Heavy alcohol use is the most identifying feature of alcohol use disorder. Binge drinking equates to roughly five drinks for men and four for women within two hours. However, these numbers can vary depending on your alcohol tolerance and other biological responses. Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information.
While it is very unlikely that a member of this group will seek out treatment, they are most likely to seek out a 12-Step program if they do. Nearly 19 percent of alcoholics in the U.S. fall into the intermediate familial category. Most are middle-aged, began drinking at about 17 and were addicted to alcohol by their early 30s. Most are smokers, and they’re more likely than other subtypes to use other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opioids and amphetamines. More than three-quarters of young antisocial alcoholics are male, and about 15 percent are married.
Causes of Alcohol Use Disorder
Despite these significant improvements in recent typology research, the field still faces some challenging issues. For example, perhaps because of the differences in measurement techniques and methodological approaches, typology researchers have not always recognized the similarities between their own work and that of other investigators. And although some theories are likely to endure longer than others, a more fundamental question remains concerning the utility of typologies for theory development and clinical practice.
In addition, this type of alcoholism can co-occur with smoking cigarettes, marijuana, and/or cocaine abuse. However, these individuals are likely to have already been drinking for a long period, perhaps since they were very young, and this alone can cause serious health issues later in life. Similar to the previous type of alcoholic, individuals in this category are often of similar age, around their young to mid-twenties. The following subparagraphs outline these five types of alcoholism, highlighting how they differ from one another and the origins and/or reasons for the development of this disorder. When seeking help for alcoholism, it may be beneficial for some individuals to determine the category of alcoholic that they, or someone they know, may fall under. In the case of significant alcohol dependence, medical detox and medications are often necessary in addition to therapeutic treatment methods.
The Classification of Alcoholics
Around one-third of young antisocial alcoholics will seek treatment for problematic drinking. This subtype is comprised of high-functioning alcoholics who are able to maintain relationships and careers despite their alcohol addiction. This subtype represents 19.5 percent of all alcoholics, who are mostly middle-aged individuals. These individuals generally start drinking at the age of 18 and develop alcohol dependence later in life. This category generally suffers from moderate levels of depression, low rates of other co-occurring disorders, and very low rates of other substance use disorders.
- Whether you or someone you know is struggling with alcoholism, there is hope and help available.
- Some research shows that up to 6.2% of the American population lives with this condition.
- Most of these individuals will have a family history of AUD, meaning that they were more likely to be exposed to this behaviour as a young child or adolescent.
- Unlike the previous type, this group is defined by the co-occurrence of mental disorders.
- If you are looking for the right treatment option for yourself or someone you know, it is important to speak with a doctor or mental health professional about the best action plan.
“Subtypes of Alcohol Dependence in a Nati[…]presentative Sample.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2007. “Denial is huge for any alcoholic, especially for a functioning alcoholic, because I, you know, I’m not living under a bridge. This process begins with medical evaluation and stabilization before beginning the detox process.
Examples of Typologies Developed in the Post-Jellinek Era
Alcoholism is a serious problem that affects millions of people around the world. There are many types of alcoholism, including functional alcoholics, young adult alcoholics, and chronic severe alcoholics. Often, functional alcoholics have a family history going back several generations of alcohol abuse. One-fourth of functional alcoholics have had at least one major depressive illness episode in their life. Someone with functional alcoholism can suffer from another mental health disorder besides a major depressive illness. A history of alcoholism in first-degree relatives also has been used frequently as a typological criterion in the post-Jellinek period.
- They’re generally middle-aged, working adults who tend to have stable relationships, more education, and higher incomes than other alcoholics.
- That’s exactly what happened to ABC news anchor Elizabeth Vargas, a functional alcoholic who sought treatment for an alcohol addiction in 2014 after years of trying to hide her drinking.
- Alcoholics in this subtype typically began drinking by 17 and became alcoholics in their early 30s.
- They also develop alcohol dependence at the youngest age than any other type, often around 18.
- Nearly 19 percent of alcoholics in the U.S. fall into the intermediate familial category.
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 five types of alcoholics on recurrent characteristics of the drinkers. Until the 1960’s, typology theory—including Jellinek’s work—was guided primarily by armchair intuition and clinical observation. With the development of better measurement techniques and research methods, however, empirical research on typologies gained momentum. Several studies using this approach indicated that alcoholic subtypes defined by single dimensions could indeed be differentiated in predictable ways on a variety of other dimensions (see Babor and Dolinsky 1988).