ALCOHOLIC DISORDER

An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism - the body is dependent on alcohol. An alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic (long-term) disease. People who suffer from alcoholism are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work and financially. Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism but still have a problem with it - these people are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption.

Consuming moderate quantities of alcohol will not usually cause any physical or psychological harm. Unfortunately, for some people social drinking eventually leads to heavier drinking, which can cause devastating health and psychological problems. According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, approximately 1 in every 13 people in the UK is an alcoholic - a sizable proportion of the UK population drinks excessively. According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), 15% of people in the United States are problem drinkers, and about 5% to 10% of male drinkers and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are at least 140 million alcoholics in the world, and the majority of them are not treated. A US study estimated that about30% of Americans report having an alcohol disorder at some time in their lives.

Alcohol consumption more severely affects women than men, according to a coordinated study carried out by researchers at RTI International, Pavlov Medical University, Leningrad Regional Center of Addictions, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

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