Alcohol Addiction Treatment Understanding The 5 Types Of Alcoholics

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. Conversely, hereditary causes include constitutional conditions, such as distinct neurotic and psychopathic disorders that often are traceable to ancestors. Habitual inebriety begins as a “voluntary indulgence” that eventually crosses the line between the physiological types of alcoholics and the pathological, resulting in a deterioration of physical and mental abilities. Both habitual and periodic inebriety may manifest themselves in different ways, leading to a further classification of inebriates as social and unsocial. Social inebriates drink openly with other drinkers, whereas unsocial, or solitary, inebriates shun the company of others and tend to drink secretly, often because of “neurasthenia” (i.e., exhaustion of the nervous system).

They have an average age of 38 years, began drinking at almost age 17, and developed alcohol dependence at an average age of 32 years. Intermediate familial alcoholics drink on an average of 172 days a year, consuming five or more drinks on 54% of those days with a maximum of 10 drinks. They also have a later age of first drinking (average of 19 years) and a later onset of alcohol dependence at an average of 37 years. They tend to drink alcohol every other day, an average of 181 days per year, and they consume five or more drinks on 54% of those days.

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Nearly 50 percent have a family history of alcoholism, and co-occurring mental illness is prevalent. Approximately half suffer from clinical depression, and about 1 in 5 has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intermediate familial alcoholics are more likely to be male and have a job. Most are smokers, and 20 to 25 percent have also used cocaine and marijuana.

These are people who are young adults and may have antisocial personality disorders. Around 50 percent of this subtype also smokes cigarettes, with a third of them having a family history of alcoholism and a quarter of them struggling with episodes https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of major depression at least once in their lifetime. This subtype consists of almost 70% of those who seek addiction treatment. Although this makes this group the largest to seek treatment, the group has other problems due to alcohol use disorder.

Are There Different Types Of Alcoholics?

No matter what role you choose, with a master’s in health education and promotion online from Walden, you can start tackling some of today’s most pressing health problems—and changing the world. Fewer than 20% of this subgroup seek help, and when they do, most turn to a 12-step program or private healthcare professional. Many alcoholics, like those addicted to other substances, either live in denial or rely on alcohol to cope with other conditions like depression or PTSD. While it’s possible for some to live a long life without quitting alcohol, the odds are stacked against many others who will eventually encounter serious health issues related to alcohol. The Chronic Severe Alcoholic Subtype makes up the smallest group of alcoholics, at approximately 9 percent. Treatment providers are available 24/7 to answer your questions about rehab, whether it’s for you or a loved one.

• The type of treatment you may benefit most from can depend on the category you fall into.
• Intermediate familial alcoholics are more likely to have been genetically predisposed to alcoholism.
• Our team can verify your insurance coverage to help determine the costs of addiction treatment.
• This type of alcoholic makes up around 18.8% of all individuals with an alcohol use disorder- around 1 in 5.

Roughly 50% of all chronic severe alcoholics display symptoms in line with antisocial personality disorder, such as deceitfulness, lack of remorse, and violating the emotional and physical right of others. Although many chronic severe alcoholics exhibit these symptoms, they typically do not fit the mold of the young antisocial alcoholic because of other defining factors (such as those previously discussed). Thankfully, almost 35% of Young Antisocial Alcoholics actually seek help for controlling their drinking. Thorough assessments can help treatment providers to determine what the right type and level of care might be for a person battling alcohol addiction. For instance, when co-occurring mental health issues are also present, an integrated treatment plan is ideal.

What are the Symptoms of Being an Alcoholic?

This subtype has many problems with alcohol beginning at a young age, and criminal behavior is common. 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.

• Until the 1960’s, typology theory—including Jellinek’s work—was guided primarily by armchair intuition and clinical observation.
• In fact, a functional alcoholic will often be middle-aged, professional, educated, married with a family, and keep up appearances as having their lives in order.
• The severity of alcoholism is typically tied to how often a person will seek treatment, and NIH reports that two-thirds of chronic severe alcoholics will seek professional help.
• According to a review of the world alcohol literature, 39 classifications of alcoholics were developed between 1850 and 1941 (Babor and Lauerman 1986).
• While this article isn’t a diagnosis, if you or your loved one fits the criteria of one of the models above, they may need help.

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, 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. The chronic severe subtype is the least prevalent, accounting for only about 9 percent of alcoholics. However, this group is the most severe, with heavy drinking occurring almost daily. This group has moderate depression rate but low rate of co-occurring disorders.

Cessation of alcohol intake

When a person suffers from a co-occurring mental health disorder, the risk for also developing alcoholism or problems with substance abuse are elevated. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) publishes that co-occurring mental health disorders and addiction are common, as about 8 million adults in America battled both in 2014. It is determined that roughly 31.5% of alcoholics fall into the category of young adults, which is the largest single group. This group tends to begin drinking at an early age (around 19) and also develops an alcohol dependence early (around 24). This group has comparatively low rates of co-occurring mental health conditions and moderate rates of other substance abuse disorders and family members with alcoholism. Those in this subtype typically start drinking early (19) and develop alcohol dependence early (24).

Few seek help for their drinking, but when they do, they gravitate toward 12-step groups as opposed to private treatment. Those in this group have higher rates of alcohol abuse than other subtypes. For instance, 80% of those in the chronic severe subtype come from families with multigenerational alcoholism.

More than three-quarters of young antisocial alcoholics are male, and about 15 percent are married. They drink approximately 201 days out of each year and usually consume five or more drinks per sitting. But they started drinking much earlier than young adult alcoholics — usually by the age of 15 or 16. Researchers found that 21.1 percent of alcoholics fall into this category. Their alcoholism usually manifests by the time they are 18 or 19, and more than half come from families with alcoholism.

Added to that, their problematic alcohol use disorder usually starts at about 18 years old. One of the most concerning aspects of this subtype of alcoholics is the fact that it has the lowest rate of seeking help out of any other type- only 8.7% of Young Adult Alcoholics actually try to get the treatment they need. Chronic severe alcoholics have the highest rate of family members who also experience alcohol dependence at 77%. Only 8.7% of young adult alcohol dependents have ever sought treatment for their drinking problem. If they do choose to seek help, they tend to prefer 12-step programs over specialty treatment clinics or private professional practices.

It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that usually involves drinking five or more alcoholic beverages in a sitting for a man or four for a woman. This rapidly raises a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.08 g/dL. Nowadays, however, the word “alcoholic” is increasingly seen as a negative label and people can make a lot of assumptions about the bearer of such a label.

• This group drinks more frequently than any other, although their total alcohol intake is less than the young antisocial subtype.
• One of the most concerning aspects about alcoholism in this age group is the damage alcohol can do to the brain, as the brain is still developing in important areas, such as in the prefrontal cortex.
• In 2007, it was announced that researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identified five different types of alcoholics.
• It would seem logical to begin a discussion of the history of typology with E.M.
• Alcoholism is considered to be a heritable disease, as NIAAA reports that genetics can account for about half of the risk for developing the disease.
• For some alcoholics, the drinking periods are determined by internal cues, such as the onset of menses in women.
• On top of alcohol abuse, many people in this category abuse tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, or opiates.