Alcoholism

Alcoholism is the medical term used to describe the pathological lesions that occur in the body as a result of alcohol consumption during long periods of time.

Here are some definitions of the term "alcoholism", which will help us determine the extent of this disease:

- Keller (1960), "chronic disease manifested by repeated drinking habit so that it appears that the drinker is harmed their health and social and economic functioning."

- Jellineck (1960): "Any use of alcoholic beverages that causes any harm to the individual, society, or both."

- WHO (1952): "Alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has reached such a degree that present notable interference with mental or physical or mental health, their interpersonal relationships and social functioning economic, or have clear signs the tendency to turn to such symptoms. It is for this reason that these people need treatment. "

- The diagnostic manual (DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, ICD-10): Distinguish between the drinker and the drunkard who abuses alcohol dependent. This is based on specific criteria.

The World Health Organization believes that those excessive drinkers are alcoholics whose alcohol dependence has caused material injury to the mental or physical health, functioning in social, occupational and economic development, these people requiring treatment.

Thus, alcoholism is caused by overeating, habitual alcohol or intermittent, for their continued use becomes habit-forming in the person consuming it, either physical or psychological in nature and is manifested clinically by physical, psychological or social. It is a chronic and progressive disease.

Alcoholism is one of the most serious diseases that a person can suffer, and their condition one of the most important of Medicine.

There are also in it each and every one of the features of any disease, as there is an agent that produces it (alcohol), the mechanism by which the agent acts or causes (learning, tolerance and dependence), altered organ function (intoxication and malnutrition due to displacement of substances essential for nutrition, especially vitamins), symptomatology (Clinic: with impaired physical and mental health. Exploratory: using analytical, radiology, etc..), an evolutionary process (to the addiction and death or to rehabilitation through abstinence) and Epidemiology (exists throughout history a reported incidence in the population and now we are in an endemic situation).

On the other hand, the action against the disease alcoholic / a is identical to that would be done in general terms to any disease:

- A diagnosis .- A forecast .- A treatment: detoxification, detoxification and treatment of appetite .- A rehabilitation .- A maturational reorganization of the personality, through psychotherapy, mainly in groups .- An individual's social reintegration.

Edward and Gross (1976) listed the following symptoms to conceptualize, what they called "alcohol dependence syndrome":

1. Psychobiological symptoms: tolerance, withdrawal and reinstatement of the syndrome after returning beber.2. Behavioral symptoms: Represented by a decrease bebida.3 patterns. Subjective symptoms or equivalent to "psychological dependence": Difficulty in controlling drinking, and the desire to drink alcohol becomes the focus of the subject's life.

The definition of alcoholism (DSM54-III-R, DSM-IV and ICD-1056 APA55 WHO) is determined by the distinction between "abuse" and "dependence" of alcohol.