Chronic severe alcoholics abuse other drugs at higher rates than the other subtypes of alcoholics as well. Alcohol is often implicated in exacerbating aggression, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) publishes that 40 percent of all violent crimes cite alcohol as a contributing factor. Chronic severe alcoholics suffer from psychiatric disorders more often than other subtypes of alcoholics, including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. More than 50 percent of young antisocial alcoholics have a psychiatric diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, a mental condition characterized by antagonism and a callous disregard of others and the law.
Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). It would seem logical to begin a discussion of the history of typology with E.M. Jellinek’s classic work on the different Building Alcohol Tolerance “species” of alcoholism (1960a, b), which is widely considered to be the first scientific alcoholism typology. Moreover, by studying the evolution of alcoholism typologies, current researchers can place Jellinek’s ideas and subsequent thinking into a broader perspective.
Alcoholics Resource Center
“Subtypes of Alcohol Dependence in a Nati[…]presentative Sample.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2007. However, certain food groups also have benefits when it comes to helping with the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification.
The researchers applied the survey's findings to the U.S. population. They estimate that in the year before the study, nearly 8 million people in the U.S. met the standard for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Alcoholism and its adverse impact on individuals, families, and society is fueling a need for health educators who can create effective national and global health education programs. An MS in Health Education and Promotion from Walden University can help provide the skills you need to create comprehensive alcohol-related awareness, education, and prevention strategies for individuals and communities. More than 75 percent of this group also battles addiction to other substances too, including drugs like nicotine, marijuana, cocaine and opioids.
Treatment For Alcoholism
Proper treatment can help overcome these issues and offer those with an alcohol addiction live a happier and healthier life for many more years. This group has a high rate of co-occurring mental illness, with roughly half of them coping with clinical depression and 20 percent with bipolar disorder. The Functional Alcoholic Subtype group makes up 19.5 percent of alcoholics in the country. People in this subtype are sometimes referred to as a “high functioning alcoholic,” or a “working alcoholic” because they are able to conceal their illness.
Of all subtypes, the functional subtype is the least likely to have legal problems; they are the least likely to report problems due to their drinking. They have the highest education levels and incomes of all types of alcoholics. These are people that may seem to have their lives together; they may be the ones that others look up to. However, while they are “functional” in a sense, they are still suffering from addiction. Less than 20% of this subgroup has sought help, and most do so from a 12-Step program or a private health care professional.
Types of Alcoholics
Sub-categories are important and reveal a true representation of alcoholism and negative drinking patterns within the U.S. Alcoholic characteristics of those in this category include struggles with other addictions, such as those to https://accountingcoaching.online/alcoholism-anger-management-mental-health/ cigarettes, marijuana or even cocaine. Many have a higher level of education, but not as high as those in the functional subtype. The majority have full-time jobs, yet their income is lower than those in the functional subtype.
- When individuals who fit the profile for chronic severe alcoholism enter treatment, they generally present with a multitude of co-occurring disorders.
- But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions.
- However, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), there are five types of alcoholics.
