Alcohol Dependency

Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence," is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law. It includes four symptoms:

• Craving--A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
• Impaired control--The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion.
• Physical dependence--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
• Tolerance--The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effects.