Articoli di riviste sul tema "Alcoholism Treatment"

Although alcoholism is often regarded as an intractable disorder that requires intensive treatment, studies of the natural history of alcoholism indicate that unaided, spontaneous recovery may be the most common pathway to remission from alcoholism. Negative environmental consequences of alcoholic drinking have been invoked to explain spontaneous recovery, but a more compelling reason for sudden changes in drinking behavior concerns shifts in the personal meanings surrounding alcohol use. Extensive interviews in a multimodal format were conducted with two groups of alcoholics: one group comprised of 7 subjects who spontaneously recovered without treatment and the other group comprised of 9 people who believed formal treatment was necessary to abstain from drinking. Spontaneously recovered alcoholics reported experiencing vivid sensations and images at the time they decided to quit drinking, and they reported subsequent transformations of their personal identities. Active alcoholics reported no comparable experiences in imaginal, sensory, and cognitive modalities. Implications of the results for current alcoholism treatments are discussed.

In the past 20 years special interest groups have increased efforts to de-stigmatize alcoholism through improving the image of the alcoholic and medicalizing alcoholism. Among specific initiatives is the effort to implement work-based employee assistance programs (EAPs) to identify alcoholic employees through job performance decrements and guide them to appropriate treatment resources. In this analysis, two issues are examined. First, we measure the degree to which the disease model of alcoholism is accepted among those working with alcoholics in job-based programs, those variously charged with administering EAPs. Second, we measure attitudes toward the employment of recovering alcoholics in the EAP field. Results indicate that recovery from alcoholism, the role of “co-alcoholic,” and the occupational setting of the EAP administrator each affect the attitudes regarding the disease concept of alcoholism and the appropriateness of recovering alcoholics working in the EAP field.

Studies of the first-degree relatives of patients with alcoholism and anxiety disorders have identified a significant overlap of these disorders. Forty percent of the patients in an outpatient anxiety disorder program were adult children of alcoholics (ACOA), a proportion similar to that found in the substance abuse program. The ACOAs in both programs were younger, had higher co-dependency scores and were younger when they had their first psychiatric contact than the controls. The adult children of alcoholics who had anxiety disorders were more likely to be female and their alcoholic parents were less likely to have had psychiatric antecedents to alcoholism. Aside from substance abuse, similarities in socio-demographic variables and the impact of the parents' alcoholism were noted, reinforcing the hypothesis that vulnerabilities to anxiety disorders and alcoholism overlap.

Alcohol is the United States' foremost drug of abuse. Although a significant portion of the population continues to identify alcoholism with moral weakness, society embraces treatment as the primary mode of dealing with this disease. Treatment stressing ongoing abstinence from alcohol is the most universally accepted method of therapy. Following initial intervention and referral, treatment of the alcoholic includes detoxification; intensive early treatment, using either outpatient or inpatient treatment settings; and long-term support for recovery. Aftercare programs often require continuing attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, recovery support groups, and psychotherapy. In addition, recovering individuals may receive continued health care supervision from a physician knowledgeable about alcoholism. Family therapy is stressed as a component of recovery.

Objective: To discuss the mechanism of action, the efficacy and the safety of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the treatment of alcoholism. Method: The published works on effective treatments for alcoholism is briefly reviewed and a prospective multidisciplinar y follow-up of recovery from alcoholism in two community cohorts of adolescent males followed from 1940 until the present day is reviewed. Conclusions: The suggested mechanism of action of AA is that it employs four factors widely shown to be effective in relapse prevention in addictions: external supervision, substitute dependency, new caring relationships and increased spirituality. In addition, AA serendipitously follows the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy in relapse prevention. Alcoholics Anonymous appears equal to or superior to conventional treatments for alcoholism, and the skepticism of some professionals regarding AA as a first rank treatment for alcoholism would appear to be unwarranted. Alcoholics Anonymous is probably without serious side-effects.

The effects of childhood experiences of parental violence on the development of alcoholism in women were examined by comparing a sample of 45 alcoholic women selected from local treatment agencies and Alcoholics Anonymous groups with 40 nonalcoholic women selected randomly from the population. Two-hour person-to-person interview schedules were administered to both samples. The Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) assessed both father-to-daughter and mother-to-daughter relationships. Type of sample was regressed on each CTS subscale, controlling for presence of parental alcoholism, number of childhood changes in family structure, present age of respondent, and present income source. Alcoholic women were found to have higher father-to-daughter negative verbal interaction, moderate violence, and serious violence than household women. Father-to-daughter positive verbal interaction was found unrelated to membership in the alcoholism sample. None of the mother-to-daughter subscales were found to predict membership in the alcoholism sample.

Selected literature is first reviewed examining the relationship between the increased use of coercion as motivation for alcoholism treatment entry and the goals of alcoholism treatment with the general conclusion reached that the increasing use of coercion is shifting the practice and ideology of alcoholism treatment. Second, criminally referred, volunteers and DWI clients in one state's publicly funded alcoholism treatment are compared on the basic precepts of the disease model of alcoholism with the general conclusion that as the operational definition of “alcoholic” has widened to include the universe of alcohol problems, there are major discrepancies between those traditionally treated for alcoholism and the newer clientele. The implications of this shift are discussed in terms of the transformation of the social function of alcoholism treatment.

Background:Alcohol Dependence has been posing an unprecedented public health challenge in recent years. Alcohol related morbidity and mortality has attained new zenith that merits attention. Considering the abominable effects of alcoholism, it was decided to study the medico-social profile of male alcoholics in an urban set-up to identify the risk factors and suggest preventive measures.Methods:60 subjects reporting to a de-addiction centre at a north Indian town for treatment were studied during September 2014-February 2015. All the individuals were satisfying the criteria of alcohol dependence as per diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder. A pretested structured proforma was introduced to the consenting individuals, which included demographic details, personal and family history with details of physical and mental status examination. Data obtained was analysed and tabulated.Results:The mean age of the alcoholics seeking treatment was 37.86 years. Majority of them were married, middle school educated, employed urbanite, unskilled workers from lower middle class background. Mean ages of first alcoholic drink and first intoxication were 18.95 and 20.35 years respectively. Dependency developed at 28.60 years. Alcoholic father (65%) and brothers (31.67%) appeared tended the subjects towards alcohol. Financial stress and withdrawal problems mostly steered them to seek treatment. Epidemiological insight unveiled many risk factors like vulnerability of adolescents, male sex, nominal schooling, low socio-economic lineage, early employment, peer pressure, alcoholic father and siblings, financial stress and family discord.Conclusions:More community based studies are suggested to identify the community specific risk factors for alcoholism and recommend suitable preventive measures to abate alcoholism.

The main goal of the paper was to analyze the impact of psychoeducation in alcoholism therapy treatment on initial motivation and comprehension, change in attitudes to alcoholism, and beginning of creating a new value system. The sample consisted of 166 respondents (83 married couples) that had been involved in one-year systemic group family therapy alcoholic treatment (with the man being alcoholic). A questionnaire on knowledge about alcoholism was used. The respondents were tested three times - at the beginning of the treatment, after 6 months, and after one year. The results showed that the level of education had increased through three phases of the treatment, that motivation changed from initial to substantial, that the comprehension had also changed, turning family system into a more functional model of living. Statistically significant difference in level of education between phase 1 and phase 3 of the family therapy was confirmed. In conclusion, the authors argue for the importance of psychoeducation as a method in treating alcoholism.

The birth of the independent Poland in 1918 activated a social movement against alcoholism and drug addiction. In 1919, the Polish Society for Fighting Alcoholism ,,Trzeźwość'' ("Sobriety'') was established which operated nationwide and which in the period between the two wars became the main factor of fighting alcoholism. In the light of the Statute of "Trzeźwość" and resolutions of the Polish anti-alcoholic congresses, as well as the postulates of psychiatrists, the ideas of how to fight alcoholism included three spheres: a. anti-alcoholic legislation and its practical enforcement; b. anti-alcoholic propaganda and education; c. treatment of alcoholics. In 1919, a draft was submitted to the Diet that proposed a total prohibition of production and sale of alcoholic beverages. It was referred to a Diet commission which subsequently changed its contents. Then. The Diet passed an Act of 23 April 1920 on restrictions in sale of alcoholic beverages. The Act, based on a concept of partial prohibition. Introduced considerable restrictions in sale of beverages containing over 2.5 per cent of pure alcohol, and a total prohibition of sale of beverages with over 45 per cent alcohol. Moreover, the sale of alcohol was prohibited to workers on paydays and holidays, as well as at markets, fairs, church fairs, pilgrimages, on trains and at railway stations. According to the Act, each rural or urban commune could introduce on its territory a total prohibition of sale of alcoholic beverages by voting. The Act limited the number of places where alcohol could be sold or served to one per 2,500 of the population all over the country. A licence issued by administrative authorities was required to sell or serve alcohol. The statutory instrument to this Act created commissions for fighting alcoholism of the 1st and 2nd instances which were to supervise the compliance to the Act of 1920 and to impose penalties provided for the infringement of its provisions. The commissions consisted of representatives of the State administration and social organizations engaged in fighting alcoholism. Moreover, the Act of 2l January 1922 introduced a penalty of fine or arrest for being drunk in public. A person who brought another person to the state of intoxication was also liable to these penalties. The complete execution of the anti-alcoholic Act met with obstacles: for instance, alcohol was secretly served on the days of prohibition (e.g. during fairs). The Act of 31 July 1924 established the Polish Spirit Monopoly (P.M.S.). The production of spirit and pure vodka thus became a State monopoly' Production and sale of the P.M.S. beverages increased gradually as it constituted an important source of the State revenue. For this reason. a new anti-alcoholic Act of 21 March 1931 was passed which greatly reduced the restrictions in the sale of alcohol as compared with former regulations. A further reduction in these restrictions resulted from Acts of 1932 and 1934. The P.M.S. Board of Directors argued that a growth in production was necessary to suppress illegal distilling of alcohol the products of which were imperfectly rectified and threatened the health of the population. Instead according to the conception of "Trzeźwość’’ and other social organizations engaged in fighting alcoholism. illegal distilling of alcohol should be detected and suppresed by the police while it was in the interest of the health and morals of the population to curtail greatly the sale of alcohol and for this reason it was necessary to reintroduce the anti-alcoholic Act of 1920 However, in consideration of the State's fiscal interests. the Act was not reintroduced and the other Acts that extended the production and sale of the P.M.S. products were only replaced after World War II. According to the ideas of ,,Trzeźwość'' and other organizations fighting alcoholism, anti-alcoholic propaganda and education should be made by professionals and have a wide range, since it is impossible to fight alcoholism without informing the population of the harmful effects of alcohol. Guidelines for this activity were worked out at the Polish anti-alcoholic congresses of which there were seven in the period between the wars. Besides, in 1937 the 21st International Anti-Alcoholic Congress took place in Warsaw during which the Polish draft of an international anti-alcoholic convention was Supported. The draft provided a considerable limitation of alcohol sale, a regulation of penal liability for offences and transgressions committed in the state of intoxication, and lectures on alcohology in schools. The states signatories to the convention would be called upon to pass acts consistent with the content of the convention. The work on this draft was stopped by the outbreak of the war. The resolutions of the Polish anti-alcoholic congresses demanded lectures on alcohology in all types of schools, at teachers courses and at specialist courses for employees of various departments, the Ministry in of Communication particular. The range of alcohology taught at schools should be conformed to the type of school and the general knowledge or students. The postulate of teaching alcohology in schools was partly realized and courses were organized for railway employees by the Abstainer Railwaymen League. At the State School of Hygiene in Warsaw a several days course in alcohology was organized every year in which 200--300 persons participated, mainly teachers, physicians and clergymen of various denominations. Besides, ,,Trzeźwość'' organized travelling exhibitions that made tours of towns to show the harmful effects of alcoholism. The Abstainer Railwaymen League organized, an exhibition in a railway carriage which was visited by many thousands of persons at railway stations in different parts of the country. A lecturer on alcohology was employed to have talks during the exhibition. In early February every year a nationwide Sobriety Propagation Week was organized. Various publications were also brought out which demonstrated the harmful effects of alcohol and the ways of fighting alcoholism, both scientific and those for general use. Treatment of alcoholics was postulated; it was carried out in closed hospital wards or in out-patient clinics. The former was more effective; however it was less frequently applied as compared with the out-patient treatment since there were no provisions which would legalize compulsory treatment of alcoholics and drug addicts and it was easier to obtain the patient's consent to treatment in a clinic than in a hospital. Compulsory treatment was only possible if the court applied medical security measures in cases of offences connected with abuse of alcohol or drugs. (Art. 82 of the Penal code of 1932). The mental hygiene, movement, initiated in Poland in the early thirties, resulted in a growth in the number of clinics engaged in prevention and treatment, that is in a development of treatment of alcoholics in specialized anti-alcoholic clinics. The necessity of taking the children of alcoholics under educational and medical indicated. An important part is this field fell to social nurses attached to the clinics whose task was among other things to bring the alcoholics children to the clinic and see to their medical treatment if necessary. The organization of special schools for mentally deficient and morally neglected children, whose parents were frequently alcoholics, was also initiated. Psychiatrists demanded an elaboration and introduction of an act on compulsory treatment of alcoholics and drug addicts, organization of special wards for notorious alcoholics in mental hospitals, prolongation of treatment from 6 to 12 months (which was considered particularly necessary in the case of chronic alcoholism), a joint alcoholism and psychiatric treatment if required, in the case of alcohol psychosis in particular, and check-up of the cured alcoholics and drug addicts. In Poland drug addiction has never reached the proportions of alcoholism. Its most frequent forms were morphinism and cocainism. Its fighting was facilitated by the passing of an Act of June 23, 1923 which prohibited production, processing, export. import. storage of and any trade in all drugs. For infringement of the Act, penalties of fine and up to 5 years deprivation of liberty were provided. However, there was no act to legalize compulsory treatment of drug addicts. They could only be treated in closed hospital wards since in the case of drug addiction, out-patient treatment was considered to be ineffective. In 1931, the Polish Committee for Drugs and Prevention of Drug Addiction was set up as, an advisory body attached to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, which consisted mainly of physicians and chemists. In order to fight drug addiction effectively, increased detection of export and sale of drugs was postulated as well as supervision of prescriptions and of obtaining drugs on prescription at chemist's. Chemists were compelled to keep a special book of in- and out-goings of drugs which could only be sold on prescription for therapeutical purposes. Attenton was drawn to the necessity of an instruction, to be passed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, according to which the production of doctors seals and forms would only be possible on presentation of the identity card, since drug addicts used to order seals and forms bearing names of famous practitioners. Medical check-up of released prisoners who had been cured of drug addiction when serving their sentences was also postulated. In consequence of the spread of ether drinking in the Upper Silesia in 1936, a wide-range operation was carried out which consisted in a vigorous fight against smuggling and sale of ether (which was mainly smuggled from Germany) and in informing the population as to the harmful effects of ether drinking.

AbstractHealth laws in every state recognize alcoholism as a treatable disease. State drunk driving laws, however, inadequately provide for alcoholic drunk drivers. Studies show that problem drinkers make up as much as two-thirds of the DWI offender class. Alcoholic drunk drivers cannot fully conform their drinking behavior to the dictates of the law as long as their alcoholism remains untreated. This Note argues that the law should consistently treat alcoholism as a disease. This Note suggests that the most appropriate way for the legal system to deal with alcoholic DWI offenders is to suspend the offender's license until he can show that he has successfully completed an initial alcohol detoxification/rehabilitation program. In addition, because alcoholism requires lifelong treatment, alcoholic drivers should be required to present periodic documentation that their condition is under supervised treatment. Epileptic drivers are handled in a similar manner in most states.

No significant differences were found on Purpose in Life scores of 33 early onset (before age 40) and 27 late onset (after 40 years of age) alcoholic men in alcoholism treatment centers. Differences were found between the later onset group and another group of early onset alcoholics ( n = 38) as well as an older nonalcoholic group of 20 tested by Meier and Edwards.

A path analytic model for Hispanic alcoholics relating socioclinical prognostic variables to outcome following treatment in a therapeutic community differs markedly from that fitted to Anglo alcoholics. When Hispanics and Anglos were combined, a third model dropped out a socioclinical prognostic triad as Hispanic and Anglo effects cancelled out. The differential relationship of education to alcoholism severity and outcome was noted specifically as reflecting different racial-ethnic paths to recovery.

A sample of 229 individuals recovering from alcoholism voluntarily remained after their Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and completed a 57 item Alcoholism Treatment Survey. In addition to traditional demographic information, the Survey collected data pertinent to critical treatment phenomena: (a) the respondents' reported experiences with alcohol and other drug treatment; and (b) the respondents' perceptions of, and recommendations regarding, treatment programming and issues and topics of special classes and discussion groups. Findings are simultaneously presented and discussed (with gender-specific considerations) within seven treatment-experience areas nine treatment programming areas, and 15 issues and topics of special ciasses and discussion groups pertinent to alcoholism treatment.

The phenomenon of denial of alcohol dependence prevails not only in a majority of alcoholics, but also in the diagnostic and therapeutic behavior of many physicians. The reasons for this neglect of alcohol abuse are reviewed. In particular, value judgments rather than scientific data seem to lead a number of physicians to share the recent views of the U.S. Supreme Court on primary alcoholism: a “willful misconduct” rather than an illness. This dichotomy between primary and secondary alcoholism, simplistic in itself, is part of current attempts to describe a spectrum of alcoholic disorders, some more social, some more biological. The biological underpinnings of abnormal drinking behaviour include various abnormalities of cerebral neurotransmitters: dopaminergic, serotonergic, GABA and endogenous opiate systems among others. These abnormalities are partly genetically determined, pre-existing to alcohol abuse and explaining why “alcoholism runs in families”, and partly secondary to alcohol abuse. Their understanding may open the road to the use of specific pharmacological adjuvants in alcoholism treatment, in conjunction with psychotherapy, rehabilitation and self-help programs.

Angesichts der vielen unspezifischen Symptome kann die Diagnose nur mit einer gezielten Anamnese und Untersuchung gestellt werden. Einfache, standardisierte Fragen geben einen ersten Hinweis, gegebenenfalls verifiziert durch eine eingehende Untersuchung. Der nächste Schritt besteht in einer hausärztlichen Beratung, gegebenenfalls unterstützt durch Pharmaka, wie Disulfiram, Acamprosate und Naltrexone. Viele kontrollierte Studien in der hausärztlichen Praxis haben gezeigt, daß auch eine minimale ärztliche Intervention wirksam ist. Aus diesem Grund lohnt es sich für den Hausarzt, alkoholkranke Patienten zu behandeln.

Alcoholism among women often has been treated using a model based on research with alcoholic men. Women react differently to alcohol than men both physiologically and psychologically and their drinking patterns are different from men's. Treatment facilities for alcoholism have not been as available for women as for men and treatment must be individualized for the differences between men and women problem drinkers and for the differences among alcoholic women.

The interrelationships of delinquent activities and their consequences on the development of alcoholism in women were examined. Interview data were analyzed from a sample of 45 alcoholic women selected from local treatment agencies and Alcoholics Anonymous groups and 40 nonalcoholic women selected randomly from a household population to form the comparison group. Delinquent activity included status offenses such as running away and cutting classes, as well as more serious offenses, including fighting, stealing, and driving offenses. Official involvement as a juvenile was also assessed. Alcoholic women were significantly more likely than the random sample of women to report stealing, legal interventions, running away, and fighting. Multivariate analyses indicated that both stealing and legal interventions were important predictors of alcoholism problems in women, even when family background and childhood experiences, such as childhood sexual abuse and father-to-child violence were considered.

A prospective study of male in-patients over 55 years old who met Feighner criteria for non-bipolar depression was performed to determine if a previous history of alcoholism significantly influenced treatment or response to treatment. Among 58 subjects with complete follow-up information, the 16 who had a history of alcoholism had a presentation at index which differed from that of the non-alcoholics, and on follow-up they clearly had more chronic illness. This elderly sample with alcoholism resembles ‘neurotic-reactive’ depressives described in younger samples, and supports a past history of alcoholism as being a risk factor for chronicity of depression on follow-up in the elderly population.

Over the past 50 years the relationship between alcoholism and psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, has been the subject of a great deal of research. Psychiatric problems have been seen as both a cause and a result of alcoholism. Whatever the relation between alcoholism and psychiatric disorder is, it may have significance for the development of differentially effective treatment strategies. Several authors have argued that the presence and nature of psychiatric symptoms should form the basis of a classification system for alcoholics. Given the potential rewards of such a system for both understanding the aetiology of alcoholism and developing effective treatment strategies, it is important to have a clear picture of the nature and extent of this relationship. This paper reviews critically the published studies of the association between alcoholism and psychiatric disorder and outlines directions for future research.

Within Australian medicine, interest in the treatment of alcoholism revived in the 1950s, and in the following decade the various states introduced special legislation and established special facilities. Psychiatrists tended to dominate treatment and evaluation of treatment in this period, and state psychiatric centres continued to treat a large number of alcoholics. In the 1970s, the work of voluntary agencies was increasingly subsidised by the state, and the state services to a large extent assumed a supervisory role. In the same decade, criticism of the disease concept of alcoholism and questioning of the effectiveness of treatment began to emerge in Australia as it had overseas. By the mid-1980s, many health professionals saw treatment as a strategy of last resort and were looking to control of consumption as the primary means by which to reduce alcoholism.

SummaryRushing (1968) offers two hypotheses for the possible structural connection between suicidal and chronic alcoholic case groups : the “processual cause theory” is based on the idea that alcoholism leads through its problematic nature to suicide attempts. In the “common cause theory” alcoholism and suicidai acts are due to mutually shared factors, e.g., social isolation and enforced social integration.Data on suicide and suicide attempts were obtained as a separate aspect of a comprehensive follow-up investigation. All patients from one particular region in Austria, who had been admitted to hospital between 1976 and 1978 for treatment of chronic alcoholism took part in this study. Follow-up time was 4 to 7 years. 101 patients died during this period. 356 patients remained under close follow-up investigation. In addition to information about basic drinking habits, we attempted to identify predictive factors regarding the course of alcoholism and investigated familial circumstances, development and interactions.In contradiction with both theories forwarded by Rushing, we were able to isolate a special subgroup of chronic alcoholics attempting or committing suicide. This group is characterized by a depressive symptomatology (endogeneous-depressive syndrome, according to the Viennese Diagnostic Criteria), as well as by the presence of other psychiatrie disturbances underlying chronic alcohol abuse. Family histories also uncovered evidence of psychiatric illnesses. Cases of negative alteration in social status and problematical partnerships could be found in this subgroup. Drinking habits themselves did not differ from non suicide-prone alcoholics.

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the existence of, and relationships among, selected demographic variables of persons recovering from alcoholism. A sample of 229 recovering alcoholics voluntarily remained after their Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and completed a 57 item “Alcoholism Treatment Survey”. Findings are simultaneously presented and discussed within 14 specific demographic areas of investigation with special attention to three overall constructs: (a) gender, viz, women's issues; (b) age, viz, younger (13-32), middle (33-45) and older (46-73); and (c) Alcoholics Anonymous, viz, its make up and composition. Conclusions and recommendations pertinent to prevention, treatment and future research are offered.

Developmental Task Attainment in Adolescents from Families with a Recovering Alcoholic or Active Alcoholic Father The problem under consideration is the issue of adolescent developmental tasks in families with alcohol-related problems, especially in families which contain one or more treated alcoholics. In the present work it was hypothesised that the treatment of alcoholic fathers would be one of the more important protective factors in families coping with alcoholism. The participants of the study included 91 children, aged 17-18. The research sample was comprised of three groups: 31 children of active alcoholics, 30 children of treated alcoholics, and 30 children of non-alcoholic parents. In general, the results of the study highlight the roles of temperament and parenting practices in the progress of developmental tasks. The data revealed that family characteristics were correlated to the predictors of these tasks. The groups used in the study were differed according to the factors of their developmental tasks.

In this study, considering the delays for a susceptible individual becoming an alcoholic and the relapse of a recovered individual back into being an alcoholic, we formulate an epidemic model for alcoholism with distributed delays and relapse. The basic reproduction number R0 is calculated, and the threshold property of R0 is established. By analyzing the characteristic equation, we demonstrate the local asymptotic stability of the different equilibria under various conditions: when R0<1, the alcoholism-free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable; when R0>1, the alcoholism equilibrium exists and is locally asymptotically stable. Furthermore, we demonstrate the global asymptotic stability at each equilibrium using a suitable Lyapunov function. Specifically, when R0<1, the alcoholism-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable; when R0>1, the alcoholism equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. The sensitivity analysis of R0 shows that reducing exposure is more effective than treatment in controlling alcoholism. Interestingly, we found that extending the latency delay h1 and relapse delay h2 also effectively contribute to the control of the spread of alcoholism. Numerical simulations are also provided to support our theoretical results.