Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse, ranging from the consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per day on average for women, to binge drinking or alcohol use disorder.[1]
Alcohol abuse was a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-IV, but it has been merged with alcohol dependence in the DSM-5 into alcohol use disorder.[2][3]
Globally, excessive alcohol consumption is the seventh leading risk factor for both death and the burden of disease and injury,[4] representing 5.1% of the total global burden of disease and injury, measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).[5] After tobacco, alcohol accounts for a higher burden of disease than any other drug. Alcohol use is a major cause of preventable liver disease worldwide, and alcoholic liver disease is the main alcohol-related chronic medical illness.[6] Millions of people of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, engage in unhealthy drinking.[7] In the United States, excessive alcohol use costs more than $249 billion annually.[8] There are many factors that play a role in causing someone to have an alcohol use disorder: genetic vulnerabilities, neurobiological precursors, psychiatric conditions, trauma, social influence, environmental factors, and even parental drinking habits.[9]
^Fuster D, Samet JH (September 2018). "Alcohol Use in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease". The New England Journal of Medicine. 379 (13): 1251–1261. doi:10.1056/nejmra1715733. PMID30257164. S2CID52842989.