Understanding the Five Types of Alcoholics Get Help For Alcohol Addiction

Most are smokers, and they’re more likely than other subtypes to use other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opioids and amphetamines. More than three-quarters of young antisocial alcoholics are male, and about 15 percent are married. They drink approximately 201 days out of each year and usually consume five or more drinks per sitting. While approximately 15 million American adults suffer from alcohol use disorder, fewer than 1 in 10 typically seek treatment for addiction. Five types of alcoholics exist, and the type can influence whether or not people choose to seek treatment for their addiction. It also can determine whether a certain type of treatment will be more effective than another.

• Nearly the same size as the last type, this group represents 19% of US alcoholics.
• However, Young Adult Alcoholics are also more likely to engage in hazardous behaviors like drinking than most other groups and also experiencing alcohol withdrawals.
• With that being said, it is important to be familiar with the different types of alcoholics to allow easy identification and early intervention of alcohol use disorder.
• According to this model, people drink because of four main reasons.
• Most are smokers, and they’re more likely than other subtypes to use other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opioids and amphetamines.
• Recognizing the signs and types of alcoholism can be tricky since drinking is an acceptable part of our culture.

Besides Chronic Severe Alcoholics, that makes this type the most likely to have an alcoholic home growing up. Young Antisocial Alcoholics are actually the second most prevalent type of problem drinker, though it’s close to Intermediate Familial and Functional Alcoholics. Around 21.1% of people who have an alcohol use disorder will fall into this subtype. The Young Antisocial Alcoholic is often around 26.4 years old but started drinking much earlier than others at around 15 years of age.

The researchers found five distinct profiles within the study participants.

Making up more than 31% of all alcoholics, the young adult subtype is by far the most common type of alcoholic in the United States. The average age of the young adult subtype is 25, with many in the category developing a dependence to alcohol by the age of 20. A large portion of individuals in this category of alcoholics become alcoholics during their college years, where alcohol is deeply ingrained into the college experience. It can be extremely difficult to tell if someone is addicted to alcohol or not at this time, as it is normal to drink regularly and to excess. Plus, the peers of the young adult subtype are not always aware of the warning signs of alcoholism and can easily excuse away abnormal drinking behaviors. Yes, there is a difference in treatment for different types of alcoholics.

The young adult alcoholic may not seek help for their problematic drinking, as drinking to excess at this age is often considered “normal” and part of a phase of life. Family members and adults may assume that the young adult will then “grow out of it” and do not see the drinking as a potential ongoing or long-lasting issue. Theresa Parisi is a Certified Addiction Professional , Certified Behavioral Health Case Manager , and International Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor with over 12 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. But by the time I was nineteen, I found myself in the drunk-tank three times in one year, causing the judge so remand me to ninety-days in the Indiana penal farm; but luckily the sheriff knew my father and I was let off the hook. At his point I would consider myself a hard drinker because I would stop drinking for months at a time using strong self-will and self-knowledge.

Recovery Room

Functional alcoholics typically do not fit the general stereotype for the disease, as alcohol does not regularly interfere with their daily life obligations. In fact, a functional alcoholic will often be middle-aged, professional, educated, married with a family, and keep up appearances as having their lives in order. NIH reports that around half of all functional alcoholics have been smokers, 30 percent have a family history of alcoholism, and 25 percent have suffered from major depression at some point in their lives. Thankfully, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ almost 35% of Young Antisocial Alcoholics actually seek help for controlling their drinking. This subtype is what’s commonly known as “functional alcoholics.” Accounting for 19.5% of alcoholics, this group is typically middle-aged people who start drinking early but develop alcohol dependence later . Based upon family history of alcohol abuse, age at initiation of use, patterns of personal use/abuse, and the cooccurrence of substance abuse and mental disorders, researchers have identified several distinct alcoholic subtypes.

The treatment for regular alcoholics is the same with individuals who are categorized as belonging to the different types of alcoholics. Members of different kinds of alcoholics often seek self-help groups, 12-step programs, and treatment from healthcare providers as their treatment options. These treatments are similarly used for anyone who suffers from alcohol use disorder. Almost35%of young antisocial alcoholics have sought help for their alcohol dependence problems. They tend to go to self-help groups, alcohol detox programs, specialty treatment programs, and private health care providers.

Chronic Severe Alcoholics

However, there are some distinguishing factors that separate this subtype from the others. One interesting note about Young Antisocial Alcoholics is the fact that this subtype has the highest biological sex disparity of any other kind- about 76% are males, and only 24% are females. We know that one of the underlying risk factors for alcoholism is genetics.

The chronic severe subtype makes up the smallest percentage of alcoholics, with only 9.2%. This group tends to start drinking at a young age but typically develops an alcohol dependence at an intermediate age . Seventy-seven percent of this group have close family members with alcoholism, the highest percentage of any subtype.

Early AA Indiana History

Our alcoholism addiction therapy is tailored to each client’s needs, which is why we offer multiple levels of care. Not all clients prefer residential addiction therapy–or need that level of support. At Resurgence, our addiction specialists are able to meet each client where they are in their recovery journey. The fictional story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic, but perhaps its author, Robert Louis Stevenson, had seen the like in real life. Some types of alcoholics are Mr. Hydes; that is, they become mean after drinking excessively or hostile. Prescription Drug Addiction Prescription drugs are used to treat physical and mental health conditions for people of all ages.