Types of Alcoholics Addiction Treatment

More than 50 percent of young antisocial alcoholics have a psychiatric diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, a mental condition characterized by antagonism and a callous disregard of others and the law. Many also suffer from other mental illnesses, including major depression, bipolar disorder, social phobias and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. An individual’s drinking patterns and behaviors can evolve and change over time. For example, a person may start as a functional alcoholic but then become a chronic severe alcoholic as their condition worsens.

• Functional alcoholics make up about 19% of people with alcohol use disorder in the US.
• They may drink to cope with stress or anxiety and have difficulty controlling their alcohol intake.
• Design For Recovery is committed to helping you or your loved one live a fulfilling life free from alcohol and drug addiction.
• Compared to other types of alcoholics, young adults are less likely to have psychiatric disorders or legal problems.

If you are struggling with alcohol misuse despite negative personal, professional, and health consequences, you may fit into one of the five types of alcoholism or alcoholics. There are, however, 5 identified subtypes of alcoholics as identified by the National Institute Of Health (NIH). Of this type, about 76% are 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. The young antisocial subtype starts drinking around age 15 and develops an alcohol use disorder around age 18. Young adult alcoholics make up about a third of the alcohol use disorders (AUD) in the United States.

The 5 Types Of Alcoholics

Like methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol also has a use as an industrial solvent and as a fuel additive. Brewers and distillers generally make it from grains or other pieces of plant matter. The liver generally is able to filter ethyl alcohol from the human body.

They may need help from multiple supportive services, such as housing and vocational training. Those who fall into lower income levels1 are also at increased risk of experiencing severe alcoholism. Compared to the other subtypes, this subtype has the highest rate of co-morbid mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

Are There Distinct Differences in the Outcomes and Prognosis for Each Type of Alcoholic?

Close to 80 percent of chronic severe alcoholics have a genetic and familial link to alcoholism, meaning that a close family member also suffered, or suffers, from alcoholism. Chronic severe alcoholics abuse other drugs at higher rates than the other subtypes of alcoholics as well. Alcohol is often implicated in exacerbating aggression, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) publishes that 40 percent of all violent crimes cite alcohol as a contributing factor. Chronic severe alcoholics suffer from psychiatric disorders more often than other subtypes of alcoholics, including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. Alcoholism is a disease that often co-occurs with mental illness.

• Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.
• “Subtypes of Alcohol Dependence in a Nati[…]presentative Sample.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2007.
• The DSM-5 classification of AUD helps in identifying and diagnosing individuals with AUD and enables the appropriate treatment and support to manage the disorder.
• In the U.S., intermediate familial alcoholics comprise 19 percent of all alcoholics.
• They also often suffer from co-occurring mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder and depression.

For example, a person may start as a young adult alcoholic but then develop antisocial traits or functional behaviors over time. Or a person may switch from one type to another depending on their life circumstances or stage of recovery. These are people in their thirties or forties and have a strong family history of alcoholism. The age group that makes up this subtype is at a time in life when many people in the United States are attending college. College campuses are well-documented as common settings for people to begin binge-drinking, which refers to drinking more than four (for women) or five (for men) drinks within a two-hour window.

Types of Alcohol Problems

In addition, Moss said it is crucial for functional alcoholics to focus on abstinence or return to less dangerous drinking levels. They tend to be well-educated, high-income earners with a relatively stable home life. And because they don’t look or act like the stereotypical alcoholic, they’re often in denial about their drinking problem. A large-scale 2019 study published in Nature Communications revealed that genetic variations significantly influence how people process and respond to alcohol. You have probably heard someone at some point referred to as a “functional alcoholic.” This means they have a problem with alcohol abuse but can still function at work and participate in family life.

If you or a loved one is displaying signs of any five types of alcoholism, treatment can help. There are several treatment options available, including inpatient care, in which patients reside at a facility while receiving treatment for alcohol addiction. Those with a less severe form of alcoholism or those who have finished inpatient rehab may attend outpatient rehab. Patients live at home or in a sober living community in outpatient care and report to a treatment facility several days per week for appointments.

Functional Subtype

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. They tend to drink alcohol every other day, an average of 181 days per year, and they consume five or more drinks on 54% of those days. They have the highest divorce rate — 25.1 percent — of all the alcoholic types.

• Consider the fact that alcohol abuse tends to be glamorized on college campuses2.
• Seventy-seven percent of this group have close family members with alcoholism, the highest percentage of any subtype.
• This group also suffers from high rates of cigarette, Marijuana, and Cocaine addiction.
• A delta alcoholic may also have a high tolerance and need to drink more to feel the effects.
• People who fall into the young adult alcoholic subtype also rarely have a family history of alcoholism.
• They may also have other health issues related to their alcohol consumption.

Researchers found that they have the highest rates of employment among alcoholics, with 68% working full-time and an average family income of nearly $50,000 a year. 5 types of alcoholics About 64% are male, while around 38% are married and 21% are divorced. People with ASPD are 21 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence in their lifetimes.