Different individuals will have different needs when it comes to treatment for alcohol use disorder. Treatment might involve a residential inpatient stay, a brief intervention, an outpatient program, or individual or group counseling. The main treatment goal is always the same, though, which is working towards stopping the use of alcohol in order to improve one’s quality of life. There are behavioral symptoms, mental health symptoms, and physical health symptoms that can result from alcohol use disorder. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior.

Many people have a stereotypical image of someone labeled as an alcoholic, but new alcoholism research from the NIAAA has laid that notion to rest by proving that not all alcoholics are the same. These are people who are young adults and may have antisocial personality disorders. However, not everyone who binge drinks meets the criteria for alcohol use disorder. Understanding the types of alcoholics first relies on having an understanding of alcohol use disorder (AUD). While research has depicted seven types of alcoholics, we will discuss five types of alcoholics based on what we know about addiction at this time. Researchers found that they have the highest rates of employment among alcoholics, with 68% working full-time and an average family income of nearly $50,000 a year.

The Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal

Medically-supervised withdrawal, evidence-based treatment, behavioral therapy, support groups, and plans for life after treatment can all aid a person who is looking to recover from alcohol addiction. Antisocial personality disorder https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-alcoholic-types-in-alcoholism/ commonly co-occurs with alcohol abuse, as alcohol can lower social inhibitions and anxiety, and make a person feel more relaxed. Drinking may then be used as a method of self-medicating the personality disorder symptoms.

The DSM-5 classification of AUD helps in identifying and diagnosing individuals with AUD and enables the appropriate treatment and support to manage the disorder. There’s some drug use within this group as well, with marijuana or cocaine abused by many of the group’s members. Eventually, about 25 percent of the members of this group will seek help for their alcoholism.

Functional alcoholics

They have an average age of 38 years, began drinking at almost age 17, and developed alcohol dependence at an average age of 32 years. Intermediate familial alcoholics drink on an average of 172 days a year, consuming five or more drinks on 54% of those days with a maximum of 10 drinks. The largest percentage of alcoholics fall into this group, as NIAAA publishes that 31.5 percent of all alcoholics in the United States fit this subtype. This group is typically in their late teens or early 20s, and either just of legal drinking age or slightly younger. Many young adult alcoholics are likely college students who are away from home for the first time, and who are surrounded by a culture that promotes and encourages excessive social drinking. Around 50 percent of young antisocial drinkers carry a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder [2].

About 77 percent of chronic severe alcoholics have family members with alcohol dependency. Of the five types of alcoholics discovered in the study, they have the lowest education levels and employment rates of all. They are also likely to be regular smokers and use other substances, including marijuana, cocaine, and opioids. Nearly half of intermediate familial alcoholics (47 percent) suffer from depression, and other mental health conditions are also fairly common. Examples may include anxiety, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The five types of alcoholics include the young adult, the young antisocial, the functional, the intermediate familial, and the chronic severe type.