What Is Alcoholism?

It is common to speak of drinking problems in terms of drunkenness or alcoholism. What is not generally understood is that five definable types of alcoholic abuse have been known for decades, of which three are characterized by loss of control and addictive behavior. All five types the Bible broadly classifies as sin (Gal. 5:21 and 1 John 3:4). Each is characterized by some kind of consequent illness.

The problem drinker has only a psychological dependence on alcohol to relieve emotional or bodily pain. His or her drinking is excessive, but noncompulsive, and damages marital and other interpersonal relationships. At this stage, the problem drinker shows no evidence of physiological addiction nor loss of the ability to control or to determine his or her intake of alcohol.

The hard drinker is characterized by nutritional deficiency diseases, such as cirrhosis of the liver, gastritis and noninflammatory degeneration of the nerves. He or she has no loss of control, no withdrawal or other addictive manifestations. Hard drinkers often have poor nutritional habits. Damage to the body is primarily physiological, with reduced earning capacity and consequent reduced family stability and reduced life expectancy.

The periodic drinker is usually abstinent between binges, but suffers from manic-depressive mood swings. He or she may begin a binge when skidding into such painful depressive moods. The periodic drinker suffers from loss of control and has temporary addictive behavior.

  The steady alcoholic, a type characteristic of the vast majority of American alcoholics, has true physiological addictions, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control of intake and a craving for alcohol. He or she has increased body tissue tolerance for alcohol, suffers from progressive impairment of all areas of the person's functioning, including health.

The plateau alcoholic is identified by the need to maintain a certain minimum level of inebriation much of the time. The plateau alcoholic is prevalent in France and among women and Skid Row alcoholics in America. He or she may seldom be obviously intoxicated and may be able to hide the problem for many years. The social life of the plateau drinker disintegrates subtly and gradually. Such individuals also suffer from declining health, from addiction and an inability to exercise positive control over alcohol intake.

This general classification was first developed by the late E.M. Jellinek, the father of scientific alcoholism research. Other types of alcoholism are also known through medical research.

Herman L. Hoeh