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Summary
What is alcohol use disorder (AUD)?
For most adults, moderate alcohol use is probably not harmful. However, about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This means that their drinking causes distress and harm. AUD can range from mild to severe, depending on the symptoms. Severe AUD is sometimes called alcoholism or alcohol dependence.
AUD is a disease that causes:
- Craving - a strong need to drink
- Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've started
- Negative emotional state - feeling anxious and irritable when you are not drinking
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking is drinking so much at once that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is 0.08% or more. For a man, this usually happens after having 5 or more drinks within a few hours. For a woman, it is after about 4 or more drinks within a few hours. Not everyone who binge drinks has an AUD, but they are at higher risk for getting one.
What are the dangers of too much alcohol?
Too much alcohol is dangerous. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It may lead to liver diseases, such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. It can also cause damage to the brain and other organs. Drinking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Alcohol also increases the risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicide, and suicide.
How do I know if I have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)?
You may have an AUD if you can answer yes to two or more of these questions:
In the past year, have you:
- Ended up drinking more or for a longer time than you had planned to?
- Wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn't?
- Spent a lot of your time drinking or recovering from drinking?
- Felt a strong need to drink?
- Found that drinking - or being sick from drinking - often interfered with your family life, job, or school?
- Kept drinking even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
- Given up or cut back on activities that you enjoyed just so you could drink?
- Gotten into dangerous situations while drinking or after drinking? Some examples are driving drunk and having unsafe sex.
- Kept drinking even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious? Or when it was adding to another health problem?
- Had to drink more and more to feel the effects of the alcohol?
- Had withdrawal symptoms when the alcohol was wearing off? They include trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, and sweating. In severe cases, you could have a fever, seizures, or hallucinations.
If you have any of these symptoms, your drinking may already be a cause for concern. The more symptoms you have, the more serious the problem is.
What should I do if I think that I might have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)?
If you think you might have an AUD, see your health care provider for an evaluation. Your provider can help make a treatment plan, prescribe medicines, and if needed, give you treatment referrals.
NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Symptoms
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What Are Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder?
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Diagnosis and Tests
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Alcohol Use Screening Tests
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
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Blood Alcohol Level
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
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Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
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Drinking Levels Defined
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
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Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Treatment: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
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NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Living With
- Children of Alcoholics (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
- Intervention: Help a Loved One Overcome Addiction (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
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Support Strategies for Quitting
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
- Taking Medicines Safely after Alcohol or Drug Abuse Recovery (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
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Alcohol Associated Liver Disease
(American Liver Foundation)
- Alcohol Poisoning (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
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Alcohol's Effects on the Body
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) Also in Spanish
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Alcohol-Related Blackouts
(National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Use (National Center for PTSD)
- Smoking Cessation in Recovering Alcoholics (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
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Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- What is Excessive Drinking? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Genetics
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Alcohol use disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorder
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Health Check Tools
- Alcohol Use Screening (Department of Veterans Affairs)
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Calculators
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
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Worksheets and More
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Statistics and Research
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Alcohol Facts and Statistics
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Alcohol Use Disorder
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Binge Drinking
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Reducing Alcohol Misuse and Promoting Treatment Initiation Among Veterans Through a...
- Article: Practice Facilitation to Address Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care: A...
- Article: Use of Transdermal Alcohol Sensors in Conjunction With Contingency Management to...
- Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
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Getting Help
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Teenagers
- Coping When a Parent Has an Alcohol or Drug Problem (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Men
- Excessive Alcohol Use Is a Risk to Men's Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Women
- Excessive Alcohol Use is a Risk to Women's Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Older Adults
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Facts about Aging and Alcohol
(National Institute on Aging) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Alcohol use disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Alcohol withdrawal (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Alcoholic ketoacidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Alcoholic liver disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Alcoholic neuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Deciding to quit drinking alcohol (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health risks of alcohol use (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Helping a loved one with a drinking problem (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- When you are drinking too much - tips for cutting back (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish