Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse, encompassed within the diagnostic category of alcohol use disorder, is a pattern of excessive and harmful alcohol consumption that produces clinically significant impairment, recurrent adverse consequences, and frequently physiological dependence. It exists on a continuum that ranges from hazardous an…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 63× across the literature

Overview

Alcohol abuse, encompassed within the diagnostic category of alcohol use disorder, is a pattern of excessive and harmful alcohol consumption that produces clinically significant impairment, recurrent adverse consequences, and frequently physiological dependence. It exists on a continuum that ranges from hazardous and binge drinking, through harmful use, to severe dependence characterised by loss of control over intake, prioritisation of drinking over other activities, and continued use despite mounting harm. The physiological effects of sustained excessive consumption are systemic. In the liver, ethanol metabolism drives steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis; cardiovascular consequences include hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmia; and neurological sequelae range from peripheral neuropathy and cognitive impairment to thiamine-deficiency syndromes. Chronic intake also predisposes to pancreatitis, gastrointestinal injury, and several malignancies. With repeated exposure the central nervous system adapts, producing tolerance, so that escalating quantities are required for effect, and a characteristic withdrawal syndrome on cessation that may progress to seizures and delirium tremens. Alcohol use disorder commonly co-occurs with depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions, and is implicated in injury and trauma. Effective management begins with systematic screening using validated questionnaires, followed by brief intervention, medically supervised detoxification where indicated, pharmacotherapy to support abstinence, and structured psychosocial treatment addressing relapse prevention and comorbidity.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 63 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Nov 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Alcohol Abuse, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Journal of Alcohol.

Journal editorial board
Borna Relja · Germany Enver Tahiraj · Kosovo Kamal Pasa · Bangladesh

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.