In most countries and throughout historical time, alcohol has been legally produced from a remarkable range of products and is consumed to enhance well-being and social relationships. However, a relatively large proportion of individuals are unable to remain within safe limits of consumption, with often devastating consequences for the afflicted individuals, their families, and society at large. Alcoholism is a common psychiatric disorder. Results from a nationally representative sample (NESARC [National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions]) of 43,093 US adults have shown that the prevalence of lifetime DSM-IV alcohol dependence (AD) and alcohol abuse (together called alcohol use disorders [AUDs]) is 12.5% and 17.8%, respectively [1]. AUDs are twice as common in men as they are in women [1]. The same survey looked at all classes of illegal drugs, legal drugs, and inhalants/solvents and found that the prevalence of lifetime DSM-IV drug dependence (DD) was 2.6% and drug abuse was 7.7% [2]. Unlike AUDs, the prevalence of DD was similar in men and women [2]. Because alcoholism is a much more widespread problem in society, this addiction is the predominant focus of this review.
