John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Alcohol problems vary in severity from mild to life threatening and affect the individual, the person's family, and society in numerous adverse ways. Despite all of the focus on illegal drugs of abuse such as cocaine, alcohol remains the number one drug problem in the United States. Nearly 18 million adults in the U.S. are dependent on alcohol or have other alcohol-related problems.
In teenagers, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug, and 14% of teens have been intoxicated.
Withdrawal, for those physically dependent on alcohol, is much more dangerous than withdrawal from heroin or other narcotic drugs.
Alcohol abuse refers to excessive or problematic use with one or more of the following:
Failure to fulfill major obligations at work, school, or home
Recurrent use in situations where it is hazardous (such as driving a car or operating machinery)
Legal problems
Continued use of alcohol despite having medical, social, family, or interpersonal problems caused by or worsened by drinking
Alcohol dependence refers to a more serious disorder and involves excessive or maladaptive use leading to
three or more of the following:
Tolerance (need for more to achieve the desired effect, or achieving the effect with greater amounts of alcohol)
Withdrawal symptoms following a reduction or cessation of drinking (such as sweating, rapid pulse, tremors, insomnia,
nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, agitation, shaking, anxiety, or
seizures) or using alcohol to avoid withdrawal symptoms (for example, early morning drinking or drinking throughout the day)
Drinking more alcohol or drinking over a longer period of time than intended (loss of control)
Inability to cut down or stop
Spending a great deal of time drinking or recovering from its effects
Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities
Continuing to drink despite knowing alcohol use has caused or worsened problems
Binge drinking (consuming several drinks over a short period of time)
AddictionAddiction is possible whenever ingesting a substance causes the basic pleasure and reward circuits in the brain to activate. Addiction is an illness that requir...learn more >>
Alcohol intoxication is defined as when the quantity of alcohol the person
consumes produces behavioral or physical abnormalities. Alcohol is the generic
...learn more >>
CirrhosisCirrhosis is a chronic (ongoing, long-term) disease of the liver. It means damage to the normal liver tissue that keeps this important organ from working as it ...learn more >>
You cannot quit drinking or control how much you drink.
You need to drink more to get the same effect.
You have withdrawal symptomswhen you stop drinking. These include feeling sick to your stomach, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety.
You spend a lot of time drinking and recovering.
You have given up other activities so you can drink.
You keep drinking even though it harms your relationships and causes health problems.
Other signs include:
You drink in the morning, are often drunk for long periods of time, or drink alone.
You change what you drink, such as switching from beer to wine because you think that doing this will help you drink less or keep you from getting drunk.
You feel guilty after drinking.
You make excuses for your drinking or do things to hide your drinking, such as buying alcohol at different stores.
You worry that you won't get enough alcohol for an evening or weekend.
You have physical signs of alcohol dependence, such as weight loss, a sore or upset stomach (gastritis), or redness of the nose and cheeks.
