When people think of the word “alcoholic,” they generally come up with the image of a middle-aged man, divorced or facing divorce, probably also a smoker or illicit drug user. However, a study in 2001-2002 found that contrary to many people’s preconceptions, alcoholism takes on more varied forms and often starts young, around or before turning 20. Although alcoholism can develop differently, there are 5 main categories that individuals with alcoholism generally fall into. Learn about the characteristics of each group through this slide show. For more information about alcoholism recovery for anyone struggling with an alcohol addiction, contact an admissions counselor at Pyramid Healthcare: 1-888-694-9996.

1. 5 Types of Alcoholics
Howard Moss, MD, the associate director for clinical and translational research at the National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) studied data from 1,484 U.S. adults who took part in a national survey
conducted by the NIAAA from 2001 to 2002.The study focused on alcohol dependence and also included
questions about personality, family history of alcoholism, and other substance use.

2. General Introduction
The researchers applied the survey's findings to the U.S. population. It is estimated
that in the year before the study, nearly 8 million people in the U.S. met the standard
for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. They explain the five subtypes of alcoholics
that they discovered as:
 The Young Adult Subtype
 The Young Antisocial Subtype
 The Functional Subtype
 The Intermediate Familial Subtype
 The Chronic Severe Subtype

3. Percentage of U.S. Population
Percentage of Population
35
30
32%
25
21%
20
19%
19%
15
10
9%
5
0
The Young Adult
Subtype
The Young
Antisocial
Subtype
The Functional
Subtype
The Intermediate
Familial Subtype
The Chronic
Severe Subtype

4. The Young Adult Subtype
 They're young adults who rarely seek help for alcohol dependence.
 About 24 years old, they became alcoholics by age 20, on
average.
 They drink less frequently than other alcoholics, but they tend to
binge drink when they drink.
 This is the largest subtype.

5. The Young Antisocial Subtype
 They are 26 years old, on average.
 More than half have antisocial personality disorder.
 They tended to start drinking at 15 and became alcoholics by 18.
 They are more likely to smoke tobacco and pot.
 The young antisocial subtype and the young adult subtype
DO NOT overlap.

6. The Functional Subtype
 They're generally middle-aged.
 They are working adults who tend to have stable relationships,
more education, and higher incomes than other alcoholics.
 They tend to drink every other day, often consuming five or more
drinks on drinking days.

7. The Intermediate Familial Subtype
 Nearly half have close relatives who are alcoholics.
 Alcoholics in this subtype typically began drinking by
17 and became alcoholics in their early 30s.

8. The Chronic Severe Subtype
 This subtype mainly includes men.
 This has the highest divorce rate.
 Also, frequently includes users of illicit drugs.

9. Conclusion
"When most people think of alcoholics, they think of middle-aged men with a profile similar
to our chronic severe subtype," Moss said. "Our data shows that alcoholism is more a
disorder of youth than previously suspected," he adds.
Moss warns that while some alcoholic subtypes may function better than others, "in all
cases, alcohol dependence must be viewed as a severe disease with a significant adverse
impact on health and well-being."

10. www.pyramidhealthcarepa.com
/pyramidhc