Published: 18 Jun 2025

ICD9: 303.9      ICD10: F10.2      ICD11: 6C40.2Z

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol seeking and use, despite negative consequences.
It involves:

Impaired control: Difficulty limiting the amount of alcohol you drink or the number of times you drink.
Preoccupation: Spending a lot of time thinking about alcohol, getting it, and recovering from its effects.
Continued use despite consequences: Continuing to drink even though it causes problems in your relationships, work, health, or legal situation.
Withdrawal symptoms: Experiencing physical or emotional symptoms (like anxiety, sweating, nausea, or seizures) when you try to stop drinking.
Tolerance: Needing to drink more alcohol to achieve the same effect.