Types of alcoholics

Someone who is a functional alcoholic will often live a completely normal life and can even be very successful. Functional alcoholics don’t always appear to have an alcohol use disorder. As with other addictions, alcohol use disorder can range from mild to severe.

This group, among other types of alcoholics, is the least likely to get help. An alcoholic is diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder based on a specific set of criteria. If your drinking causes distress or problems in your daily life, you likely would be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder. Young adult alcoholics are most likely to be male and not seek treatment. This group of alcoholics are the most likely to reach out for help through inpatient treatment programs, as well as through 12-Step groups and detox services. This group of alcoholics is, however, the most likely to reach out for professional help than any other type of alcoholic.

DANGERS OF ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Outpatient treatment is a good option for people who have responsibilities that they cannot give up (such as family, work, or school), as well as a high level of motivation for getting sober. The NIAAA reports over 1,500 college students die each year due to alcohol-related causes. Alcoholics can be separated into five different categories based on different factors. We’re here 24/7 to help guide you or your loved on through rehab and recovery. The type of treatment you may benefit most from can depend on the category you fall into. If someone is raised in an environment of heavy drinking, they may begin to replicate the same patterns.

Functional alcoholics will often lead a kind of “double life,” however, and compartmentalize their professional lives separate from their drinking identity. Even though they may not hit “rock bottom” as often as the chronic severe alcoholic, Psychology Today warns that functional alcoholics still suffer consequences of their drinking and may often be in denial that they need professional help. Accounting for 19 percent of the alcoholics in the study, the intermediate familial is the fourth category in the types of alcoholics.

Young Antisocial Alcoholic

That means that less than 1 in 10 of all alcoholics live up to this stereotype. They may have a hard time holding down a job, don’t have much of a family or home life to speak of, have had multiple https://ecosoberhouse.com/oxford-house/ run-ins with the law, and spend a good chunk of their day consuming drink after drink after drink. When most people think of a stereotypical alcoholic, this is the type they’re imagining.

Luckily there are a number of treatment options for all types of alcoholics. If you or a loved one is suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD), it’s important that you seek addiction treatment. When heavy drinking is the norm in a family, people tend to fall into drinking as normal behavior. Young adult alcoholics are the most common type of alcoholic, making up almost 32 percent of the total. Many of those in the grips of alcoholism choose not to seek help, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Cessation of alcohol intake

According to the figures from the study, only about 27% end up trying to get treatment, which puts it right in the middle as far as likeliness to get help compared to the other types. The Young Antisocial Alcoholic is often around 26.4 years old but started drinking much earlier than others at around 15 years of age. Added to that, their problematic alcohol use disorder usually starts at about 18 years old. In many cases, you may not expect a functional alcoholic to have a problem. That’s because they’re able to balance their drinking with their personal and professional life. Many people have a stereotypical image of someone labeled as an alcoholic, but new alcoholism research from the NIAAA has laid that notion to rest by proving that not all alcoholics are the same.

Sixty-six percent have sought help at some point, making them the group most likely to have done so. They often seek help at self-help groups, rehabilitation programs, and detox programs. With the lowest levels of education, employment, and income of any subtype, this group also drinks more at one time and more overall than other groups. Yet, members of this group—35%—are more likely to seek help, and from multiple sources, including private healthcare providers, self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, and detox programs.

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