Types of Alcohol Use
Alcohol use can be categorized into five main areas, with most drug users falling into the experimental and recreational categories. Harms associated with alcohol use can occur at all levels of use.
Experimental use: when a person tries drinking alcohol once or twice out of curiosity. Novice users run the risk of a lack of tolerance to alcohol, and of not knowing how they will react, as well as the risks that may be associated with the effects of alcohol.
Recreational use: where a person chooses to use alcohol for enjoyment, particularly to enhance a mood or social occasion.
Situational use: where alcohol is used to cope with the demands of particular situations.
Intensive use: also known as "bingeing", where a person consumes a heavy amount of alcohol over a short period of time, or use is continuous over a number of days or weeks.
Dependent use: where a person becomes dependent on alcohol after prolonged or heavy use over time. They feel a need to drink consistently in order to feel normal, or to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Dependence can be psychological, physical, or both. Only a relatively small number of alcohol users become dependent alcoholics.
It is common for people to move between categories, and one stage does not inevitably lead to the next. Movement between categories occurs for complex reasons, as a person attempts to balance the perceived benefits from using alcohol against what the person believes are the costs drinking.
The causes of alcoholism depends on the nature of the person and the circumstances under which it is taken. There has been some speculation that some people may be more prone to alcoholism than others. Research is being carried out into whether there may even be genes that predispose certain people to addiction. Social circumstances are important in alcohol abuse. Peer pressure, emotional distress and low self-esteem can all lead individuals to abuse alcohol. Ease of access to drugs is another influence. People abuse alcohol for a reason. Understanding what the person's motivation is helps to explain why that person is abusing alcohol.
