Alcohol abuse

For chronic alcohol abuse that results in significant health problems, see Alcoholism.
"Excessive drinking" redirects here. For excessive consumption of water and other liquids, see Polydipsia.
Alcohol abuse
"The Drunkard's Progress", 1846
SpecialtyPsychiatry
SymptomsRelationship difficulties, legal problems, problems at work or school, insomnia, irritability, chronic fatigue.
ComplicationsAlcoholic liver disease, Pancreatitis (acute or chronic), cancer
Diagnostic methodClinical history, DSM-5 criteria
TreatmentContingency management, motivational interviewing, Alcoholics Anonymous meeting attendance
The 2010 ISCD study "Drug Harms in the UK: a multi-criteria decision analysis" found that alcohol scored highest overall and in Economic cost, Injury, Family adversities, Environmental damage, and Community harm.

Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse, ranging from the consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per day on average for women, to binge drinking or alcohol use disorder.[1]

Alcohol abuse was a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-IV, but it has been merged with alcohol dependence in the DSM-5 into alcohol use disorder.[2][3]

Globally, excessive alcohol consumption is the seventh leading risk factor for both death and the burden of disease and injury,[4] representing 5.1% of the total global burden of disease and injury, measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).[5] After tobacco, alcohol accounts for a higher burden of disease than any other drug. Alcohol use is a major cause of preventable liver disease worldwide, and alcoholic liver disease is the main alcohol-related chronic medical illness.[6] Millions of people of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, engage in unhealthy drinking.[7] In the United States, excessive alcohol use costs more than $249 billion annually.[8] There are many factors that play a role in causing someone to have an alcohol use disorder: genetic vulnerabilities, neurobiological precursors, psychiatric conditions, trauma, social influence, environmental factors, and even parental drinking habits.[9]

  1. ^ "Alcohol & Substance Misuse | Workplace Health Strategies by Condition | Workplace Health Promotion". cdc.gov. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  2. ^ Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (Fifth ed.). American Psychiatric Association. 2013. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-89042-557-2.
  3. ^ "Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison Between DSM–IV and DSM–5". November 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. ^ Griswold MG, Fullman N, Hawley C, Arian N, Zimsen SR, Tymeson HD, et al. (GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators) (September 2018). "Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016". Lancet. 392 (10152): 1015–1035. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2. PMC 6148333. PMID 30146330.
  5. ^ "Alcohol". who.int. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  6. ^ Fuster D, Samet JH (September 2018). "Alcohol Use in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease". The New England Journal of Medicine. 379 (13): 1251–1261. doi:10.1056/nejmra1715733. PMID 30257164. S2CID 52842989.
  7. ^ "Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)". niaaa.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  8. ^ Witkiewitz K, Litten RZ, Leggio L (September 2019). "Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder". Science Advances. 5 (9): eaax4043. Bibcode:2019SciA....5.4043W. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax4043. PMC 6760932. PMID 31579824.
  9. ^ "Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)". niaaa.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-01.