Overview of chronic alcohol use Summary of relevant conditions

Symptoms (which are typically experienced in addition to others caused by alcohol withdrawal) include delirium (confusion), high blood pressure, and agitation. There have been numerous critiques of the methods used in these types of studies that often emphasize their lack of clinical and predictive validity. It is interesting to note that a 2010 follow-up to the latent class analysis study was mostly descriptive in nature regarding how the participants in the study address their alcohol use disorder.

According to the CDC, six out of ten Americans have at least one chronic disease. Some behaviors contribute to chronic diseases, including using tobacco, not being physically active and having poor eating habits. Some of the most common chronic diseases include arthritis, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, obesity and oral issues. The concept of inveterate drunkenness as a disease appears to be rooted in antiquity. The Roman philosopher Seneca classified it as a form of insanity. The term alcoholism, however, appeared first in the classical essay “Alcoholismus Chronicus” (1849) by the Swedish physician Magnus Huss.

Health problems due to alcohol

If a blood test reveals that the red blood cells have increased in size, it could be an indication of long-term alcohol misuse. In the past, a person with this condition was referred to as an “alcoholic.” However, this is increasingly seen as sober house an unhelpful and negative label. Health professionals now say that a person has an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Osteoporosis refers to a decrease in bone density, which makes the bones more porous and weak, increasing the risk of fractures.

In general, alcohol consumption is considered too much—or unhealthy—when it causes health or social problems. This broad category of alcohol consumption comprises a continuum of drinking habits including at-risk drinking, binge drinking, and AUD. For many people, alcohol seems inextricably linked with a social life.

What is the outlook for people with alcohol use disorder?

For example, periodic intoxication can cause sickness necessitating days of absence from work. In a modern industrial community, this makes alcoholism similar to a disease. In a rural Andean society, however, the periodic drunkenness that occurs at appointed communal fiestas and results in sickness and suspension of work for several days is normal behaviour. It should be noted that this drunkenness at fiestas is a choice and does not produce regret. If the sociological model were entirely correct, alcoholism should often be expected to disappear with maturation as is the case with many other symptoms of social deviance. It may lead to liver diseases, such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.

Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but certain other conditions also can cause the syndrome. Indeed, these individuals are the most frequently represented type of alcoholic in treatment programs – as noted, about two-thirds of chronic severe alcoholics receive help for their drinking.

What causes alcohol use disorder?

Heavy drinking can cause physiological changes that make more drinking the only way to avoid discomfort. Individuals with alcohol dependence may drink partly to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms. There are factors that pop up again and again when determining who might have an issue with alcoholism. If you’re in the „at-risk” population, it doesn’t take much to become dependent on alcohol or other drugs. While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease.

Because of this, professional medical care is required for proper diagnosis and treatment. People with alcoholic liver disease are also at greater risk for liver cancer. If you drink more than it can process, it can become badly damaged. For further information on diagnosis and treatment, follow the links below to our full BMJ Best Practice topics on the relevant conditions and symptoms.

Defining alcoholism

Tragically, this group of individuals have the highest drinking rates and consume alcohol on an average of 247 days per year. They also binge drink on 69% of these days and consume a maximum of 15 drinks. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a blood test that helps detect heavy alcohol consumption.