What are Alcohol Related Disorders?
Alcohol related disorder is a term applied to people who have habitual excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol dependence usually develops after a number of years of excessive drinking.
However, for several reasons that include genetic factors, sensitivity to alcohol varies, and the amount of alcohol required to produce damage therefore varies from person to person. It cannot therefore be assumed that everyone who drinks in excess of the safe limits on a regular basis over a long period of time will develop mental, physical or social problems. For example:
25% of people with alcohol misuse will develop dependence
Discrimination against people with alcohol dependence is common. It is important to appreciate that this is a recognised psychiatric disorder, that there are many reasons why a person might develop dependence and it would therefore be incorrect to conclude that this is a “self - inflicted illness.”
People with alcohol related disorders may not engage with local support services for a variety of reasons that include:
- Lack of availability of support services
- Mistrust of professionals
- Social isolation and alienation of friends and family by the person’s behaviour
There are many social effects of alcohol misuse.
If evidence shows that the customer has Cirrhosis as a result of Alcohol misuse, then also consult the Cirrhosis guidance for additional information.
