Alcohol use disorder
is the continued drinking of alcohol despite the problems it causes. Some definitions require evidence of and withdrawal. Problematic alcohol use has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated there were 283 million people with alcohol use disorders worldwide as of 2016. The term alcoholism was first coined in 1852, but alcoholism and alcoholic are considered stigmatizing and likely to discourage seeking treatment, so diagnostic terms such as alcohol use disorder and alcohol dependence are often used instead in a context. Other terms, some slurs and some informal, have been used to refer to people affected by alcoholism such as tippler, sot, drunk, drunkard, dipsomaniac, and souse.
Underlined words are explained — tap any of them.
Symptoms — what it feels like
- ·Drinking large amounts of alcohol over a long period, difficulty cutting down, acquiring and drinking alcohol taking up a lot of time, usage resulting in problems, withdrawal occurring when stopping
Causes — why it happens
- ·Environmental and factors
How it's found
- ·Questionnaires, blood tests
Treatment
- ·Alcohol cessation typically with , counselling, acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone
Complications
- ·Mental illness, delirium, Wernicke–Korsakoff , irregular heartbeat, of the liver, cancer, alcohol disorder, suicide
Test yourself
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