Alcohol Dependence and Abuse - Symptoms

For most adults, moderate alcohol use is not harmful. However, nearly 1.5 million adults in Australia are alcoholics or have alcohol problems.

Alcoholism is a disease with four main features:

• Craving - a strong need to drink
• Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've begun
• Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating or shakiness after stopping drinking
• Tolerance - the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get “high”

Signs of physical dependence include:

• Alcohol-related illnesses
• A need for increasing amounts of alcohol to get drunk or achieve the desired effect (tolerance)
• Memory lapses (blackouts) after heavy drinking
• Withdrawal symptoms when alcohol use is stopped

Some of the symptoms and behaviors of alcoholism include:

• Continuing to drink, even when health, work, or family are being harmed
• Drinking alone
• Episodes of violence when drinking
• Hostility when confronted about drinking
• Lack of control over drinking - being unable to stop or reduce alcohol intake
• Making excuses to drink
• Missing work or school, or a decrease in performance
• No longer taking part in activities because of alcohol
• Need for daily or regular alcohol use to function
• Neglecting to eat
• Not caring for physical appearance
• Secretive behavior to hide alcohol use
• Shaking in the morning

Physical symptoms of alcohol abuse include:

• Alcoholic liver disease
• Cirrhosis

Alcohol withdrawal develops because the brain adapts to the alcohol and cannot function well without the drug.