The Mandel Center of Arizona - Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Anorexia
Bulimia
Eating Order Not Otherwise Specified
Binge Eating Disorder
Compulsive Over-exercising
Depression
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Couples Counseling

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

“Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:

Craving – a strong need, or urge, to drink.
Loss of control – not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun
Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking
Tolerance – the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get ‘high.’”

“FAQs for the General Public,” NIAAA

“Research has established that some of the risk for addiction to both drugs and alcohol is inherited. Children of alcoholics are 50 to 60 percent more likely to develop alcohol use disorders than people in the general population. Similarly, children of parents who abuse illicit drugs may be 45 to 79 percent more likely to do so themselves than the general public. This suggests that some of the risk factors for alcohol and other drug use are rooted in genetics, though studies of specific families have not proven a genetic contribution.” –“Alcohol and Other Drugs,” NIAAA

For more information, please see the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.