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Alcohol Dependence vs Alcohol Abuse: Understanding the Differences

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If you or someone you love is struggling with an alcohol use disorder, the Orlando Recovery Center can help. Contact us today to begin the admissions process and start your recovery journey. Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Admitting a loved one has a problem with alcohol can be painful for the whole family, not just the person drinking.

With alcoholism, a significant symptom is a buildup of tolerance. There is no ceiling, meaning the tolerance will just continue to grow. These symptoms can also vary from person to person in level of severity. Not everyone Patients of sober living centers are often last to know about closures who is an alcoholic will have physical withdrawal symptoms. However, if drinking has negatively affected a person’s life often enough to become a consistent problem, you or a loved one may be suffering from alcohol abuse.

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There is help and support available for both you and your loved one. Binge drinking is defined as drinking so much that your blood alcohol level reaches the legal limit of intoxication within a couple of hours. For men, that means consuming five or more drinks within about two hours, and for women, four or more drinks within a similar period. These levels can be easy to hit if you sink shots, play drinking games, drink cocktails containing multiple servings of alcohol, or otherwise lose track of your intake. In severe cases, withdrawal from alcohol can also involve hallucinations, confusion, seizures, fever, and agitation. These symptoms can be dangerous, so talk to your doctor if you are a heavy drinker and want to quit.

That doesn’t mean you’ll absolutely develop AUD if you have a family member living with the condition. You may have a higher genetic predisposition, but the underlying causes of AUD are multifaceted and complex. Your genetics can influence how likely you are to develop AUD, but there’s currently no evidence of a specific gene that directly causes AUD once you start drinking. Many factors are involved in the development of AUD, but having a relative, or relatives, living with AUD may account for almost one-half of your individual risk.

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Treatment typically begins with a medical detox program, which can provide support and medication to patients as they withdraw from alcohol. Attempting to withdraw on your own without a detox program can be dangerous, as alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be fatal in some cases. While AUD does involve alcohol abuse, not everyone who abuses alcohol has an alcohol use disorder. The difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism is that someone with an AUD has a chronic medical condition and has lost control of their drinking. Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, is an action; it does not necessarily mean that someone is unable to stop drinking. While drinking in moderation is generally considered acceptable, the unfortunate reality is that some people may abuse alcohol and develop addiction and dependence.

We have helped thousands get sober and lead a life free from addiction. If someone has been binge drinking and is an unconscious or semiconscious state, their breathing is slow, their skin clammy, and there’s a powerful odor of alcohol, they may have alcohol poisoning. Do you have to drink a lot more than you used to in order to get buzzed or to feel relaxed? These are signs of tolerance, which can be an early warning sign of alcoholism.

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Join our robust training programs led by nationally known healthcare leaders. Our contributions to medical research and education lead to better healthcare outcomes. Each person is unique and will respond to different types of interventions, but recovery is real, and it is possible. You find yourself needing to drink larger quantities of alcohol to get the same mind-altering effects.

  • Individuals with alcoholism have many of the symptoms listed in the DSM-V criteria.
  • So, you don’t have to wait until alcohol use feels uncontrollable before reaching out for help.
  • Alcohol rehab is often the only way that an individual who’s struggling with addiction can get help.

Today, they have been combined and are known as alcohol use disorder. While no longer separate diagnoses, it can be helpful to understand the differences between the two. “Dependence” refers to being unable to stop drinking without experiencing withdrawal symptoms while “abuse” refers to continuing to consume alcohol despite adverse consequences. Those with moderate to severe alcohol use disorders generally require outside help to stop drinking.

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However, someone who only meets the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse would not necessarily qualify for a diagnosis of alcohol addiction (alcohol dependence). The criteria for alcohol abuse are purposely rather liberal in order to identify individuals whose alcohol use is leading to negative effects. There are four major categories of abuse as listed above; https://accountingcoaching.online/tips-for-treating-and-living-with-essential-tremor/ however, the number of ways that these four categories can relate to actual life experiences is quite numerous. Thus, even someone who repeatedly gets intoxicated on weekends and drives home would satisfy the criteria for alcohol abuse. A person who repeatedly gets intoxicated and argues with a partner repeatedly would satisfy the criteria for alcohol abuse.

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