1. OTC and Prescription Drug Abuse Slideshow Pictures
2. Health Risks of Alcohol Abuse Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• Alcoholism and alcohol abuse facts
• What is alcohol abuse?
• What is alcoholism?
• What differentiates alcohol abuse from alcoholism?
• What are risk factors for alcoholism?
• What causes alcoholism? Is alcoholism hereditary?
• What are alcohol abuse and alcoholism symptoms and signs in teenagers, women, men, and the elderly?
• How is alcoholism diagnosed?
• What are the stages of alcoholism?
• What is the treatment for alcoholism?
• What medications treat alcoholism?
• How can you tell if someone has a drinking problem?
• Can an alcoholic just cut back or stop drinking?
• Is there a safe level of drinking?
• Is it safe to drink alcohol while pregnant?
• How can someone find more information or get help or support to treat alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
• What are the long-term physical and psychological effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
• What is codependency and what is the treatment for codependency?
• Can alcoholism be prevented?
• What is the prognosis of alcoholism?
• Patient Comments: Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Experience
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Index

With treatment, about 70% of people with alcoholism are able to decrease the number of days they consume alcohol and improve their overall health status within six months. On the other hand, most individuals who have been treated for an alcohol-use disorder have relapsed at least once during the first year after treatment. Those individuals seem to drink less often and lower amounts after receiving treatment compared with before treatment.

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