About 35 million adults ages 18 or older in the US are found to be affected by alcoholism. This makes up more than 15% of Americans.\n
Alcoholism does not cause severe systemic problems. However, alcoholism is associated with a moderate, dose-related increase of mortality, particularly in those with liver disease, hypertension, and smoking. Alcoholism is a risk factor for ischemia, especially in the setting of atherosclerosis, with consequences potentially far larger than alcohol intoxication.
Although the vast majority of alcoholics are able to quit drinking, about 50% do not become sober. Those who achieve sobriety at the time of their initial diagnosis of alcoholism are at a much higher likelihood than those who do not achieve sobriety for the eventual resolution of an alcohol problem.
The term alcoholism is also loosely applied to certain intoxicating beverages, and is used for alcoholic beverages in general to refer to their intoxicating properties. The most common alcoholic beverages (beer, hard, and wine) have alcohol content, while the alcoholic soft drinks contain no alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic brain disorder characterized by cognitive problems, personality changes, and physical deterioration. Alcohol dependence is another problem related to alcoholism, it is characterized by a number of symptoms such as withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is stopped. The frequency and severity of these symptoms vary with each person. Alcoholism is the leading cause of mental illness in the United States and it is often present with addiction.
Alcoholism may affect a person through a variety of routes, including the brain, liver and GI tract. These symptoms may include impaired judgment and/or social/emotional problems. Alcoholism can also cause or exacerbate many of the medical conditions for which symptoms can occur. In particular, alcohol can increase the risk for developing heart disease, liver disease, and cancer.\n\n- http://www.drs.aqc.
Alcoholism is a disease of brain neurons caused by a combination of neuroendocrine and neurophysiological problems, but no single factor can be identified. A number of factors, including lifestyle, the environment and genetics are likely to have different contributions. The process of causation is not simple and cannot be explained in terms of simplistic genes and environmental causes.
Alcoholism is often treated with medication or medical detoxification. In addition, alcoholics rarely receive comprehensive treatment which includes cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Treatment often includes counselling for a lifetime, and usually some type of medical detoxification is required. Although there is not a clear evidence of increased risk of relapse for detoxification or medication/medication alone. Evidence indicates that alcoholism should be treated as a chronic disease and not just as a form of addiction. Alcoholics should be monitored to prevent relapse and medical issues relating to alcohol.\n\nThe following conditions are defined within the DSM-5.
It is possible that alcoholism can be inherited with high heritability coefficients. However, other aspects of alcoholism are more heritable than alcoholism per se. Alcoholism and obesity are highly comorbid. Thus, one should carefully consider other environmental causes before discounting heritability of alcoholism.
Alcoholism remains a controversial area of research. There are many possible treatments and theories of addiction, it's often misunderstood and misunderstood yet with a lot of hope. So if you are looking for the latest research on alcoholism, [Bupropion, naltrexone, rasagiline, clonidine, and topiramate] are all the most investigated treatments which have been proven to be effective. They are known to be effective alternatives to drug treatment.
Clinical investigators should consider patient characteristics before starting clinical trials. This information should be obtained at the pretrial evaluation and during the informed consent process, and include an assessment of patients' knowledge of risks and benefits of therapy, their motivation to improve the condition, and their willingness to try behavioral therapies.
[Ethanol treatments are used to treat alcoholism and various psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis, and psychosis in alcoholism, and chronic mood disorders such as depression and anxiety in alcoholism] The present study illustrates that ethanol is an anti-anxiety agent, which is not well understood at present. These studies will help elucidate the underlying psychoactive mechanisms of ethanol treatments.
Findings from a recent study seem to be in agreement with previous work suggesting that a large dose of ethanol is more effective than a placebo.