<aside>
📌 The brain is a delicate and intricate organ that must maintain a careful balance of chemicals, called neurotransmitters, for a person to function properly. Alcohol intoxication can disrupt this fine balance, disturbing the brain’s natural equilibrium and long-term, chronic use forces a person’s brain to adapt in an effort to compensate for the effects of alcohol.
</aside>
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/mental-effects
- Alcohol abuse means you are using this substance in a dangerous manner, and it is causing problems in your life. Even though you are abusing this substance, you have not yet become physically or psychologically addicted.
- Binge drinking refers to a dangerous pattern of drinking where the individual regularly drinks more than the recommended alcohol intake in one session. This type of behaviour is very common in the UK.
- Substance abuse is a generic term for alcohol or drug abuse.
- Alcohol addiction usually refers to a physical dependence on alcohol, although it often includes psychological addiction.
- Alcoholism refers to a situation where the individual is physically and mentally addicted to alcohol. Some people prefer not to use the word ‘alcoholism’ because it is associated with a particular approach to recovery, so alcohol addiction can be used interchangeably with alcoholism.
- Problem drinking can refer to alcoholism or alcohol addiction, but it is mostly used when describing binge drinking, alcohol abuse, or underage drinking.
Until the publication of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), substance issues were generally divided into abuse and dependence. The DSM-5 combines these categories into a single substance use disorder, measured on a continuum from mild to severe.
Who is an alcohol abuser?
Alcohol abusers can be defined as those who continue to drink despite recurrent social, interpersonal, health, and legal problems as a result of their alcohol use.
Who Is Alcohol Dependent?
People who are alcohol-dependent exhibit some or all of the following characteristics.1
- Alcohol tolerance: Needing to drink increasing amounts over time to achieve previous effects. For example, you used to drink three cocktails every night, but now you need five to get the feeling you're looking for.