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Between 40 to 60 percent of people who've been treated for addiction or alcoholism relapse within a year, according to a 2014 study in JAMA. ... Rather than self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, ...
[4] [6] This person "may be the only [one] clearly seen as having a problem" [6] outside of the actual addict/alcoholic. This child (or adult child of the alcoholic) "gets blamed for everything; they have problems at school, exhibit negative behavior, and often develop drug or alcohol problems as a way to act out.
Within the medical and scientific communities, there is a broad consensus regarding alcoholism as a disease state. For example, the American Medical Association considers alcohol a drug and states that "drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite often devastating consequences.
An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle." [62]
The mortality rates for alcohol and illicit drugs were highest in Eastern Europe. [187] Data shows a downward trend of alcohol use among children 15 years old in most European countries between 2002 and 2014. First-time alcohol use before the age of 13 was recorded for 28% of European children in 2014. [34]
Alcohol is the most recreationally used drug internationally; [64] throughout history it has played a variety of roles, from medicine to a mood enhancer. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse, however, have undergone rigorous examination as a disease which has pervasive physiological and biosocial implications.
This study rated alcohol the most harmful drug overall, and the only drug more harmful to others than to the users themselves. [4] Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a set of symptoms that can occur following a reduction in or cessation of alcohol use after a period of excessive use. [1]
[44] Contingency management has been shown to help individuals struggling with addiction reach abstinence with a wide range of addictive drugs (e.g., alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and nicotine). [44] This may explain why drug abusers are at risk for relapse even after long periods of abstinence and despite the potentially devastating consequences.