Alcoholism • How it works? Researched 11 times

Alcoholism disorder

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«Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in mental or physical health problems.^[13]^[1]^[3] The disorder was previously divided into two types: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.^[1]^[14] In a medical context, alcoholism is said to exist when two or more of the following conditions are present: a person drinks large amounts of alcohol over a long time period, has difficulty cutting down, acquiring and drinking alcohol takes up a great deal of time, alcohol is strongly desired, usage results in not fulfilling responsibilities, usage results in social problems, usage results in health problems, usage results in risky situations, withdrawal occurs when stopping, and alcohol tolerance has occurred with use.^[1] Alcohol use can affect all parts of the body, but it particularly affects the brain, heart, liver, pancreas and immune system.^[3]^[4] Alcoholism can result in mental illness, Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, irregular heartbeat, an impaired immune response, liver cirrhosis and increased cancer risk.^[3]^[4]^[15] Drinking during pregnancy can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.^[2] Women are generally more sensitive than men to the harmful effects of alcohol, primarily due to their smaller body weight, lower capacity to metabolize alcohol, and higher proportion of body fat.^[10]» (wikipedia)