Noun: alcoholism 'al-ku,hól,i-zum
- 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
"Her alcoholism strained her relationships and career";
- alcohol addiction, inebriation, drunkenness
- An intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess
"His alcoholism caused severe problems in his personal and professional life";
- dipsomania, potomania
Derived forms: alcoholisms
Type of: cacoethes, drug addiction, mania, passion, white plague
Encyclopedia: Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research