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Alcohol Dependency & Abuse According to the American Psychiat

According to the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV-TR, 2000), the abuse of alcohol does not mean that one is necessarily an alcoholic or alcohol dependent; however, in many cases, the pattern of alcohol abuse will lead to alcoholism or alcohol dependency with four primary symptoms. First, there are cravings conceptualized as a strong need or urge to drink alcohol. Second, there is a loss of control which is characterized as difficulty and/or an inability to stop drinking once started.

Third, there is physical dependence such that if alcohol is withdrawn, an individual will experience nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety. Finally, there is a need to drinker greater and greater amounts of alcohol because one's tolerance for the substance increases and it takes greater amount to produce a "high.". While Alcohol Abuse is not always a sign that alcoholism exist, it is almost always a sign of the development of dependency which will then go on to addiction.

Enoch (2003) reports that there does appear to be a genetic component in the abuse of alcohol and alcoholism, the heritability rate being as high as 50 to 60 percent. Moreover, it is noted that the United States' lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence in men is about 20 percent whereas the lifetime dependence in women is about 8 percent. Thus, it is a condition for which men are at greater risk.

Further, alcohol abuse/alcohol dependency/alcoholism is often co-morbid with several other disorders including anxiety, depression and antisocial personality disorder. For example, Jackson and Sher (2003) note that childhood stressors, failure to learn behavior control, and current day stressors can also make it far more likely that someone with a predisposition to alcoholism will abuse alcohol and then go on to become addicted. Similarly , Barlow and Durand (2003) pointed out that hanging out with friends who drink and/or going to places where there is drinking ca...

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Alcohol Dependency & Abuse According to the American Psychiat. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:29, March 19, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703298.html