Alcoholism is the physical and emotional dependency on the use of alcohol, the removal of which causes physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms. Although two-thirds of American men and one-half of American women drink alcohol, three-fourths of drinkers experience no serious consequences from alcohol use. Amongst those who abuse alcohol, many reduce their drinking without formal treatment after personal reflection about negative consequences.

The physical dependence element develops at different rates for different individuals and effects vary widely. Any human who drinks enough alcohol over enough time will become alcoholic. For some, it takes large quantities and long periods and for others, small quantities and short periods. It is difficult to predict where any given individual may be on that scale. Genetic predisposition to easy development of alcoholism is evidenced in differing proportions in differing ethnic groups.

Symptoms of chronic alcoholism. The main ones include:

• Denying the problem
• Tremors
• Blackouts
• Mood swings upon ingestion
• Protecting supply (many alcoholics can hold a job long after they have lost everything else, including their family)
• A loved one or associate telling the patient they drink too much
• Gulping drinks
• Hiding supply

Brain damage
Researchers have found that patterns of brain damage consistent with alcoholism were detectable among a large number of
subjects in those who drank heavily. In areas of memory, balance and processing speed, heavy drinkers, as a whole, were described as "significantly impaired" compared to the light drinkers.

Only 100 drinks per month were required to create brain damage. At first glance, that may seem like a lot. But it's just three beers, glasses of wine or hard alcohol per day, with a couple of extra drinks thrown in on the weekends. While that may seem high to some of us, it's a level that many people easily reach without disrupting their lives. As one researcher put it, "these people are not in treatment and function relatively well in their communities. But all along, the alcohol is taking a steady toll on the brain." 100 drinks per month defined heavy drinking among men in this study. For women, only 80 drinks per month qualified as heavy.

Quitting
Repeated studies of alcoholics have confirmed that it is almost invariably fear which drives an alcoholic to seek help; fear for his safety, health, or sanity; fear of loss of love, family, home or job. An event ferocious enough, frightening enough, appalling enough, or humiliating enough happens to breech his denial system. But the defenses of the mind are like those of the body; they rush to wall off, to localize and repair damage. No sooner has the alcoholic faced the magnitude and malignancy of his drinking problem than the denial begins to build again and he begins to temporize.

As paradoxical as it seems, therefore, the first phase in any treatment approach to the alcoholic, even the alcoholic who has specifically presented himself to obtain help with his drinking problem, must center on his being confronted with the inescapable fact of his alcoholism. He must be repeatedly reminded he is an alcoholic, that he is no different from other alcoholics in his vulnerability to alcohol, and that his feelings of imperviousness to relapse are not justified. Even with persistent confrontations, it may take 3-6 months before the alcoholic's efforts to rebuild his denial system taper off, and this will be the time of greatest danger that he will drop back out of treatment.

The recovery rate is often poor even among people who seek help. Alcoholics Anonymous, made up of recovering alcoholics, is as successful as any treatment program and there is no fee.

When anxiety is a factor promoting the consumption of alcohol, a condition called Pyroluria should be investigated. As many as one-third to one-half of alcoholics have this genetic chemical imbalance.