The differance between heavy drinking & alcoholism is based not on the amount that is being drunk but on the way, the drinking is affecting the life of the drinker.

There are Seven Key Signs of Alcohol Dependence

1) The person develops a tolerance for alcohol. This means that it takes more & more alcohol to feel the same level of intoxication.

2) The person has withdrawal symptoms. This means that they feel sick when there is no alcohol in their body. These symptoms include nausea, sweating, shakiness, & anxiety.

3) The person often drinks more than he does or she had originally intended to drink.

4) The person attempts to cut down or to stop drinking but all attempts on their own are failures & they just continue to drink more & more.

5) The person spends a lot of time & effort making sure he or she can get alcohol.

6) The person gives up opportunities for social, recreational, & professional activities because of their drinking.

7) The person continues to drink despite having physical & psychological problems because of the drinking.

Signs Of Alcoholism

For the purposes of diagnosis among professional diagnosticians, if a person has three of these seven signs then they are considered alcohol dependent. There are some other “less formal” type signs that can be used to determine if someone is drinking too much.

1) The person begins to miss work or is less successful at work.

2) The person seems angry or sad a lot.

3) The person hits or physically abuses members of the family.

4) The person emotionally abuses members of the family.

5) The person has blackouts (cannot remember what he or she did while drunk).

6) The person has hangovers (feels really sick the day after drinking).

Alcoholism doe not go away by itself so it is extremely important for friends & family members who recognize any combination of these symptoms or signs to encourage the person to seek treatment. In the long-term alcoholism c

an cause cirrhosis & cancer of the liver, heart & central nervous system damage, memory loss, impotence & a high risk of over dosing.

Alcoholism Facts

People who abuse alcohol may not want to admit that they have a problem because they are ashamed or embarrassed or maybe even they do not want to change their lifestyle.

Alcoholism can affect anyone & does not discriminate based on race, age, or circumstances. It is a treatable disease, but the person seeking treatment must be willing to give it up entirely. The treatment community for alcoholism typically supports a zero tolerance complete abstinence-based approach to treatment.

Research has shown that very few alcoholics can simply cut down on their drinking & be able to know when they have had enough & can stop. Once that tolerance is built up, the body craves the feeling of intoxication & the only way to rid the body of those cravings is through total abstinence.

Treatment For Alcoholism

Alcoholism, most importantly, is a treatable disease. It cannot always be controlled but there are large success rates with treatment. The alcoholic must remember that they will still have the disease even if they are no longer drinking & they will always be considered to be “recovering”.

Group therapy & psychotherapy

The form of group therapy that appears to be of the most benefit to people is the “mutual-help-group-counselling” approach that is often put on by a variety of helpful organizations, either by themselves or in combination with others. These include Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Women For Sobriety, Rational Recovery, Smart Recovery & LifeRing Secular Recovery.

About the author: Ron Keegan is a successful Webmaster & publisher of http://ArticleBankOnline.com a Health/Lifestyle Directory with up to date information on health & lifestyle issues. signs of alcoholism at http://www.articlebankonline.com