What are the Five Types of Alcoholism?

The more risk factors a person exhibits, the more likely for a person to abuse alcohol. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use disorder, you should seek help right away. The first step to creating a better life for yourself is getting professional help. Other researchers detected differences between type I and type II alcoholics not only in the age at onset and the type of alcohol-related problems, but also in certain neurobiological markers. For example, several studies found that compared with type I alcoholics, type II alcoholics exhibited lower activity levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) (von Knorring et al. 1987b; Sullivan et al. 1990).

• When seeking treatment, they tend to turn to social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and private physicians.
• This category also reports the highest rate of emergency room visits due to drinking.
• On average, they drink about 143 days each year, and they typically consume five or more drinks at a time.
• Alcoholism is considered to be a heritable disease, as NIAAA reports that genetics can account for about half of the risk for developing the disease.

When seeking treatment, they tend to turn to social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and private physicians. Almost 35% of young antisocial alcoholics have sought help for their alcohol dependence problems. They tend to go to self-help groups, alcohol detox programs, specialty treatment programs, and private health care providers.

Chronic Severe Subtype

For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The unitary disease concept, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ as illustrated in “The Drunkard’s Progress,” by Nathaniel Currier. Typology theorists believe this is an inadequate representation of the heterogeneity of etiologies and drinking patterns.

However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Since the causes of alcoholism vary from person to person, the best treatment for one might not work for the next. While treatment for all alcoholics remains generally similar, some may respond better to different addiction support types than others. Some people may transition between different alcoholic types based on changing life circumstances, but this probability depends on various factors, including their response to treatment.

A Replication Study in Swedish Adoptees

Jellinek’s new typology still closely resembled the earlier Bowman-Jellinek synthesis. This group has the lowest levels of education, employment, and income of any group. This group also drinks more at once and more overall than other groups, although they drink slightly less frequently. On the other hand, this group is more likely to seek help than almost any other; types of alcoholics 35% sought out some form of assistance in overcoming alcoholism. This group has the highest rate of seeking treatment from a private health care provider but also often choose self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, and detox programs. Researchers found that about 62% of functional alcoholics work full-time, 3.6% are in school full-time, and 5% are retired.

Health care professionals use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), to assess whether a person has AUD and to determine the severity, if the disorder is present. Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder.

What is considered 1 drink?

Not all alcoholics know they suffer from a substance abuse problem because denial is a regular and expected aspect of alcoholism. As exceptions, functional and young antisocial alcoholics are more likely to be aware of their drinking problem. The good news is they’re more likely to seek treatment than those in other groups at 66%. They are also the most likely to participate in detox programs at inpatient treatment centers with private health care providers.

These two alcoholism subtypes, however, represent only the prototypes or extremes of a continuous spectrum of manifestations of alcoholism. Many of the subtype characteristics (e.g., personality traits) are inherited independently of each other, and all possible combinations of personality traits occur (Cloninger 1987b, Svrakic et al. 1993). Thus, extensive variability exists in the individual’s predisposition for alcohol abuse and related behaviors (Cloninger et al. 1995).

Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

Conversely, hereditary causes include constitutional conditions, such as distinct neurotic and psychopathic disorders that often are traceable to ancestors. According to the NIAAA, to determine the level of severity, individuals are asked questions similar to what’s listed below. The number of times an individual answers “yes” to one of those questions helps to determine the severity level — mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). Alcoholism is a complex and pervasive issue affecting millions of people in America. In fact, according to a 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 29.5 million Americans ages 12 and older have alcohol use disorder (AUD).