There are established conditions for defining alcohol dependence.

Alcohol can have effects which people regard as positive or negative.

Sociability is the most common reason for drinking alcohol.

Effects on the body of drinking alcohol.

Prolonged alcohol abuse exposes you to a high risk of damage to the body and the brain.

It takes years to become an alcoholic.

How long time it takes for alcohol to pass through the stomach to the blood and finally being metabolized by the liver.

Children of alcohol-dependent parents run a higher risk of developing an alcohol problem than other children.

Liver cirrhosis is a chronic breakdown of liver functions caused by prolonged excessive alcohol usage.

The Wernicke - Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder caused by alcohol abuse, can be treated if caught in an early stage.

A large-scale American and Dutch investigation shows that people with alcohol problems have psychiatric disorders almost twice as much as people without alcohol problems.

No fixed time, but the longer you wait, the less problems you have with not using alcohol.

Friends who wish you well should respect your wish to not drink alcohol. This answer gives you ideas on how to tell them this.

Most symptoms of alcohol abuse will disappear within seven to ten days after quitting

If you try to help a person to stop drinking, make sure that you really help the person solve problems in a better way than drinking.

A collection of articles on the treatment of substance abuse.

Naltrexone (Revia, Trexan) is a medicine used against drug addiction, alcoholism and self-harm.

A medicine which causes unpleasant symptoms if you drink alcohol. Should only be prescribed by a doctor.

Combining alcohol with tranquiallizers is dangerous and can lead to death.

Overview of different kinds of substance abuse.