what is the difference between abuse and dependence in alcohol?
141437
Alcohol abuse is described as any "harmful use" of alcohol.\nThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV describes alcohol abusers as those who drink despite recurrent social, interpersonal, and legal problems as a result of alcohol use. Harmful use implies alcohol use that causes either physical or mental damage.\n\nThose who are alcohol dependent meet all of the criteria of alcohol abuse, but the will also exhibit some or all of the following:\n\n\nNarrowing of the drinking repertoire (drinking only one brand or type of alcoholic beverage).\n\n\nDrink-seeking behavior (only going to social events that will include drinking, or only hanging out with others who drink).\n\n\nAlcohol tolerance (having to drink increasing amounts to achieve previous effects).\n\n\nWithdrawal symptoms (getting physical symptoms after going a short period without drinking).\n\n\nDrinking to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms (such as drinking to stop the shakes or to "cure" a hangover).\n\n\nSubjective awareness of the compulsion to drink or craving for alcohol (whether they admit it to others or not).\n\n\nA return to drinking after a period of abstinence (deciding to quit drinking and not being able to follow through).\nTypically, those drinkers who are diagnosed as only alcohol abusers can be helped with a brief intervention, including education concerning the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol poisoning.\nThose who have become alcohol dependent generally require outside help to stop drinking, which could include detoxification, medical treatment, counseling and/or self-help group support.
404455
a lot of times an alcoholic can suffer from depression and will resort to alcohol as means to escape their depression. only a psycologist can actually determine if the person has depression and what may cause it.
248543
An addiction is a disease.  Obsession is a preferance, a want but not something your mind and body believes it can't live without and actually physically pains you not to have.
196248
Drinking doesn't directly cause harm to anyone else. True, over indulgence can cause people to make irrational decisions which can be harmful or even deadly, but smoking is ALWAYS dangerous. I have had breathing issues since I was a baby and being around cigarette smoke greatly aggravates that. It's not fair for other peoples health to be constantly compromised because of other's addictions.
289869
I don't have any percentages on the subject, but I know that a lot of times alcoholism is actually the secondary addiction to cover up other addictions. A large number of people use alcohol to cover up problems and since in most cases alcohol is so "socially" acceptable, it can very easily go hand in hand with other drugs like marijuana, smoking, cocaine, etc.
757768
Why are you still there?  Verbal abuse is just as damaging as physical, maybe more because the wounds never truly heal.  First if you know you have a drinking problem, get help.  No doubt in my mind you are numbing yourself to the abuse, drinking to make it thru each day.  The problem is you're giving him a reason to belittle you and your kids are going to turn on you as well.  Drinking brings nothing but heart ache in the long term.  There are good counselors and idiots as well, remember they are just human beings with crap in their lives as well.  The guy was obviously screwed up to generalize abuse.  The worse part of this entire situation is the setting up of your children to think this is what relationships are....abusive and tragic.  They will look for the same and get the same.  Help yourself so you can help your kids.
964674
My father died of alcoholism at 44, his liver gave out while he was homeless lying in a park sleeping. Very sad. My mother is in AA. My brother is 14 and already seems to have symptoms of alcohol abuse, drinks alone etc.There are other alkies in my family as well but they seem to function. I went through the whole alcohol abuse when I was a teenage, drank by myself all the time drank to drunkeness earned a reputation of an alky. But now that I am 25 I have a beer or two mabye every two or three weeks sometimes longer and dont miss it at all. When I have those beers I drink them over a course of a few hours and never get drunk. I think that it runs in my family but I dont believe I am an alcoholic because other things in my life are much more important and I find other ways to deal wth my issues. I wnat my daughter growing up not seeing me drunk and not thinking its ok so that to me is enough to keep me free from getting drunk for a long long time.
30119
Alcohol is a sedative drug. It is a CNS depressant that paradoxically seems to act as a stimulant by depressing the levels of judgement -- even to being able to tell how tired we are.\n\nThis sedating effect, reducing anxieties and inducing relaxation when taken in small quantities, has been valuable throughout the history of Western civilization. Problems occur when it is responded to with "if a little is good, a lot is better" outlook.\n\nWikipedia:\n"Note that many sedative agents are cross-tolerant with alcohol (meaning that these agents can be taken instead of alcohol to relieve withdrawal symptoms or to maintain the level of sedation provided by alcohol). A more general diagnosis than alcohol dependence is that of sedative dependence. Whether an individual uses alcohol or another sedative, if they meet the criteria above, the process is likely the same." (1)\n\nTranquilizer, drug, and alcohol comparison:\n"Minor tranquilizers seem to have direct depressant effects on brain areas that regulate wakefulness and alertness, very similar in effect to alcohol and sedative barbiturates. They enhance the action of receptors that inhibit central nervous system stimulation, and conversely, inhibit the action of receptors that stimulate the nervous system." (2)
738032
I just wish somebody would define "sin".  The Bible does advise us against drinking too much - but is it a sin or just a really bad idea?  Of course, anything you do to hurt somebody else while intoxicated is wrong.  We do tend to hurt others when we drink too much, so I think that drinking too much leads to "sinning".  Perhaps drinking isn't wrong in itself, but drinking when you know that it has lead you to hurt others in the past is wrong.
819024
Binge drinking is the worse kind of drinking for your liver.  The damage may be reversible but If I were you I would stay off the alcohol.
792020
i agree.\nthere are plenty of nasty illegal drugs, that people abuse and put added strain on the health services, \njust because alcohol is legal, it doesn't stop it being as destructive and an equally abused drug.\n\ni heard the other day that alcohol will b getting health-warnings, but the alcohol companies r busy finding ways 2 stop it.\n\ni'd rather b trapped in a lift with some1 with a bad case of tourettes than an alcoholic!
221435
You can be born with the gene of being an addict...it is hereditary. YOu may not necessarily become an alcholic, but may be a drug addict, food addict, etc.
333054
dictionary.com says manifestation means the "presence of something", and addiction officially is defined as "Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance", so manifestation of an addiction means that there is a presence in someone of a compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance such as drugs or alcohol.
1126830
With long alcohol abuse they will have broken blood vessels looking like tiny red veins in their face, sometimes a bulbous nose.  a true alcoholic detests sweets of any kind.  Some have a swollen midsection even though they rarely eat.
279770
Walk into a room full of Addicts, or Alcloholics.  For every person there, the profile of dependance and addiction will be different. In a room full of 100 of these peope, there will be 100 different forms of disease. There is no such thing as classifying someone as being a "prospective" drug abuser.  \n\nAre there risk factors, yes. Are there genetic pre-dispositions, yes.  Are there personality traits, or disorders that can relate to potential for abuse or addiction, yes.  \n\nCan all of these issues be dealt with successfully, sometimes.  \n\nMy parents are both alcoholics. They also raised three successfull kids, never lied, cheated, stole, allways paid their bills, belong to a church, volunteer, and had very successfull careers.  Some of the greatest minds in history, as well as today, had problems of this nature.  \n\nSometimes the insanity that can come from abuse and a clouded mind leads people to do what we would consider outrageous or unacceptable things.  Those people need help, and have to learn how to be painfully honest with themselves.  It can be done, there is a way.  \n\nIt takes a lot of savy, reading, education, experience, etc, etc, to even begin to understand.  I say this because in reading responses to this question I have already seen how people can talk/act like an expert and in reality be completely ignorant, not realizing how much damage they can do with their words and false information.  \n\nIf you really want to learn more go to an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narotics Anonymous (NA), Alanon, Alateen.
212035
I think the difference is that an alcoholic literally drinks all the time and goes to AA. An alkie always talks about wanting a drink but doesn't drink all the time. They drink every once in a while.Plus alkies don't go to AA because their drinking problem isn't so bad. They would go to AA if they wanted to nip their problem in the bud before it got to serious.\nBut that's just my opinion.
225634
None. They are two different compounds.\n\nIt looks like you want to compare a specific property of the alcohols. Please specify!