What Is Alcoholism? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

We’ll be able to tell you if your insurance provider is in network with an American Addiction Centers treatment facility. Just because someone may appear to be “sleeping it off,” they can still be in danger of serious harm from alcohol poisoning. Call 911 immediately if you suspect someone may be in danger of an alcohol overdose. Thanks to generous benefactors, your gift today can have 5X the impact to advance AI innovation at Mayo Clinic.

How Is Alcohol Use Disorder Diagnosed?

1. If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider.
2. When you drink too much, your liver has a harder time filtering the alcohol and other toxins from your bloodstream.
3. Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain.
4. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re under stress and think you may be at risk for relapse.

Although the exact cause of alcohol use disorder is unknown, there are certain factors that may increase your risk for developing this disease. If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. 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. Not only does AUD affect the health of the person with the disease, but it also impacts the lives of those around them.

If you think you need help with alcohol use, talk to your doctor. 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. The brain experiences the effects of alcohol right away, resulting in changes in mood, behavior, and judgment. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your blood alcohol levels and the greater your level of alcohol intoxication. Behavioral treatments—also known as alcohol counseling, or talk therapy, and provided by licensed therapists—are aimed at changing drinking behavior.

How can I prevent alcohol use disorder?

Alcohol use disorder is diagnosed on the basis of criteria defined in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The DSM is a guide that describes and classifies mental disorders, published and updated regularly by the American Psychiatric Association and used as a tool by medical professionals. The more familiar term “alcoholism” may be used to describe a severe form of AUD, but physicians, researchers, and others in the medical community tend not to use the word.

Steps to Treating Alcohol Use Disorder

They’ll recommend treatments and resources to help you recover from alcohol use disorder. Many people with AUD do recover, but setbacks are common among people in treatment. Seeking professional help early can prevent a return to drinking. Behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking. Medications also can help deter drinking during times when individuals may be at greater risk of a return to drinking (e.g., divorce, death of a family member).

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

If you or a loved one is struggling with AUD, make an appointment with a primary care provider music therapy for addiction such as a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. People with severe AUD who have used alcohol long-term may experience severe withdrawal symptoms that require medical evaluation and treatment. A healthcare provider can evaluate the AUD severity and its health impacts, refer you to specialists, and determine the appropriate treatment.

Studies show most people can reduce how much they drink or stop drinking entirely. A BAC of 0.09% to 0.25% causes lethargy, sedation, balance problems and blurred vision. A BAC of 0.18% to 0.30% causes profound confusion, impaired speech (e.g. slurred speech), staggering, dizziness and vomiting.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself, too; consider seeking out your systems of support or even medical help if you’re having trouble. The American Medical Association recommends a two-drink daily limit for people assigned male at birth (AMAB). Heavy drinking in this population is five or more drinks in one day or 15 or more drinks in a week. People assigned female at birth (AFAB) should limit drinking to one drink a day. Heavy drinking in this population is four or more drinks a day or eight drinks a week.

People with severe or moderate alcohol use disorder who suddenly stop drinking could develop delirium tremens (DT). It can be life-threatening, causing serious medical issues like seizures and hallucinations that require immediate medical care. Mutual-support groups provide peer support for stopping or reducing drinking. Group meetings drinking when bored are available in most communities at low or no cost, and at convenient times and locations—including an increasing presence online. This means they can be especially helpful to individuals at risk for relapse to drinking. Combined with medications and behavioral treatment provided by health care professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support.

Working to stop alcohol use to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal. The two manuals use similar but not identical nomenclature to classify alcohol problems. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a degenerative brain disorder that causes mental confusion, vision problems, lack of coordination, and memory problems, among other symptoms. Drinking heavily over long periods of time may lead to changes in how the brain functions, from memory slips to more debilitating conditions.

Excessive drinking or an alcohol use disorder can be successfully managed with treatments, such as therapy and medication, to help you to modify your behaviors and help your brain adapt to the absence of alcohol. Your doctor or healthcare provider can diagnose alcohol use disorder. They’ll do a physical exam and ask you questions about your drinking habits.

Under the direction of licensed therapists or counselors, behavioral therapies involve psychological strategies to modify drinking behaviors. The therapy goals are to develop the skills needed to manage your habits, build whats in whippits social support, set and work toward realistic goals, and deal with or avoid things that trigger drinking. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your health care provider or mental health provider. You’re likely to start by seeing your primary health care provider. If your provider suspects that you have a problem with alcohol, you may be referred to a mental health provider.