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Alcohol

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What Is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence," is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as getting suspended or expelled from school, or getting into trouble with the law. It includes four symptoms:


  1. Craving: A strong need to drink.

  2. Impaired Control: The inability to limit or control your drinking on a particular occasion.

  3. Physical Dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.

  4. Tolerance: The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effects.




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Woman drinking alone
Sources:

Below are links PAMF accessed when researching this topic. PAMF, however, does not sponsor or endorse any of these sites, nor does PAMF guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on them.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Accessed November 2007.

Alcoholics Anonymous. Accessed November 2007.

More information on teen alcohol abuse

Last reviewed: November 2007
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