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Alcoholism: A Life Span Perspective on Etiology and Course

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Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Alcoholism is a disorder involving problems with the use of alcohol such that the consumption becomes compulsive and/or negatively affects the person’s health, personal relationships, and ability to fulfill major role obligations (e.g., work, family). For over 30 years, the disorder was defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) disorders of alcohol dependence and abuse. Dependence involves physiological addiction (tolerance or withdrawal) and/or compulsive alcohol use, where use is continued despite problems of physical and mental health as well as impairment in social, family, and job responsibilities. Alcohol abuse involves less severe drinking problems, including hazardous use (e.g., drunk driving) and social problems (e.g., legal problems due to drinking), but not physiological dependence. There is little evidence, however, to justify the distinction between symptoms of abuse and dependence (Borges et al., 2010). Rather, problematic alcohol use seems best conceptualized as a continuum ranging from heavy use to severe symptoms. As such, the broader term alcohol use disorder (AUD) is now used in the recently published, latest edition of the DSM (DSM-5), which we also use to refer to the general condition of problematic alcohol use over time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2700, USA

    Brian M. Hicks Ph.D.

  2. Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Robert A. Zucker Ph.D.

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Correspondence to Brian M. Hicks Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the Study of Child Development, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Michael Lewis

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA

    Karen D. Rudolph

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Hicks, B.M., Zucker, R.A. (2014). Alcoholism: A Life Span Perspective on Etiology and Course. In: Lewis, M., Rudolph, K. (eds) Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9608-3_29

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