Alcoholism: Treatments

Treatments for alcoholism are quite varied because there are multiple perspectives for the condition itself. Those who approach alcoholism as a medical condition or disease recommend differing treatments than, for instance, those who approach the condition as one of social choice.

Alcoholism: Epidemiology

Substance use disorders are a major public health problem facing many countries. “The most common substance of abuse/dependence in patients presenting for treatment is alcohol.”[9] In the United Kingdom, the number of ‘dependent drinkers’ was calculated as over 2.8 million in 2001.[10] The World Health Organization estimates that about 140 million people throughout the world suffer from alcohol dependence.

Alcoholism: Etymology

In the United States, use of the word “alcoholism” was largely popularized by the inception and growth of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939. Although lacking a specific definition for alcoholism, AA’s “Big Book” compares alcoholism to an allergy and an illness.