Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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.
Symptoms of varying BAC levels. Additional symptoms may occur. The short-term effects of alcohol consumption range from a decrease in anxiety and motor skills and euphoria at lower doses to intoxication (drunkenness), to stupor, unconsciousness, anterograde amnesia (memory "blackouts"), and central nervous system depression at higher doses.
The term "alcoholism" was split into "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence" in 1980's DSM-III, and in 1987's DSM-III-R behavioral symptoms were moved from "abuse" to "dependence". [116] Some scholars suggested that DSM-5 merges alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence into a single new entry, [ 117 ] named "alcohol-use disorder".
A person consuming a dangerous amount of alcohol persistently can develop memory blackouts and idiosyncratic intoxication or pathological drunkenness symptoms. [36] Long-term persistent consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol can cause liver damage and have other deleterious health effects.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal occur primarily in the central nervous system. The severity of withdrawal can vary from mild symptoms such as insomnia, trembling, and anxiety to severe and life-threatening symptoms such as alcoholic hallucinosis, delirium tremens, and autonomic instability.
An addictive behavior is a behavior, or a stimulus related to a behavior (e.g., sex or food), that is both rewarding and reinforcing, and is associated with the development of an addiction. There are two main forms of addiction: substance use disorders (including alcohol, tobacco, drugs and cannabis) and behavioral addiction (including sex ...
Dry drunk is an expression coined by the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous [1] that describes an alcoholic who no longer drinks but otherwise maintains the same behavior patterns of an alcoholic. [ 2 ] A dry drunk can be described as a person who refrains from alcohol or drugs, but still has all the unresolved emotional and psychological issues ...
A protracted withdrawal syndrome can occur with symptoms persisting for months to years after cessation of substance use. Benzodiazepines, opioids, alcohol, and any other drug may induce prolonged withdrawal and have similar effects, with symptoms sometimes persisting for years after cessation of use. Psychosis including severe anxiety and ...