It’s generally accepted that alcohol is fine in moderation, but it’s a fact that alcoholism can lead to death. In fact, excessive drinking contributes to almost 90,000 deaths per year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How do you know if your drinking habits are casual, or if you’re suffering from alcoholism? Well, there are many factors that contribute to an alcohol abuse disorder, according to Visually.

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Factors like how much you’re drinking and the types of alcohol being consumed are important. For example, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans define heavy drinking as having 15 or more drinks a week for men, or consuming eight or more weekly as a woman.

Alcoholics have a chronic disease, which is quite different from those who sometimes abuse alcohol. People suffering from alcoholism usually have a physical dependency. They also experience compulsions to drink, are unable to stop, and intensely crave drinks.

Want to know more about the warning signs of alcoholism, and how they differ from alcohol abuse? Check out Visually’s graphic below.

From Visually.

See Also:

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