People who drink too much alcohol are at risk of developing a host of health conditions and disorders including certain types of cancer, liver disease, and heart disease. Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the brain and other organs, and it also increases the chances of developing sleep problems, depression, and other mental health problems. Alcohol can interfere with a person’s ability to care for their other medical conditions or make other medical conditions worse. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism. Lasting changes in the brain caused by alcohol misuse perpetuate AUD and make individuals vulnerable to relapse.

Support for People With Alcoholism

1. Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
2. However, experts encourage people who choose to drink alcohol to do so in moderation.
3. They can assess whether you have a risky drinking pattern, evaluate your overall health, help create a treatment plan, and refer you to programs or other healthcare providers if necessary.
4. A certain addiction treatment program may work for someone but may not necessarily work for another person.

Contributors to this article for the NIAAA Core Resource on Alcohol include the writers for the full article, content contributors to subsections, reviewers, and editorial staff. These contributors included both experts external to NIAAA as well as NIAAA staff. A number of studies have looked at alcohol use among specific racial and ethnic populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies for coping with alcohol cravings and other addictions, featuring addiction specialist John Umhau, MD. Understanding certain terminologies related to alcohol use will help facilitate a better understanding of the disorder.

Drinking to find “relief”

As dependence develops, it becomes difficult for the person to stop drinking. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is known as alcohol withdrawal delirium or delirium tremens, often referred to as the DTs. Symptoms (which are typically experienced in addition to others caused by alcohol withdrawal) include delirium (confusion), high blood pressure, and agitation. Recognizing the early signs and risk factors for AUD can help you seek early treatment and intervention to break alcohol misuse patterns. For example, any alcohol consumption by a pregnant person can be considered alcohol misuse, as well as drinking under the legal age of 21.

Impact on your health

They may start drinking to cope with stressful events like losing a job, going through a divorce, or dealing with a death in their family or a close friend. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re under stress and think you may be at risk for relapse. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior. Theories suggest that for certain people drinking has a different and stronger impact that can lead to alcohol use disorder. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours.

Health Conditions

For a person to be diagnosed with the condition, three of the following factors must have been present for at least twelve months. A person with AUD can lose control over the amount of alcohol they consume and continue to drink despite any adverse health, social or occupational consequences. Talk to your healthcare provider as soon as you notice a problem.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a degenerative brain disorder that causes mental confusion, vision problems, lack of coordination, and memory problems, among other symptoms. There are several treatment options available for AUD, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Alcohol tolerance is the ability to drink more than one used to in order to get drunk. This means that the body has adapted to constant alcohol exposure.

Still, both patterns of drinking can lead to health concerns and affect your overall well-being and quality of life. Find out how this disease affects your body and brain, why people become addicted to… Alcohol use disorder echo house sober living (AUD) is the DSM-5’s official term for alcohol addiction. AUD includes alcohol dependence, which professionals used to consider separate from addiction.