcohol dependent individuals will often make several unsuccessful attempts to cut down on their intake or quit drinking altogether.

• The language used in the past often served to stigmatize people who are affected by alcohol use disorder.
• Nevertheless it continues to be used by WHO in its public health programme (WHO, 2010a and 2010b).
• What often starts as social drinking can quickly progress to problem drinking and this is more common than you think.
• Those with mild to moderate symptoms may receive treatment in an outpatient setting.

The good news is that no matter how severe the problem may seem, most people with AUD can benefit from some form of treatment. Many people addicted to alcohol also turn to 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). There are also other support groups that don’t follow the 12-step model, such as SMART Recovery and Sober Recovery. Unlike cocaine or heroin, alcohol is widely available and accepted in many cultures.

In the same study examining patients attending specialist alcohol treatment services, overall 85% had a psychiatric disorder in addition to alcohol dependence. Eighty-one per cent had an affective and/or anxiety disorder (severe depression, 34%; mild depression, 47%; anxiety, 32%), 53% had a personality disorder and 19% had a psychotic disorder. The term “alcoholism” is commonly used in American society, but it is a nonclinical descriptor.

Thereafter, the prevalence of alcohol-use disorders declines steadily with age. The same US study found the prevalence of dependence was 4% in 30- to 34-year-olds and 1.5% in 50- to 54-year-olds. A similar UK study found the prevalence of alcohol dependence to be 6% in 16- to 19-year-olds, 8.2% in 20- to 24–year-olds, 3.6% in 30- to 34-year-olds and 2.3% in 50- to 54–year-olds (Drummond et al., 2005). Therefore, it is clear that there is substantial remission from alcohol-use disorders over time. Much of this remission takes place without contact with alcohol treatment services (Dawson et al., 2005a). Data on alcohol-related attendances at accident and emergency departments are not routinely collected nationally in England.

For others, their alcohol problems are overcome with the help of a mutual aid organisation, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA; see Section 2.10). Nevertheless, many will require access to specialist treatment by virtue of having more severe or chronic alcohol problems, or a higher level of complications of their drinking (for example, social isolation, psychiatric comorbidity and severe alcohol withdrawal). Alcohol is rapidly absorbed in the gut and reaches the brain soon after drinking. This quickly leads to changes in coordination that increase the risk of accidents and injuries, particularly when driving a vehicle or operating machinery, and when combined with other sedative drugs (for example, benzodiazepines).

• If you think you might have an alcohol problem, discuss it with a healthcare provider.
• Adverse health impacts and social harm from a given level and pattern of drinking are greater for poorer societies.
• According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, women shouldn’t drink more than one drink per day, and men shouldn’t drink more than two drinks per day.

If you drink more alcohol than that, consider cutting back or quitting. Allied to AA are Al-anon and Alateen, jointly known as Al-anon Family Groups. Al-anon uses the same 12 steps as AA with some modifications and is focused on meeting the needs of friends and family members of alcoholics. Again, meetings are widely available and provide helpful support beyond what can be provided by specialist treatment services. All of these factors are important in promoting longer term stable recovery. Alcohol dependence is also a category of mental disorder in DSM–IV (APA, 1994), although the criteria are slightly different from those used by ICD–10.