And although some theories are likely to endure longer than others, a more fundamental question remains concerning the utility of typologies for theory development and clinical practice. In discussing the general causes and conditions favoring inebriety, Crothers also classified alcoholism as either acquired or hereditary. People with acquired inebriety often have histories of physical disorders, particularly dyspepsia (i.e., indigestion), bad nutrition, and exhaustion from unhygienic living conditions or stressful work environments.

It also shifted the focus of the recovery world from focus just people who were hospitalized or receiving some form of addiction treatment. It was clear that there were several sub-types of alcoholics, each suffering from a different form of alcohol dependence. One shocking discovery is that only about 25% of all people who suffered from alcohol addiction would ever seek treatment. If you feel that you may suffer from an alcohol abuse disorder take our am I an alcoholic quiz. The functional subtype and the young antisocial subtype are the types of alcoholics that have higher probabilities of being aware that they are alcoholics. Although functional alcoholics are not especially likely to seek treatment, of all subtypes, they are the least likely to report alcohol-related problems.

Functional Alcoholic

And while it might be helpful to categorize someone as a specific type of alcoholic in the beginning, it’s important to show support in whatever way they need to recover. They range in complexity from tests that only take a few minutes to complete to more comprehensive questionnaires that take a deeper dive into addiction. Below are just some of the signs to be on the lookout for if you think someone you know or love is struggling with this type of alcoholism. Despite how common this conception of an alcoholic is in modern society, the truth is that these types of alcohol addicts really only make up about 9% of all alcoholics according to the NIAAA findings.

While they tend to smoke, few have any other forms of substance abuse. Young adults generally start drinking around the age of 19 and develop an alcohol dependency by 24. Members of this group are 2.5 times more likely to be male than female and are usually single. They have comparatively low rates of co-occurring mental health conditions and moderate rates of other substance abuse disorders. Fifty percent of the young antisocial alcoholic subtype also suffer from antisocial personality disorder .

Alcoholism is considered to be a heritable disease, as NIAAA reports that genetics can account for about half of the risk for developing the disease. The flip side of this coin, however, is that environmental and other factors make up the other half of the risks for the onset of addiction. The good news is that treatment for functioning alcoholism or chronic alcoholism, or any subclassification of alcohol use disorder, can lead to long-term sobriety and recovery. Medically-supervised withdrawal, evidence-based treatment, behavioral therapy, support groups, and plans for life after treatment can all aid a person who is looking to recover from alcohol addiction. The disease of alcoholism, officially diagnosed as an alcohol use disorder, can manifest differently from person to person. Some alcoholics may be able to hide their drinking fairly well and appear to be on the ball at work and at home.

Early episodes of binge and heavy drinking can elevate the risk for struggling with alcohol-related issues later in life. This group has one of the lowest education levels of any subtype and also has the lowest employment rate. This group drinks more frequently than any other, although their total alcohol intake is less than the young antisocial subtype.

What Is the Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder?

Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information. Michael Bayba Content Contributor Michael is currently the content strategist and a lead writer for Alcohol Rehab Help. He believes that the best content strategy is based on scientific research and is constantly evolving.

Our team can verify your insurance coverage to help determine the costs of addiction treatment. If you are looking for treatment programs, contact North Jersey Recovery Center. An alcoholic is someone who meets the criteria for alcohol use disorder. No matter what role you choose, with a master’s in health education and promotion online from Walden, you can start tackling some of today’s most pressing health problems—and changing the world. They’re 60% male and able to maintain regular jobs and relationships, with the highest education and income among all subtypes.

• Chronic severe alcoholics have the highest rate of family alcoholism out of any other subtype- almost 80% come from a family with a history of alcohol abuse problems.
• You’ll analyze the factors that impact both individual and population health.
• One of the most interesting things to come from the NIAAA study is the fact that functional alcoholism is actually quite common- more common than most people think.
• On top of alcohol abuse, many people in this category abuse tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, or opiates.

This subtype drinks less frequently than others but is very likely to engage in binge drinking when they do. Members of this group are 2.5 times more likely to be male than female. While it is very unlikely that a member of this group will seek out treatment, they are most likely to seek out a 12-Step program if they do.

Chronic Severe alcoholics have the highest rates co-occurring mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. A third of Functional alcoholics have a multi-generational family history of alcohol abuse. People who are ready to begin recovery from being a functional alcoholic often need to treat underlying mental health issues that have been previously masked by alcohol use. The functional subtype is the alcoholic who nobody believes is really an alcoholic. That is because this alcoholic is functional in most every way, if not more. For example, functional subtypes are successful in maintaining employment, having good relationships with others, and keeping up with activities and hobbies that they enjoy.

How were alcoholics classified by professionals?

Essentially, this sub-type paints a picture of what many people might believe to be the typical “party” period of their lifetime. You might dismiss the drinking as part of the normal process of growing up, hanging out with friends and going to college. There’s now scientific evidence that overwhelmingly supports that stance. They have the highest divorce rate — 25.1 percent — of all the alcoholic types.

The wine abuse, addiction, and treatment options that should be considered when categorizing the different types of alcoholics are listed below. Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , part of the National Institutes of Health, were able to reveal the 5 types of alcoholics by using these factors in an analysis of individuals with alcohol dependence. An example of a chronic severe alcoholic is a person who consumes alcohol at dangerously high levels that their addiction interferes with many areas of their life. They are often unemployed, have no contact with family or friends, and have multiple unsuccessful attempts at cutting back on alcohol.

Poor mental health can allow substance abuse to develop if those substances help alleviate the symptoms of any current mental illnesses. Some of the types describe people dealing with fewer mental health issues outside of their alcohol abuse, whereas others suffer from depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and more. This group has attained a higher education level than all groups other than the functional subtype. More hold full-time jobs, but their income skews lower than the functional subtype. This group is unlikely to seek treatment, but individuals who do seek treatment choose self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, detoxification programs, and private health care providers.

Intermediate Familial Subtype

They actively seek to get drunk to chase a thrilling sensation and are likely to be adolescent or young adult males with extroverted, aggressive or impulsive personalities. People who drink for enhancement often engage in adolescent binge drinking and other risky behaviors. Among the various models that define types of alcoholics, one focuses on the motives behind drinking to gain a deeper insight into alcohol addiction and understanding an alcoholic.

Deny that they’ve faced negative consequences related to their alcohol use. If alcohol is not allowed or nowhere to be found, then the person may refuse to attend, leave in the middle, or sneak alcohol in. Become unable to control the frequency and duration of drinking episodes. Join our online community to learn more about addiction and treatment. You may suffer from blackouts and drink to excess socially on a regular basis. You may make many excuses to drink and/or replace meals with alcohol.

They are also young and have the earliest age of onset of drinking and the earliest age of alcohol dependence . Young antisocial alcoholics drank an average of 201 days in the last year, binge drinking on an average of 80% of their drinking days. When they drink, their maximum number of drinks is 17, the highest of any subtype of alcoholic. Confirmation of the hypothesis that only two broad categories of alcoholics exist would represent an important breakthrough for theory development and treatment matching. Treatment matching and patient placement also might profit from this knowledge, provided that different therapeutic approaches and treatment settings prove to be differentially effective with different types of alcoholics. Despite one-and-a-half centuries of progress and a remarkable acceleration of interest in alcohol research in the past two decades, these critical issues continue to define the challenge as well as the promise of typology theory.

The majority smoke, and many use other drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and opioids. This is the smallest type, representing around 9% of US alcoholics. Those within this group most likely would have fit into the Young Antisocial type earlier in their lives. Generational alcohol abuse is extremely common in chronic severe cases along with the highest rates of mental health disorders out of any type.