For most adults, moderate alcohol
use--no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women
and older people--is relatively harmless. (A "drink"
means one measure of spirits, one glass of wine, or one 350ml
bottle of beer). However, moderate use lies at one end of a
scale that ranges through alcohol abuse to alcohol dependence
on the other end.
• Alcohol abuse is a drinking
pattern that results in significant and recurrent adverse consequences.Alcohol
abusers may fail to fulfill major school, work or family obligations.
They may have drinking-related legal problems, such as repeated
arrests for driving while intoxicated. They may have relationship
problems related to their drinking.
• People with alcoholism--technically
known as alcohol dependence--have lost reliable control of their
alcohol use. It doesn't matter what kind of alcohol someone
drinks or even how much: alcohol-dependent people are often
unable to stop drinking once they start. Alcohol dependence
is characterized by tolerance (the need to drink more to achieve
the same "high") and withdrawal symptoms if drinking
is suddenly stopped. Withdrawal symptoms may include nausea,
sweating, restlessness, irritability, tremors, hallucinations,
and convulsions.
Although severe alcohol problems
get the most public attention, even mild to moderate problems
cause substantial damage to individuals, their families, and
the community.
