Alcohol abuse is first noticed by friends and family members of the alcoholic. They are the first to seek professional help for the alcohol abuser. At times, we find that the alcoholic is not able to realize the severity of the problem and even denies it. However, there are certain symptoms which cannot go unnoticed. Some of these are: the loss of a job, family problems, or citations for driving under the influence of alcohol. Other than this, alcohol dependence is indicated by symptoms such as withdrawal, injuries from accidents, or blackouts. There are a number of methods to detect alcoholism. Some of these are :
DSM diagnosis
Screening
Genetic predisposition testing
Urine and blood tests.
DSM diagnosis is considered to be the best way of detecting alcoholism.
DSM diagnosis has been developed by The American Psychiatric Association. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or DSM diagnosis, higher intake of alcohol will lead to failure in fulfilling major roles at work, school and home. A very high intake of alcohol will also lead to situations which are physically hazardous.
These include driving a vehicle or operating a machine under the influence of alcohol. It also states that recurrent intake of alcohol may lead to legal problems related to substance-related disorderly conduct.
According to DSM diagnosis, dependence on alcohol is suspected when alcohol use is accompanied by signs like abuse, compulsive drinking behavior, tolerance and withdrawal. The alcoholic takes higher amounts of alcohol in order to relive or avoid the symptoms of withdrawal. At times, there is a desire or an unsuccessful attempt to cut down the intake of alcohol. It is also noticed that there is a severe cut down on various social activities. This is reduced because of the level of alcohol intake is very high.
The DSM diagnosis of alcohol dependence is considered to be an approach which aids in defining alcoholism. It is an important method which assists in the development of research protocols as well as findings which can be compared with each other. There are a number of researchers and doctors who take the help of this method in diagnosing the condition of the patient and the severeness of alcoholism. This diagnosis has given better results than the other tests.
To know more about identification and diagnosis of alcoholism, take a look at the pages of alcoholabusehub.com.
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