Alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder is when your drinking causes serious problems in your life, yet you keep drinking. You may also need more and more alcohol to feel drunk. Stopping suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms .

Causes

No one knows what causes problems with alcohol. Health experts think that it may be a combination of a person's:

• Genes
• Environment
• Psychology, such as being impulsive or having low self-esteem

Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol can put you at risk for alcohol-related problems if:

• You are a man who has 15 or more drinks a week, or often have 5 or more drinks at a time
• You are a woman who has 8 or more drinks a week, or often have 4 or more drinks at a time

One drink is defined as 12 ounces or 360 milliliters (mL) of beer (5% alcohol content), 5 ounces or 150 mL of wine (12% alcohol content), or a 1.5-ounce or 45-mL shot of liquor (80-proof, or 40% alcohol content).

If you have a parent with alcohol use disorder, you are more at risk for alcohol problems.

You also may be more likely to have problems with alcohol if you:

• Are a young adult under peer pressure
• Have depression, bipolar disorder , anxiety disorders , or schizophrenia

  Bipolar disorder

  Bipolar disorder is a mental condition in which a person has wide or extreme swings in their mood. Periods of feeling sad and depressed may alternat...

  

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  Anxiety disorders

  Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental disorder in which a person is often worried or anxious about many things and finds it hard to control ...

  

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  Schizophrenia

  Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to tell the difference between what is real and not real. It also makes it hard to think clearl...

  

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• Can easily obtain alcohol
• Have low self-esteem
• Have problems with relationships
• Live a stressful lifestyle

If you are concerned about your drinking, it may help to take a careful look at your alcohol use .

Symptoms

Doctors have developed a list of symptoms that a person has to have in the past year to be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder.

Symptoms may include:

• Times when you drink more or longer than you planned to
• Wanted to, or tried to, cut down or stop drinking, but could not
• Spend a lot of time and effort to get alcohol, use it, or recover from its effects
• Crave alcohol or have a strong urge to use it
• Alcohol use is causing you to miss work or school, or you do not perform as well because of drinking
• Continue to drink, even when relationships with family and friends are being harmed
• Stop taking part in activities that you used to enjoy
• While or after drinking, you get into situations that can cause you to get hurt, such as driving, using machinery, or having unsafe sex
• Keep drinking, even though you know it is making a health problem caused by alcohol worse
• Need more and more alcohol to feel its effects or to get drunk
• You get withdrawal symptoms when the effects of alcohol wear off

Exams and Tests

Your health care provider will:

• Examine you
• Ask about your medical and family history
• Ask about your alcohol use, and if you have any of the symptoms listed above

Your provider may order tests to check for health problems that are common in people who use alcohol. These tests may include:

• Blood alcohol level (this shows if you have recently been drinking alcohol. It does not diagnose alcohol use disorder.)
• Complete blood count

  Complete blood count

  A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:The number of red blood cells (RBC count)The number of white blood cells (WBC count)The tota...

  

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• Liver function tests

  Liver function tests

  Liver function tests are common tests that are used to see how well the liver is working. Tests include:AlbuminAlpha-1 antitrypsin Alkaline phosph...

  

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• Magnesium blood test

  Magnesium blood test

  A serum magnesium test measures the level of magnesium in the blood.

  

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Treatment

Many people with an alcohol problem need to completely stop using alcohol. This is called abstinence. Having strong social and family support can help make it easier to quit drinking.

Some people are able to just cut back on their drinking. So even if you do not give up alcohol altogether, you may be able to drink less . This can improve your health and relationships with others. It can also help you perform better at work or school.

However, many people who drink too much find they can't just cut back. Abstinence may be the only way to manage a drinking problem.

DECIDING TO QUIT

Like many people with an alcohol problem, you may not recognize that your drinking has gotten out of  hand. An important first step is to be aware of how much you drink . It also helps to understand the health risks of alcohol .

If you decide to quit drinking , talk with your provider. Treatment involves helping you realize how much your alcohol use is harming your life and the lives those around you.

Depending on how much and how long you have been drinking, you may be at risk for alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal can be very uncomfortable and even life threatening. If you have been drinking a lot, you should cut back or stop drinking only under the care of a doctor. Talk with your provider about how to stop using alcohol.

LONG-TERM SUPPORT

Alcohol recovery or support programs can help you stop drinking completely. These programs usually offer:

• Education about alcohol use and its effects
• Counseling and therapy to discuss how to control your thoughts and behaviors
• Physical health care

For the best chance of success, you should live with people who support your efforts to avoid alcohol. Some programs offer housing options for people with alcohol problems. Depending on your needs and the programs that are available:

• You may be treated in a special recovery center (inpatient)
• You may attend a program while you live at home (outpatient)

You may be prescribed medicines to help you quit. They are often used with long-term counseling or support groups. These medicines make it less likely that you will drink again or help limit the amount you drink.

Drinking may mask depression or other mood or anxiety disorders. If you have a mood disorder, it may become more noticeable when you stop drinking. Your provider will treat any mental disorders in addition to your alcohol treatment.

Support Groups

Support groups help many people who are dealing with alcohol use.

Support groups

The following organizations are good resources for information on alcoholism:Alcoholics Anonymous -- www. aa. orgAl-Anon Family Groups www. al-anon. ...

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Outlook (Prognosis)

How well a person does depends on whether they can successfully cut back or stop drinking.

It may take several tries to stop drinking for good. If you are struggling to quit, do not give up hope. Getting treatment, if needed, along with support and encouragement from support groups and those around you can help you remain sober.

Possible Complications

Alcohol use disorder can increase your risk of many health problems, including:

• Bleeding in the digestive tract
• Brain cell damage
• A brain disorder called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

  Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

  Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a brain disorder due to vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency.

  

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• Cancer of the esophagus, liver, colon, breast and other areas
• Changes in the menstrual cycle
• Delirium tremens (DTs)
• Dementia and memory loss

  Dementia

  Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior.

  

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• Depression and suicide

  Depression

  Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...

  

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• Erectile dysfunction
• Heart damage
• High blood pressure
• Inflammation of the pancreas ( pancreatitis )

  Pancreatitis

  Acute pancreatitis is sudden swelling and inflammation of the pancreas.

  

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• Liver disease, including cirrhosis

  Cirrhosis

  Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver and poor liver function. It is the last stage of chronic liver disease.

  

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• Nerve damage

  Nerve damage

  Alcoholic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that results from excessive drinking of alcohol.

  

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• Poor nutrition
• Sleeping problems (insomnia)
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Alcohol use also increases your risk for violence.

Drinking alcohol while you are pregnant can lead to severe birth defects in the baby. This is called fetal alcohol syndrome .

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is growth, mental, and physical problems that may occur in a baby when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy....

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When to Contact a Medical Professional

Talk with your provider if you or someone you know may have an alcohol problem.

Seek immediate medical care or call your local emergency number (such as 911) if you or someone you know has an alcohol problem and develops severe confusion, seizures, or bleeding.

Prevention

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends:

• Women should not drink more than 1 drink per day
• Men should not drink more than 2 drinks per day