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Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing.

It is medically considered a disease, specifically an addictive illness, and in psychiatry several other terms are used, specifically " alcohol abuse " and " alcohol dependence ," which have slightly different definitions.

In 1979 an expert World Health Organization committee discouraged the use of " alcoholism " in medicine, preferring the category of " alcohol dependence syndrome ".

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, alcohol dependence in general was called dipsomania, but that term now has a much more specific meaning.

People suffering from alcoholism are often called " alcoholics ".

Many other terms, some of them insulting or informal, have been used throughout history.

The World Health Organization estimates that there are 140 million people with alcoholism worldwide.