Alcoholism is one of the most over looked forms of substance abuse in the world today. When people become dependant or addicted to alcohol they are referred to as alcoholics. Society's problem with alcohol has existed for a very long time. This problem affects a wide variety of people in all social classes and of all ages. However, it is just recently that steps have been taken to help people with their addiction. Alcohol is a very dangerous drug overlooked by most of society and legally available in almost every town in America.
The simple abuse of alcohol by a person is not enough to be labeled alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic disease that is progressive and often fatal. People with this disease are known as alcoholics. These people will develop a craving of strong urge to drink alcohol. Once drinking is started they are no longer able to control when they stop. It becomes a very bad addiction and if they stop they will suffer serious withdraw symptoms. These include nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Alcoholics tend to generate higher tolerances for alcohol because of how much they drink. This means that they have to drink way more that the average person to feel the affects and become intoxicated. These people may often develop patterns in society that enable them to continue to drink. For example being a local regular at a bar. Their drinking will create and abundance of problems in their lives that they are not even aware exists. The people who do not have this disease do not comprehend the severity of it. A person simply having the will power to stop drinking doesn't always work. It is a dependency that may need to be corrected with some outside assistance.
The relationship between man and alcohol has existed for a very long time. The presence of alcohol can be traced back hundreds and hundreds of years. So it is no surprise that this disease has existed also.