Also called: Also called: Alcohol dependence
For most adults, moderate alcohol use is not harmful. However, nearly 17.6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems. Alcoholism is a disease with four main features:
- Craving - a strong need to drink
- Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've begun
- Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating or shakiness after stopping drinking
- Tolerance - the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get “high”
Alcoholism carries many serious dangers. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can cause damage to the liver, brain and other organs. It can cause birth defects. It increases the risk of death from car crashes and other injuries as well as the risk of homicide and suicide.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- FAQ' s on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/FAQs/General-English/
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JAMA Patient Page: Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/295/17/2100.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/295/17/2100/DC1/1
- Alcoholism(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/alcoholism/DS00340/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Faces of Change: Do I Have a Problem with Alcohol or Drugs?(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Large PDF file - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/TIP35.pdf
- Methanol Poisoning Damage Is Likely Permanent(04/02/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82498.html
- Public Housing for Homeless Alcoholics Saves Money(03/31/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82368.html
- 'Good Feelings' from Alcohol Only Come with Fewer Drinks(03/19/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81945.html
- More News on Alcoholism http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_a.html#alcoholism
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Alcohol and Drug Treatment: How It Works, and How It Can Help You(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/CJA_ConsumerBrochure.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/mli/docs/spanish/alcohol_drug_tx_spanish.pdf
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Co-Occurring Disorders: Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/communitysupport/toolkits/cooccurring/consumers.asp
Also available in Spanish http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/communitysupport/toolkits/cooccurring/espanol1.asp
- Quick Guide to Finding Effective Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://csat.samhsa.gov/faqs.aspx
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Understanding Alcohol Use Disorders and Their Treatment(American Psychological Association) - http://apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=45
Also available in Spanish http://www.centrodeapoyoapa.org/articulos/articulo.php?id=45
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What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Large PDF file - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/WhatIsTx.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://kap.samhsa.gov/mli/docs/spanish/WhatIsTx-Spanish.pdf
- If Someone Close...Has a Problem with Alcohol or Other Drugs(National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information) - http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/ph317/
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Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/addictions/alcohol/007.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/addictions/alcohol/007.printerview.html
- Workplace Substance Abuse(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/substanceabuse/index.html
- Alcohol Induced Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/alcohol/
- Alcohol Poisoning(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/alcohol-poisoning/DS00861/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Characteristics of Adult Children of Alcoholics(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF - http://captus.samhsa.gov/central/documents/4AdultChildrenofAlcoholics.pdf
- PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Use(National Center for PTSD, Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_alcohol.html
- Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/wernicke_korsakoff/wernicke-korsakoff.htm
- What People Recovering from Alcoholism Need to Know about Osteoporosis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/default.asp
- Alcohol-Online Tests(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.atgetfit.net/alcohol/tests/default.aspx
- Alcohol-Use Quiz: Drinking Too Much Carries High Costs(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/QZ00049/METHOD=print
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Alcoholism(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Alcoholism%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Substance-Related Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Substance-Related+Disorders%22
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Family History of Alcoholism: Are You at Risk?(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/FamilyHistory/famhist.htm
Also available in Spanish http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/FamilySpanish/famhistspan.htm
- Alcohol Abuse Makes Prescription Drug Abuse More Likely(National Institute on Drug Abuse) - http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_notes/NNvol21N5/alcohol.html
- Alcohol Alerts(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/AlcoholAlerts/
- Alcohol Dependence (Alcoholism)(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/AlcoholDependenceAlcoholism.pdf
- Electroacupuncture May Help Alcohol Addiction(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/022609.htm
- Researchers Identify Alcoholism Subtypes(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/NewsEvents/NewsReleases/alcoholism_subtypes.htm
- Article: Findings on alcohol dependence point to promising avenues for targeted... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19383946&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Britain grappling with dementia prevalence. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19364775&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Health care and public service use and costs before and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19336710&tool=MedlinePlus
- Alcoholism -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=alcoholism[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Getting Help(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/links/help.aspx
- Single-State Agency (SSA) Directory(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Large PDF file - http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/ssadirectory.pdf
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/
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Al-Anon/Alateen(Alateen, Al-Anon) - http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/alaspan.html
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Alcoholics Anonymous - http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.aa.org/sp_index.cfm?Media=PlayFlash
- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - http://www.ncadd.org/
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
- Are You in Recovery from Alcohol or Drug Problems? Know Your Rights(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Large PDF file - http://www.pfr.samhsa.gov/docs/know_your_rights_01.pdf
- Alcohol Treatment: Need, Utilization, and Barriers(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/AlcTX/AlcTX.htm
- Alcohol Treatment: Need, Utilization, and Barriers(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/AlcTX/AlcTX.htm
- Americans Believe in Prevention and Recovery from Addictions(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.samhsa.gov/Attitudes/CARAVAN_Factsheet.pdf
- FastStats: Alcohol Use(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
- Frequency of Use among Alcohol-Only Treatment Admissions: 2006(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/alcTX/alcTX.htm
- General Information on Alcohol Use and Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/general_info.htm
- Participation in Self-Help Groups for Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use: 2006 and 2007(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/selfHelp/selfHelp.htm
- Quick Facts: Alcohol Topics(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/
- Quick Statistics on Treatment Facilities and Client Admissions by State(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k5/Quick/Quick.htm
- Substance Use and Dependence Following Initiation of Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/newUseDepend/newUseDepend.htm
- The Science of Addiction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring07/articles/spring07pg14-17.html
- Coping with an Alcoholic Parent(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/families/coping_alcoholic.html
- Does Your Mom or Dad Drink Too Much?(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://csat.samhsa.gov/NACOA/feelssobad.aspx
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Helping Yourself Heal: A Recovering Man's Guide to Coping with the Effects of Childhood Abuse(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/HelpingHeal-Mens.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/HelpingHeal-Mens-spanish.pdf
- Men's Health: Alcohol and Drug Abuse(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/mens/mental/achoholDrug.cfm
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Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochurewomen/women.htm
Also available in Spanish http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/WomenSpanish/Women_Spanish.pdf
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Helping Yourself Heal: A Recovering Woman's Guide to Coping with Childhood Abuse Issues(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/helpinghealwomen_08r.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/mli/docs/spanish/HelpingHealWomens-Spanish.pdf
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Alcohol Use and Abuse(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/alcohol.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/Publicaciones/alcohol
- Alcohol, Medication and Older Adults(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/aaac/aaac_intro_pg1.htm
- Substance Abuse(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=36
- Alcohol - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcohol.html
- Cirrhosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cirrhosis.html
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fetalalcoholsyndrome.html
- Underage Drinking - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/underagedrinking.html
- Substance Abuse Problems - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/substanceabuseproblems.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Alcoholism is the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
Alcoholism - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/alcoholism.html