Alcohol dependence (AD) can be defined as a cluster of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive phenomena in which the use of alcohol takes a much higher priority for a given individual than other behaviors that once had greater value (American Psychiatric Association 1994)1. The development of AD is characterized by frequent episodes of intoxication, preoccupation with alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, compulsion to seek and consume alcohol, loss of control in limiting alcohol intake, and emergence of a negative emotional state in the absence of the drug (American Psychiatric Association 1994)1. The changes in behavioral priorities not only results in increased morbidity and mortality, it is also a substantial social and economic burden on individual families and the nation2.
