Alcohol use disorder (AUD) can occur when drinking alcohol gets out of control and impacts one’s life in a negative way and one has no power to stop drinking. AUD can also be considered to be alcohol abuse, alcohol dependency, alcohol addiction, or alcoholism. 

AUD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, characterized by the inability to control alcohol consumption despite negative repercussions, that categorizes drinking behavior anywhere from moderate to severe drinking, which can cause a person social, emotional, or physical distress.

This is not a linear issue; there are four different stages of AUD and different reasons why someone may have AUD. Below we will discuss the signs of an alcohol use disorder, what increases the risks, and the dangers that follow AUD. 

What are the symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder?

According to the NIAAA, professionals consider a list of things when looking at a person’s symptoms and whether or not they may have AUD. As stated earlier, AUD is not linear, it is not a fact of whether you have it or don’t. Instead, you either don’t have it or fall somewhere between the categorizations. 

They are categorized as mild, moderate, and severe. Professionals categorize them as: having less than three of the following symptoms would be considered mild, having less than five would be considered moderate, and having more than six of the following would be considered severe. 

In the past year, have you:

• Experienced times when you ended up drinking more, or longer, than you intended?

• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn't?

• Spent a lot of time drinking, being sick from drinking, getting over other aftereffects?

• Wanted a drink so badly you couldn't think of anything else?

• Found that drinking—or being sick from drinking—often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?

• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?

• Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?

• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or engaging in unsafe sexual behavior)?

• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had an alcohol-related memory blackout?

• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?

• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, dysphoria (feeling uneasy or unhappy), malaise (general sense of being unwell), feeling low, or a seizure? Or sensed things that were not there?

These are the many different signs and symptoms you can see, and if any relate to you it is never too late or too early to take action to control your drinking. 

Is AUD the same as alcoholism?

AUD and alcoholism play a part together, but are different in what they ultimately mean. When talking about AUD, it is part of the DSM 5 alcohol use disorder system, which is categorized by the symptoms above. AUD comes in different forms, whereas alcoholism is defined as only the severe part of that system. 

Alcoholism refers to a drinker who binges uncontrollably when they drink alcohol. It is not someone who would lie on the mild or moderate spectrum of the DSM 5 AUD symptoms, but instead in the severe category. Alcoholism is also a term that is coined by the general public and not a term that a health professional would use.

What increases the risk of AUD?

There are many factors that can increase the risk of AUD. Once someone begins drinking for an extended period time, their tolerance will go up and that will cause them be driven to drink more to feel the same effects they used to with only 1-2 drinks. 

For most, it could start in early childhood with environmental factors, starting to drink early in life, and genetic factors.

In a 2019 study they wanted to see how many offspring up to the age of 30 would be affected by alcohol if both parents had a history of AUD disorder. They found that as the number of parents with AUD increased so did the number of offspring with AUD. Respectfully “29% of offspring with no parental AUD history, 39% of offspring with one parental AUD history, and 46% of offspring with two parental AUD histories.”

We would like to point out that there have been no genes found that predict the “passing down of AUD”, but rather groups of genes that may dictate one to be more sensitive to pain. If someone is more sensitive, they are more likely to seek soothing and self-medicating.

Environmental conditioning is more widely-accepted and studied as the reason why a Child of an Alcoholic (CoA) is likely to fall on the AUD spectrum as an adult.

What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is defined as drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages for men and 4 or more for women on a single occasion. According to the CDC, binge drinking is not considered to be in the severe category of AUD, but can be a risk factor for being diagnosed with AUD. 

Can people with AUD recover?

Recovery from AUD is possible, no matter which stage you’re at. There are multiple treatment options, as each person’s road to recovery is different and may be dealt with differently. There is talk therapy, exercise, and behavioral therapies.  MuseTreatment shows that 36% of people suffering with AUD can recover after the first year. 

Here are five strategies proving successful in the treatment of AUD:

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

2. Reconditioning Therapy 

3. Self-Image Psycho-Therapy

4. Building Health Consciousness (Fitness & Nutrition Goals)

5. Community Support 

Final Thoughts

Alcohol use disorder is common among Americans with over 18 million people having some form of AUD. It is not defined as a single entity like alcoholism, but rather different stages defining a person's alcohol intake. There are three different categories mild, moderate, or severe that a licensed doctor may describe a drinker as, but at any stage the road to recovery is possible.