What exactly is alcoholism?
For many people, there is understandably some significant confusion about the distinction between drinking and drinking problems. Technically speaking, alcoholism is a disease — a chronic disease, at that. That means it lasts a person’s lifetime, generally follows a predictable course, and is marked by a constant craving for alcohol. To an alcoholic, that craving can be as strong as the need for food or water, and it causes the alcoholic to continue drinking in the face of overwhelming family, health, and legal problems.
Other symptoms of the disease, also referred to as alcohol dependence, include:
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Impaired control, or the inability to limit one’s drinking on any given occasion.
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The evidence of physical dependence when the user temporarily stops after a period of heavy drinking, including nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety.
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Tolerance, where the more the drinker drinks, the more alcohol he or she needs to feel its effects.
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