alcoholism

[ al-kuh-haw-liz-uhm, -ho- ]

noun

1. (not in technical use as a medical diagnosis, alcohol use disorder ) a chronic illness characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms upon reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and professionally.

alcoholism

/ ˈælkəhɒˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a condition in which dependence on alcohol harms a person's health, social functioning, or family life

alcoholism

/ ăl′kə-hô-lĭz′əm /

1. A progressive, potentially fatal disease characterized by the excessive and compulsive consumption of alcoholic beverages and physiological and psychological dependence on alcohol. Chronic alcoholism usually results in liver and other organ damage, nutritional deficiencies and impaired social functioning.

alcoholism

1. A chronic disease associated with the excessive and habitual use of alcohol; the disease, if left unattended, worsens and can kill the sufferer. Alcoholism is marked by physical dependency and can cause disorders in many organs of the body, including the liver ( see cirrhosis ), stomach , intestines , and brain . It is also associated with abnormal heart rhythms, with certain cancers , and, because of loss of appetite, with poor nutrition. The cause of alcoholism is very complicated and most often involves a mixture of physical, psychological, and possibly genetic factors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alcoholism¹

First recorded in 1855–60; alcohol + -ism

Example Sentences

I am fully aware alcoholism can lead to bad choices, but he was raised better and is smarter than that.

From Washington Post

Calling the medium of video games addictive is, as he said, like saying alcoholism is caused by bottles, not what’s in it.

From Washington Post

From there, its use spread throughout Eastern Europe as a generalized medical treatment for a wide variety of ailments, from alcoholism and depression to motion sickness and post-traumatic stress disorder.

From Ozy

The disgraced reporter, who is struggling with alcoholism, loses her job.

From Washington Post

At a disciplinary hearing a year later, a judge ruled that her alcoholism and mental health posed a “substantial threat of irreparable harm to the public” and suspended Dwyer-Jones from practicing law for a year.

From ProPublica

This replaces the older “alcohol abuse” and even older “alcoholism,” which has been out of favor among scientists for decades.

From The Daily Beast

One interpretation suggests he is the embodiment of whisky, a lewd allusion to a tenured tradition of Scottish alcoholism.

From The Daily Beast

Consuming yagé is believed to be a general cure-all for almost anything: cancer, depression, alcoholism, etc.

From The Daily Beast

Do you have any history of dealing with alcoholism, or abuse?

From The Daily Beast

It appears, based on this chart, that alcoholism is a larger problem in the red states than in the blue.

From The Daily Beast

It must be borne in mind that chronic alcoholism makes a number of serious organic diseases run a latent course.

From Project Gutenberg

Wounds of the head, alcoholism, and epilepsy are prominent factors in the production of circular insanity.

From Project Gutenberg

Where it comes on without obvious cause there is commonly a bad family history of nervousness or alcoholism.

From Project Gutenberg

Already you have a semi-comic "gold-cure" for alcoholism, and you have heard of the geophagism of certain African tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

For cases of alcoholism in the earlier stages there is but little difficulty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• addiction
• alcohol abuse
• alcohol addiction
• alcohol dependence
• substance abuse