In modern society in general there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding with regard to what an alcoholic actually is. In order to come to a definition of an alcoholic the first step is to find out what a "typical alcoholic" is regarded as being. A US study amongst 1,484 people who complied with criteria for alcohol dependence, carried out by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has resulted in the identification of five subtypes of alcoholics:
- Young Adult alcoholics: Young, but adult drinkers, with a relatively low rate of mental disorders, co-occurring substance abuse, and/or alcoholism within the family.
- Young Antisocial alcoholics: People in their mid-twenties with habitual drinking patterns from early on combined with alcohol problems. More than half of this group comes from families with a history of alcoholism, and approximately half of this group has a psychiatric diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder.
- Functional alcoholics: Usually middle-aged, well-educated alcoholics with stable jobs and families. Approximately a third of this group has a multigenerational family history of alcoholism.
- Intermediate Familial alcoholics: Middle-aged drinkers of whom about 50 percent comes from families with multigenerational alcoholism. Almost half of this group suffer or have suffered from clinical depression, and 20 percent from bipolar disorder.
- Chronic Severe alcoholics: This group are mostly middle-aged individuals who experienced drinking and alcohol-related problems early on in life, with high rates of Antisocial Personality Disorder and criminality. About 80 percent of this group come from families with multigenerational alcoholism.
In all the subtypes we find a relatively large percentage of so-called cross-addiction (simultaneously addicted to, for example cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, etc.). The young adult subtype is not likely to seek any help for their problems and cries for help by the other groups vary.
The most common form of help-seeking for drinking problems are through Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs, but generally speaking we can come to the conclusion that help-seeking remains relatively rare. However, from the five subtypes the Chronic Severe alcoholics are the most prevalent type of alcoholic in treatment, as two-thirds of these alcoholics seek help for their drinking problems.
The study found that the largest group of alcoholics are young adults. Twenty percent are highly functional and more than half do not have a family history of alcoholism. The study was conducted by Howard B. Moss, M.D., NIAAA associate director for clinical and translational research, and a team of researchers.
However, in my opinion, the only meaningful and helpful definition of an alcoholic must include the fact that it is an illness.
Dutch born author and artist Renate van Nijen has herself experienced the complexity of living with an alcohol-addicted partner. The secrecy surrounding alcoholism in society as a whole and the non-acceptance and judgemental comments from family, friends and outsiders that she experienced have driven her to write about the subject of alcoholism and alcohol abuse from an holistic approach. Renate invites you to visit her website where you will find a wealth of helpful information. http://www.renartsbookworld.com/
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