Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. Alcoholism is a disease that can bottle up an entire family and isolate them from their friends, neighbors and even each other.

Alcohol addiction is a actually physical dependence upon alcohol, but there are also genetic factors as well as psychological and social factors that contribute to the disease. Family history, emotional and psychological stress all play a big part as well as the constant exposure to alcohol. Alcoholism is a type of drug addiction. There is both physical and psychological dependence with this addiction. Alcoholism is a life-threatening problem that often ends in death, particularly through liver or kidney disease, internal bleeding, brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, accidents and suicide.

Female heavy drinkers develop brain damage with less drinking than men. Women tend to be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and may develop alcohol-related health problems sooner and after consuming less alcohol than men do. Alcohol use in pregnant women can lead to miscarriages, and to the malformation of organs (such as the brain and heart) in their unborn children. Women For Sobriety is a self-help group just for women - many women with alcohol problems have different concerns than men.

Treatment for alcoholism symptoms depends on the alcoholic. While some alcoholics are dependent (or addicted) to alcohol the bulk of those seeking alcoholism treatment abuse alcohol frequently enough to experience serious legal, financial, occupational, and social consequences. Treatment professionals recognize that individuals have different levels of denial. In fact, people have various levels of awareness of their alcohol use problems.

Medications, counseling and self-help groups are among the therapies that can help an alcoholic recover. Medical specialty organizations, such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, are focusing on increasing addiction training programs for residents, practicing physicians and students.Medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. Alcoholism may also refer to a preoccupation with or compulsion to consume alcohol and an impaired ability to recognize the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Treatment for alcohol addiction typically begins with professional advice or self-motivation to abstain, often coupled with medical efforts to achieve sobriety. In the presence of withdrawal symptoms, antianxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines may be prescribed. Treatment must be a well-designed program to get the alcoholics back on their feet and started in a new life of sobriety. They must learn how to cope with life and problems without alcohol.