What are the Five Types of Alcoholism?

About half of this subtype of alcoholics smoke cigarettes, and one-third have a family history of alcoholism. Around one-quarter of the functional alcoholic demographic have had at least one major depressive episode in their lives as well. Depression and mood disorders commonly co-occur with alcohol abuse and can increase a person’s vulnerability to addiction. The functional alcoholic may be good at covering up emotional distress and issues with alcohol, and able to maintain outward appearances of success.

One of the criteria is tolerance, meaning that a person needs larger quantities of alcohol to achieve the same desired effects. Another one of the criteria is drinking larger quantities than intended. Consider the fact that alcohol abuse tends to be glamorized on college campuses2. It is easy to understand how many young adults could meet the criteria for alcoholism but fail to seek treatment because their behavior has been normalized. A young antisocial alcoholic is a person who started drinking young and exhibits symptoms of antisocial personality disorder.

Medical Professionals

By contrast; these tend to be adults who are working and who are usually in their mid-years. They often do not consider drinking to be a problem and are often in denial. It is sometimes hard for families to realize that one is a functioning alcoholic.

Treatment providers can help you to determine what form of treatment will be optimal for your specific needs and circumstances. Alcoholism is a manageable disease; treatment is necessary to manage it. The presence of any two symptoms within a one-year period can result in a diagnosis of alcohol addiction. As previously mentioned, however, there are multiple types of alcoholic subtypes.

Intermediate Familial Subtype:

However, the truth is that alcoholics come in all shapes and sizes, and they don’t fit into one single mold. The Recovery Village Atlanta provides robust treatment 5 types of alcoholics for those struggling with alcohol misuse. Our facility offers residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and medical detox programming.

• A chronic severe alcoholic is a person who is physically alcohol dependent and experiences severe withdrawal symptoms if they attempt to quit.
• The five types of alcoholics are young adult, young antisocial, functional, intermediate familial, and chronic severe.
• Approximately one-third have a family history of alcoholism, and about one-quarter have been diagnosed with major depression.
• Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information.
• As the most recent data1 shows, severe alcoholism is likely to result in significant disability and even end-stage alcoholism.
• Depression and mood disorders commonly co-occur with alcohol abuse and can increase a person’s vulnerability to addiction.

However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours. People in this category-type typically start drinking during their late teens – age 17 and onwards but, develop a dependency on alcohol by the time they reach their 30’s. Researchers found that about 65% of chronic severe alcoholics are male. They also have the highest divorce rates, with 25.1% divorced, 8.6% separated and only 28.7% married.

Can Alcohol Improve Your Well-Being? A Psychologist Explains

Approximately 22% have a first- or second-degree family member who is also dependent on alcohol. Compared to other types of alcoholics, young adults are less likely to have psychiatric disorders or legal problems. A recent study1 shows that 13.9% of the American population aged 18 and older experiences an alcohol use disorder — the clinical term for alcoholism — within a given year. While a significant proportion of the population experiences alcoholism, it does not look the same in every affected person. In fact, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA3) recognizes five distinct subtypes of alcoholics. These types have different signs to look for and likelihoods of seeking treatment for their alcohol use disorder.

• Or a person may start as a young antisocial alcoholic but then become a functional alcoholic as they mature or seek treatment.
• About 25% have struggled with depression and 50% smoke cigarettes.
• The Intermediate Familial Subtype of AUD is characterized by a family history of alcoholism and a later onset of the disorder, typically in the early 30s.
• It can be especially challenging for individuals struggling with mental health disorders.
• Of this type, about 76% are male and only 7.6% have received a college degree, although another 13.4% are still in school.