Q #1: What is 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."
Q #2: Is alcoholism a disease?
Q #3: Is alcoholism
inherited?
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed
run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this
pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are
working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for
alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how
readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your
risk for alcoholism.
Q #4: Can alcoholism be
cured?
No, alcoholism cannot be cured at this
time. Even if an alcoholic hasn't been drinking for a long time, he or
she can still suffer a relapse. To guard against a relapse, an alcoholic
must continue to avoid all alcoholic beverages.
Q #5: Can alcoholism be
treated?
Yes, alcoholism can be treated.
Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to
help a person stop drinking. Most alcoholics need help to recover from
their disease. With support and treatment, many people are able to stop
drinking and rebuild their lives.
Q #7: Does alcoholism
treatment work?
Alcoholism treatment works for many people. But just like any chronic
disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment.
Some people stop drinking and remain sober. Others have long periods of
sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking
for any length of time. With treatment, one thing is clear, however: the
longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be
able to stay sober.
Q #8: Do you have to be
an alcoholic to experience problems?
No. Alcoholism is only one type of an
alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person can
abuse alcohol without actually being an alcoholic--that is, he or she
may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol.
Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to
meet work, school, or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and
car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some
circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous--for
example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain
medications.
Q #9: Are specific
groups of people more likely to have problems?
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cut across
gender, race, and nationality. Nearly 14 million people in the United
States--1 in every 13 adults--abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. In
general, though, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have
alcohol problems. And alcohol problems are highest among young adults
ages 18-29 and lowest among adults ages 65 and older. We also know that
people who start drinking at an early age--for example, at age 14 or
younger--greatly increase the chance that they will develop alcohol
problems at some point in their lives.
Q #11: Can a problem
drinker simply cut down?
It depends. If that person has been
diagnosed as an alcoholic, the answer is "no." Alcoholics who try to cut
down on drinking rarely succeed. Cutting out alcohol--that
is, abstaining--is usually the best course for recovery. People who are
not alcohol dependent but who have experienced alcohol-related problems
may be able to limit the amount they drink. If they can't stay within
those limits, they need to stop drinking altogether.
Q #12: What is a safe
level of drinking?
For most adults, moderate alcohol use--up to two drinks per day for
men and one drink per day for women and older people--causes few if any
problems. (One drink equals one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler,
one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.)
Certain people should not drink at all, however:
- Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- People who plan to drive or engage in other activities that
require alertness and skill (such as using high-speed machinery)
- People taking certain over-the-counter or prescription
medications
- People with medical conditions that can be made worse by
drinking
- Recovering alcoholics
- People younger than age 21.
Q #13: Is it safe to
drink during pregnancy?
No, drinking during pregnancy is
dangerous. Alcohol can have a number of harmful effects on the baby. The
baby can be born mentally retarded or with learning and behavioral
problems that last a lifetime. We don't know exactly how much alcohol is
required to cause these problems. We do know, however, that these
alcohol-related birth defects are 100-percent preventable, simply by not
drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The safest course for women who are
pregnant or trying to become pregnant is not to drink alcohol at all.
Q #14: Does alcohol
affect older people differently?
Alcohol's effects do vary with age. Slower reaction times, problems
with hearing and seeing, and a lower tolerance to alcohol's effects put
older people at higher risk for falls, car crashes, and other types of
injuries that may result from drinking.
#15: Does alcohol
affect women differently?
Yes, alcohol affects women differently
than men. Women become more impaired than men do after drinking the same
amount of alcohol, even when differences in body weight are taken into
account. This is because women's bodies have less water than men's
bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol
becomes more highly concentrated in a woman's body than in a man's. In
other words, it would be like dropping the same amount of alcohol into a
much smaller pail of water. That is why the recommended drinking limit
for women is lower than for men.
Q #16: Is alcohol good
for your heart?
Studies have shown that moderate drinkers--men who have two or less
drinks per day and women who have one or less drinks per day--are less
likely to die from one form of heart disease than are people who do
not drink any alcohol or who drink more. It's believed that these
smaller amounts of alcohol help protect against heart disease by
changing the blood's chemistry, thus reducing the risk of blood clots in
the heart's arteries.
