Young antisocial types have the highest rate of other substance abuse disorders, whether it be cigarettes, cannabis, opioids, cocaine or meth. This subtype has the lowest levels of income, education and employment. They also binge drink far more than any other group, but less frequently. Chronic severe alcoholics include the highest percentage of people struggling with co-occurring psychiatric disorders and other substance abuse issues. This group also experiences the highest alcohol-related emergency room visits, work and social problems, and withdrawal.
- The young antisocial alcoholic subtype starts drinking at 15 and develops an AUD around 18.
- They estimate that in the year before the study, nearly 8 million people in the U.S. met the standard for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.
- They are more prone to engage in risky behaviors such as drunk driving, which can lead to legal problems.
- According to a review of the world alcohol literature, 39 classifications of alcoholics were developed between 1850 and 1941 (Babor and Lauerman 1986).
Most likely what a person pictures when the term alcoholic is used, the chronic severe alcoholic subtype only accounts for about 9 percent of the entire US alcoholic population. A chronic severe alcoholic likely started drinking and struggling with alcohol-related issues and problematic drinking at a young age and is currently middle-aged. This subtype also battles antisocial personality disorder at high rates and regularly has issues with the law and therefore criminal or legal troubles as well. As this review has outlined, throughout the past 150 years, researchers and clinicians have developed numerous typological classifications of alcoholism. These classifications have distinguished alcoholism subtypes based on a multitude of defining characteristics, including drinking patterns, consequences of drinking, personality characteristics, and coexisting psychiatric disorders. As shown in table 2, similar alcoholic subtypes can be categorized within two broad groups, called the Apollonian and Dionysian types, based on recurrent characteristics of the drinkers.
Other NIAAA Sites
Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. If you’re dealing with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and need help to stay sober, reach out to an addiction specialist to help get the treatment you need. Family members and friends can recognize the type of alcoholic by observing their loved one’s behaviors and their impact on relationships.
Thus, it is no coincidence that some of the leading physicians in countries such as France, England, Germany, and the United States devoted considerable attention to studying alcoholism. According to a review of the How to Stop Drinking Out of Boredom: Tips and Advice for a Sober Life in 2023 Lantana Recovery: Addiction Treatment Rehab Center world alcohol literature, 39 classifications of alcoholics were developed between 1850 and 1941 (Babor and Lauerman 1986). Most of these typologies were published by alienists in books and scholarly journals.
There Is Help Available For All Types of Alcoholics
Despite these shortcomings, the early attempts to differentiate and classify alcoholics had a positive influence on the development of alcohol studies. For example, they led to the identification of important defining characteristics of alcoholic subtypes, such as family history, psychopathology, drinking patterns, personality factors, and physical consequences. Finally, they set the stage for the development of more sophisticated https://g-markets.net/sober-living/man-serving-sentence-for-attacking-parents-fails/ theories, such as those developed by Jellinek. This group has attained a higher education level than all groups other than the functional subtype. More hold full-time jobs, but their income skews lower than the functional subtype. This group is unlikely to seek treatment, but individuals who do seek treatment choose self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, detoxification programs, and private health care providers.
- At 31.5 percent, young adults are the largest group of problem drinkers in the country.
- Alcohol impacts brain chemistry, and regular exposure to the mind-altering substance may actually change the way the brain’s circuitry works.
- People with acquired inebriety often have histories of physical disorders, particularly dyspepsia (i.e., indigestion), bad nutrition, and exhaustion from unhygienic living conditions or stressful work environments.
- Instead, antisocial alcoholics drink alone and typically struggle with co-occurring mental health problems.
This group drinks more frequently than any other, although their total alcohol intake is less than the young antisocial subtype. Two-thirds of this subtype have sought help for their alcoholism at some point, making them by far the most likely to have done so. They often seek help at self-help groups, rehabilitation programs, https://g-markets.net/sober-living/how-to-clean-your-system-from-alcohol-in-24-hours/ and detox programs. They have the highest rate of seeking treatment at an inpatient program and also seek out help from private physicians, psychiatrists, and social workers at high rates. But no matter your age, status, family, or subtype, alcoholism can create long-term problems that damage your health and relationships.