What are the Types of Alcoholics?
Alcoholism is a chronic and progressive disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Alcohol use disorder can happen to anyone. To best treat alcoholism, it is important to know what type of alcoholic category a patient falls under. A study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Health and the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions found that there are five different types of alcoholics.
Alcoholism has become such a growing epidemic that, according to the World Health Organization, harmful use of alcohol is a factor in more than 200 diseases and injuries. Alcohol is associated with risks of developing health problems such as mental health, behavioral disorders and organ disease. There are many factors that contribute to alcoholism. These include genetics, psychological factors, personality traits, cultural influences and mental health.
The different types of alcoholics labeled by the NIAAA often suffer from alcohol use disorders for different reasons. And in some cases, some of these subgroups don’t even realize they have a problem to begin with.
Types of Alcoholics
The five subtypes of alcoholics are the young adult subtype, the functional subtype, the intermediate familial subtype, the young antisocial subtype and the chronic severe subtype. These categories of alcoholics are organized based on many different factors including age, when they started drinking, age of alcohol dependence, family history and presence of any co-occurring mental health issues.
Young Adult Subtype
The young adult population consists of an estimated 31% of alcoholics. This is the largest single group out of the five categories. People in this subtype tend to start drinking around the early age of 19 and can develop alcohol dependence by age 24.
They are most likely to be in college without jobs. The majority of them are unmarried and in school. They have low rates of co-occurring mental health issues, but have moderate rates of other substance use. This is a typical character description of a college student in America, where the introduction of substances is most prevalent.
This group tends to drink less frequently. However, they are much more prone to engage in binge drinking. They are less likely to seek out formal treatment, but when they do, it is usually a 12-step peer support program like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Young Antisocial Subtype
The young antisocial subtype of alcoholics makes up about 21% of the alcoholic population. People in this group tend to start drinking at the youngest age, around 15 and develop a dependence by 18. The people in this group tend to suffer the most from mental health disorders such as major depression at 37%, bipolar disorder at 33%, OCD at 19%, social phobias at 14%, and other types of antisocial personality disorders at more than 50%.
This subgroup of alcoholics has the highest rate of substance use disorder, including misuse of marijuana, nicotine, meth, cocaine and opioids. Most of the members of this group are male and they tend to have the lowest level of education and employment. They often have issues with aggression, impulsiveness, recklessness and a lack of remorse. On the other hand, the people in this group are more likely to seek out help for their problems more than other subgroups.
Intermediate Familial Subtype
The intermediate familial subtype accounts for about 20% of alcoholics. They start drinking around the age or 17 and can develop a dependence by age 32. This group of people is likely to have intermediate family members who suffer from alcoholism. They may have mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.
This group of alcoholics is also more likely to be regular users of nicotine, marijuana and cocaine. They have the highest level of education, many have full-time jobs and are least likely to attend or seek out any sort of professional help or self-help treatment.
Functional Subtype
A functional alcoholic makes up about 20% of all alcoholics. This group of people are able to hold normal jobs and relationships. They are somehow able to prevent the disease from interfering with their lives.
These group members have the highest level of education and seem to have their lives together. The term functional means they can go about their daily lives without difficulty, but may be internally suffering from alcohol addiction. Functional alcoholics are private drinkers and may be self-medicating. They often wait until they have completed all of their daily responsibilities before they start drinking.
A typical functional alcoholic is middle-aged, married, fully employed and generally started drinking later in life. This means they don’t develop a dependency until their late 30s. They suffer from moderate rates of depression and usually seek help through a 12 step program or turn to their primary care health professional.
Chronic Severe Subtype
The chronic severe subtype is the smallest group of alcoholics with around 9%. They tend to start drinking at around age 15 and don’t develop a dependence until their late 20s and early 30s. This group of people is most likely to experience mental health conditions like major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, social phobias and panic disorder.
More than 80% of the members of this group experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they cut down or attempt to stop drinking. The people in this group most likely suffer from alcohol use disorder. They spend the majority of their time recovering from alcohol use, they drink more frequently than other groups and they in turn have the highest rates of seeking professional addiction treatment.
They also account for high rates of ER visits due to issues caused by drinking.
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Factors that impact the development of Alcoholism
- Alcohol is used to cope with stress
- Alcohol is used to cope with other symptoms of mental health disorders
- Alcohol is used recreationally or socially
- Alcohol is used to relieve boredom
- Alcohol has caused physical dependency
- Alcohol has become a part of a daily routine
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Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 28.6 million adults aged 18 and over experienced alcohol use disorder in 2022. Types of problems that alcoholics experience include binging drinking until the blood alcohol concentration level reaches .8% or higher, alcohol abuse, which is excessive consumption of alcohol and alcohol dependence, which is the inability to control alcohol consumption.
Research and studies have found that are five main types of alcoholics. The most effective way to learn which alcoholic type a person may have is to go through a medical assessment with a licensed mental health professional. These assessments are thorough and comprehensive. They cover everything from family history, legal issues, mental health symptoms, relationship issues, physical impairments and employment history.
At Hotel California by the Sea our alcohol addiction treatment program provides each patient with a full medical assessment that can include determining which alcoholic type category the patient will fall under. We offer treatment at all levels of care including detox, residential, PHP and IOP. We utilize evidence-based treatment methods such as CBT, DBT and EMDR therapy. Hotel California by the Sea is dedicated to helping our clients reach their goals in sobriety and overcome their addiction.
References:
https://www.addictioncenter.com/alcohol/types-of-alcoholics
https://www.alcoholhelp.com/alcohol/causes/types-alcoholics
https://www.addictiongroup.org/alcohol/addiction/types-of-alcoholics/
https://alcoholrehabhelp.org/addiction/alcoholism/types/
