Researchers Identify Alcoholism Subtypes National Institutes of Health NIH

Intermediate familiar alcoholics are typically employed and have a close family member who’s an alcoholic too. Alcohol Addiction and Its Treatment was written in 1940 by psychiatrist Karl Bowman and Biometrist E.M Jellinek which formed a detailed review of the treatment of alcoholism and contained 24-typological formulations. Reach out to a treatment provider for free today for immediate assistance. Alcohol use disorder is considered a brain disorder, affecting the functioning and structure of the brain, and symptoms can range from mild to moderate to severe.

• There are, however, five identified subtypes of alcoholics as identified by the National Institute of Health.
• The study included people both in treatment and not seeking treatment.
• The incidence of mental health disorders is much more common within this type.
• Most likely what a person pictures when the term alcoholic is used, the chronic severe alcoholic subtype only accounts for about 9 percent of the entire US alcoholic population.
• A smaller group also form habits related to more extreme drugs like cocaine and heroin.

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The 5 Types Of Alcoholics

As previously mentioned, however, there are multiple types of alcoholic subtypes. The following checklists for each type can help you determine which subtype you might fall into. Of this type, about 76% are https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-alcoholic-types-in-alcoholism/ male and only 7.6% have received a college degree, although another 13.4% are still in school. Family incomes average around $32,000, the lowest among the subtypes alongside the chronic severe subtype.

Most people falling within this type do not seek help in their dependence on alcohol and they usually come from families with little to no alcohol abuse problems. The first subtype of alcoholism is the young adult subtype, also called the young alcoholic. Of all subtypes, the functional subtype is the least likely to have legal problems; they are the least likely to report problems due to their drinking. They have the highest education levels and incomes of all types of alcoholics. These are people that may seem to have their lives together; they may be the ones that others look up to.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Another factor is whether or not someone is also addicted to other drugs. This additional substance abuse is noted as co-occurring substance dependence, which can be caused by alcoholism or go on to cause alcoholism. The type of alcoholic can also be determined by any additional mental health diagnoses. Young brains do not have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, meaning that young people may have more difficulties controlling emotions and impulses, and are therefore more likely to take bigger risks without fear of consequences. This group has the lowest levels of education, employment, and income of any group.

The second of the five types of alcoholics are the young antisocial subtypes. This group equates to more than one-fifth of those with significant drinking problems. Slightly https://ecosoberhouse.com/ older at 26-years of age, approximately 50% have antisocial personality disorders and could suffer from bipolar disorder, social phobias or other mental health conditions.

What are the Types of Alcohol Problems?

Alcoholism is a manageable disease; treatment is necessary to manage it. Nearly half of them have a close family member who is also an alcoholic. They have an average age of 38 years, began drinking at almost age 17, and developed alcohol dependence at an average age of 32 years. Intermediate familial alcoholics drink on an average of 172 days a year, consuming five or more drinks on 54% of those days with a maximum of 10 drinks. Functional alcoholics make up 19.4% of alcohol-dependent individuals. They also have a later age of first drinking (average of 19 years) and a later onset of alcohol dependence at an average of 37 years.