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ALCOHOLISM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess
Synonyms:
alcoholism; dipsomania; potomania
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("alcoholism" is a kind of...):
cacoethes; mania; passion (an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms
Synonyms:
alcohol addiction; alcoholism; drunkenness; inebriation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("alcoholism" is a kind of...):
drug addiction; white plague (an addiction to a drug (especially a narcotic drug))
Context examples:
Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result of another disease, such as Parkinson's disease, alcoholism and diabetes.
(Autonomic Nervous System Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
M. szulgai is found in the environment, primarily in water, and it rarely causes infection, but may cause pulmonary disease in patients with a history of alcoholism, cigarette smoking, obstructive pulmonary disease, or immunocompromised patients.
(Mycobacterium szulgai, NCI Thesaurus)
Also called alcoholism.
(Alcohol dependence, NCI Dictionary)
Alcoholism is a disease with four main features: • Craving - a strong need to drink • Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've started • Physical dependence - withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, or shakiness when you don't drink • Tolerance - the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to feel the same effect
(Alcoholism, NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Alcoholism carries many serious dangers.
(Alcoholism, NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
