Alcohol Use and Abuse: An Introduction

Alcohol use and abuse occurs with a tremendous amount of variability among individuals. Frequently, there is a limited distinction between "social" or "moderate" drinking and "problem" or" harmful" drinking. It is obvious however, that as the frequency of drinking and the amount increases, so does the probability of problem behaviors frequently resulting in medical and psychosocial problems. The focus of this section will be on alcohol use and abuse disorders, which according to the DSM-IV TR include alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Also included in this section will be information on alcohol induced disorders, which are the psychiatric disorders caused by the direct effects of alcohol on the central nervous system, such as alcohol intoxication, alcohol withdrawal, alcohol induced persisting dementia, alcohol induced persistent amnestic disorder, alcohol induced psychotic disorder, alcohol induced mood disorder, alcohol induced anxiety disorder, alcohol induced sleep disorder, and alcohol induced sexual dysfunction.

A very prominent group of individuals affected by alcohol problems to a significant degree, who develop the syndrome of alcohol dependence are usually referred to by most people as alcoholics. In this section the term alcoholic will be specifically applied to individuals with alcohol dependence. A less prominent group are those who have other problems associated with drinking, but are not necessarily dependent on alcohol. These individuals will be referred to using several terms such as alcohol abusers, problem drinkers, and harmful drinkers. These different groups of individuals with alcohol problems usually require different approaches to diagnosis and clinical management.

The following pages will refer to a large variety of alcohol related problems such as alcohol dependence and abuse, alcohol intoxication, alcohol withdrawal and various other alcohol related disorders. First, we will define alcohol related diagnosis for these disorders. Secondly, we will follow with a section on etiology which defines where these alcohol related disorders come from or what is believed to be their cause. Finally, we will discuss some of the more current treatment models associated with each of the alcohol related disorders, including psychosocial and somatic treatments for individuals with alcohol withdrawal and dependence disorders.