Diseases

Alcoholism

A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic. (Morse & Flavin for the Joint Commission of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine to Study the Definition and Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcoholism: in JAMA 1992;268:1012-4)

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic. (Morse & Flavin for the Joint Commission of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine to Study the Definition and Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcoholism: in JAMA 1992;268:1012-4)

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Related Concepts

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MeSH Record

See Also

MeSH Record

Synonyms

14 entry terms
  • Alcohol Addiction
  • Alcohol Dependence
  • Alcoholic Intoxication, Chronic
  • Addiction, Alcohol
  • Chronic Alcoholic Intoxication
  • Dependence, Alcohol
  • Intoxication, Chronic Alcoholic
  • Alcohol Abuse
  • Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Ethanol Abuse
  • Abuse, Alcohol
  • Abuse, Ethanol
  • Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Use Disorders, Alcohol

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

33 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, classification, complications, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, embryology, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, veterinary, virology.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

human and animal; note entry term ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION, CHRONIC: do not coordinate with CHRONIC DISEASE; available also are BINGE DRINKING, DRUNKENNESS see ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION and ALCOHOLICS; acute alcoholic intoxication = ETHANOL/pois; consider also ALCOHOL-INDUCED DISORDERS and specifics; index other complications of alcoholism under ALCOHOLISM /compl + disease /etiol not /chem ind; abstinence from alcohol in alcoholism: coordinate with TEMPERANCE

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. C25.775w.100.250w
  2. F03w.900w.100.350w

MeSH Record

NLM Classification

WM 274

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Alcoholism. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D000437. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D000437
  2. Alcoholism. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism
  3. Alcoholism. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15326