Most likely what a person pictures when the term alcoholic is used, the chronic severe alcoholic subtype only accounts for about 9 percent of the entire US alcoholic population. A chronic severe alcoholic likely started drinking and struggling with alcohol-related issues and problematic drinking at a young age and is currently middle-aged. This subtype also battles antisocial personality disorder at high rates and regularly has issues with the law and therefore criminal or legal troubles as well. About one-third of young antisocial alcoholics seek treatment for alcohol addiction.
Causes of Alcohol Use Disorder
High levels of liver enzymes that turn up on a blood test for other conditions may raise a red flag. What contributes most to the fat buildup in your liver (alcohol consumption or metabolic risk factors) varies from person to person. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your health care provider or mental health provider.
- Of the five alcoholic subtypes, intermediate familial individuals have the highest employment rates and an average family income of $50,000 yearly.
- Around half suffer from clinical depression and an equal amount come from families with generational alcohol dependency.
- This post discusses five distinct categories of people who suffer from alcoholism.
What should I do if I suspect someone is a chronic severe alcoholic?
- In 2013, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that of those who needed treatment and didn’t receive it, approximately 95.5 percent didn’t feel they needed it.
- In addition, their heavy drinking can lead to a range of health problems, including liver disease, heart disease, and even cancer.
- However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) performed a study to categorize different alcoholics to note their similarities.
- But no matter your age, status, family, or subtype, alcoholism can create long-term problems that damage your health and relationships.
- You’ll experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and flushing whenever you drink alcohol when on the medication.
This additional substance abuse is noted as co-occurring substance dependence, which can be caused by alcoholism or go on to cause alcoholism. The type of alcoholic can also be determined by any additional mental health diagnoses. Around 19% of U.S. adults who struggle with alcohol addiction fall into this category, in which about half of people come from families with a multigenerational history of alcohol use disorder. Nearly half of people in this category have clinical depression, and around one-fifth have bipolar disorder. This group has the lowest levels of education, employment, and income of any group.
Alcoholism Stages and Subtypes: What You Need To Know
About 27 percent of intermediate familial alcoholics have ever sought help for their drinking. When they do seek help, most go to self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, detox programs, and private healthcare providers. Nearly half of intermediate familial alcoholics (47 percent) suffer from depression, and other mental health conditions are also fairly common. Examples may include anxiety, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). About half of functional alcoholics are married, 62 percent work full-time, and 26 percent have a college degree.
This group tends to start drinking at a young age (around 15) but typically develops an alcohol dependence at an intermediate age (around 29). Seventy-seven percent of this group have close family members with alcoholism, the highest percentage of any subtype. And 47% of the members of this group exhibit antisocial personality disorder, the second highest rate of any subtype. This subtype is the most likely of any to experience major 5 types of alcoholics depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and panic disorder. This group also is very likely to experience addiction to cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, and opioids. Babor and colleagues (1992) based their typology on the assumption that the heterogeneity among alcoholics is attributable to a complex interaction among genetic, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Young Antisocial Alcoholics
Alcohol is one of the most widely used addictive substances in the U.S., with 84% of adults aged 18 and older having tried it in their lifetimes. People in this category-type typically start drinking during their late teens – age 17 and onwards but, develop a dependency on alcohol by the time they reach their 30’s. Speaking about the moderate levels of alcohol intake, drinking alone from time to time cannot serve as the sign of alcoholism. Unfortunately, less than 10% of those adults with negative drinking patterns or who were alcohol-dependent received professional support for different stages of alcoholism in 2015.
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