Alcohol (ab)use
For many people, drinking alcohol is nothing more than a pleasant way to relax. People with alcohol use disorders, however, drink to excess, endangering both themselves and others. This question-and-answer fact sheet explains alcohol problems and how psychologists can help people recover.

When does drinking become a problem?
For most adults, moderate alcohol use  no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women and older people  is relatively harmless. (A “drink” means 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, all of which contain 0.5 ounces of alcohol.

Moderate use, however, lies at one end of a range that moves through alcohol abuse to alcohol dependence:
Alcohol abuse is a drinking pattern that results in significant and recurrent adverse consequences. Alcohol abusers may fail to fulfill major school, work, or family obligations. They may have drinking-related legal problems, such as repeated arrests for driving while intoxicated. They may have relationship problems related to their drinking.

People with alcoholism, technically known as alcohol dependence, have lost reliable control of their alcohol use. It doesn’t matter what kind of alcohol someone drinks or even how much: Alcohol-dependent people are often unable to stop drinking once they start. Alcohol dependence is characterized by tolerance (the need to drink more to achieve the same “high”) and withdrawal symptoms if drinking is suddenly stopped. Withdrawal symptoms may include nausea, sweating, restlessness, irritability, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions.

Although severe alcohol problems get the most public attention, even mild to moderate problems cause substantial damage to individuals, their families and the community.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 6.2 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 and older had alcohol use disorder. For example, a government survey revealed that about one in five individuals aged 12 to 20 were current alcohol users and about two in five young adults, aged 18 to 25, were binge alcohol users and about one in 10 were heavy alcohol users

Advice
– Be aware of the risks and keep it safe. Alcohol is a drug. 
– Don’t use alcohol to escape your problems. Alcohol doesn’t solve any problem.
– Don’t use alcohol because of peer pressure. Don’t drink if you don’t want. 
– Set goals, related to work, school, or a other duty for the next day when drinking.  
– When you want to reduce drinking, avoid places that trigger you to drink (bars, parties, weddings, etc.)