Alcohol Abuse vs Dependence: Understanding the Key Differences

Health professionals sometimes prescribe medications to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal. Other medications can help you quit drinking by suppressing alcohol cravings or making you feel sick when alcohol enters your body. Essentially, alcohol abuse means that a person has begun to misuse alcohol in a way that interferes with their daily life, but in the short term. Though they may drink excessively, it doesn’t follow that they are necessarily dependent. However, alcohol abuse is part of an unhealthy pattern that has room to escalate to dependence. Support groups offer peer-based recovery support for alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms

We want to see and get to know the entire person behind the addiction to help make recovery possible. Regardless of the characteristics that differentiate drugs from each other, for our immediate purposes, legally, and socially, alcohol Alcohol Use Disorder and other drugs form two distinct groups. If you or someone you know is exhibiting these signs, it is important to seek professional help to address the underlying issues and begin the journey towards recovery. Although it is best to consult with a medical professional for expert advice, you can do a quick self-check.

What is the Difference Between Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse?

Of course, these categories offer only guidelines, not hard-and-fast criteria. Other factors, like height and weight, can also have an impact on how alcohol affects you. If you’re ready to take the first step toward a healthier, alcohol-free life, contact Ardu Recovery Center today. Alcohol has immense power over your thoughts and behaviors once addiction sets in. Any number of symptoms is concerning and indicates treatment for alcohol use or abuse is necessary. If your answer is yes to one or what is the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism more of the above questions, it could indicate a problematic pattern of drinking.

If you or someone you love answers yes to any of these questions, the best thing to do is to get help. NIAAA established criteria defining people who are unlikely to develop an Alcohol Use Disorder. People who remain within these limits practice what is also referred to as “low-risk drinking.” For men, this limits you to no more than 4 drinks in a day or no more than 14 drinks per week. If you are a woman, you are limited to no more than 3 drinks in a day or 7 drinks per week. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines heavy drinking for their annual survey.

• People who abuse alcohol but do not have alcoholism can often quit drinking on their own.
• This refers to the craving for the endless “just one more” drink after taking the first one.
• Individuals with alcohol use disorder need professional help to overcome their condition.
• Unlike dependence, which involves physical cravings and a compulsion to drink, alcohol abuse typically centers around risky behaviors and poor decision-making related to alcohol use.
• Key symptoms of alcoholism include a strong craving for alcohol, a lack of control over alcohol intake, and physical dependence, which leads to withdrawal symptoms when not drinking.

Seeking Treatment? We Can Help!

People with alcohol abuse problems may be able to stop drinking on their own, while those with alcoholism will need professional help to quit. At Orlando Recovery Center Drug and Alcohol Rehab, we offer many alcohol addiction treatment options led by train medical professionals. Our levels of care include medical detox, inpatient rehabilitation and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). No matter where you are in your recovery journey, our team will be there every step of the way. Alcoholism, a chronic disease characterized by a loss of control over drinking and changes in brain regions, necessitates comprehensive treatment approaches. Recent advancements in understanding the molecular targets for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have led to the development of innovative pharmacological treatments.

Excessive alcohol use is a leading preventable cause of death in the United States and contributes substantially to societal costs. A person struggling with alcohol abuse would find that drinking, and even being sick from drinking, would prevent them from taking care of their home and family. Those who abuse alcohol might find themselves getting into harmful situations while, during, or after drinking, like swimming, driving, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex. They continue to drink, even if the behavior is causing trouble with friends and family. Treatment for both alcohol abuse and alcoholism includes approaches like therapies, medications, and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are common options. As alcohol abuse and alcoholism differ, so do the right treatment options for people with these conditions.

In summary, the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism lies in the severity of effects from drinking. Alcohol abuse involves recurring problems due to drinking while alcoholism is an addiction where people become physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol and cannot control their consumption. AUD exists on a spectrum that ranges from mild to severe, while alcoholism has often been used to describe alcohol dependence in more black-and-white terms. Alcohol dependence, on the other hand, typically develops over time from repeated alcohol abuse, with genetic, biological, and mental health factors playing a larger role. Alcohol dependence is also known by many other terms like alcoholism or alcohol addiction.

• According to the DSM-IV, alcohol abuse is when drinking begins to interfere with a person’s normal life.
• For those with severe alcohol use disorder, residential treatment programs offer an immersive environment with access to medical and psychological support.
• Experts typically define binge drinking by the number of standard drinks you consume in a single period of 2 hours or less.

With time, this means they increase the overall amount they drink in each instance and over a period. A person with alcoholism may drink every day, multiple times a day, start their day with alcohol, end it with alcohol, and may not be able to go a day without drinking. Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol abuse in which a person quickly consumes a lot of alcohol.

• It can also lead to a condition known as alcoholic cardiomyopathy, where the walls of the heart become weak or thicken due to long-term alcohol abuse.
• Any of these signs can signal that you’re drunk or what’s officially called “acute alcohol intoxication.” They usually wear off in a few hours after you stop drinking.
• There are also many online resources and books to guide you through the recovery process.

What is the Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependence?

After drinking, you’ll become less responsible, less agreeable, and less able to think clearly. You’re also more likely to experience negative consequences, such as being arrested, when you drink alcohol. Half of those are due to heavy drinking, while the other half result from accidents caused by drinking. Treatment for AUD can differ from person to person but sometimes starts with detoxification (detox). For anywhere from 2 days to a week, a doctor keeps a close eye on you while alcohol fully leaves your system.

Mental health professionals use it nationwide to categorize and diagnose individuals seeking treatment. Becoming cognitively impaired from excessive drinking of alcohol can lead to risky behaviors that can result in injury or death of an affected person or of others. Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.

Risk Factors for Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse involves problematic drinking behaviors but does not necessarily indicate a loss of control over drinking. Alcoholism, however, involves a loss of control and an inability to stop drinking despite efforts to do so. Medical providers can test for alcohol biomarkers, which are signs of alcohol exposure or ingestion.