Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy drinking behaviors which range from consuming 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.
| Alcohol abuse | |
|---|---|
| "The Drunkard's Progress", 1846 | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Relationship difficulties, legal problems, problems at work or school, insomnia, irritability, chronic fatigue. |
| Complications | Alcoholic liver disease, Pancreatitis (acute or chronic), cancer |
| Diagnostic method | Clinical history, DSM-5 criteria |
| Treatment | Contingency management, motivational interviewing, Alcoholics Anonymous meeting attendance |
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.
Globally, excessive alcohol consumption is the seventh leading risk factor for both death and the burden of disease and injury, representing 5.1% of the total global burden of disease and injury, measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). 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. Millions of people of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, engage in unhealthy drinking. In the United States, excessive alcohol use costs more than $249 billion annually. 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.